Electoral district of County of Durham

Last updated

County of Durham
New South WalesLegislative Council
Durham NSW.PNG
Durham county in modern New South Wales
State New South Wales
Created1843
Abolished1856
Namesake Durham County
Coordinates 32°S151°E / 32°S 151°E / -32; 151

The Electoral district of County of Durham was an electorate of the New South Wales Legislative Council at a time when some of its members were elected and the balance were appointed by the Governor. [1] It was named after Durham County, which lies on the north side of the Hunter River.

Contents

It was created by the 1843 Electoral Districts Act and initially returned one member. [1] It returned two members with the expansion of the Council in 1851 to 54, 18 to be appointed and 36 elected. [2] In 1856 the unicameral Legislative Council was abolished and replaced with an elected Legislative Assembly and an appointed Legislative Council. The district was represented by the Legislative Assembly electorate of Durham

Members

ElectionMemberTerm
1843 Richard Windeyer [3] Jun 1843 – Dec 1847
1848 by Stuart Donaldson [4] Feb 1848 – Jan 1853
1848
1849 by MemberTerm
1851 Charles Cowper [5] Sep 1851 – Feb 1856
1853 by Alexander Park [6] Feb 1853 – Feb 1856

Election results

1843

1843 New South Wales colonial election, 24 June:
County of Durham [7]
CandidateVotes%
Richard Windeyer 12249.19
William Ogilvie7128.63
Andrew Lang 5522.18
Total votes248 100.00

1848 by-election

Richard Windeyer died in December 1847. [3]

County of Durham by-election
19 February 1848 [8]
CandidateVotes%
Stuart Donaldson (elected)11359.47
Alexander Park 7740.53
Total votes190 100

1848

1848 New South Wales colonial election, 26 July:
County of Durham [9]
CandidateVotes%
Stuart Donaldson (elected)Show of Hands
Andrew Lang
On 26 July 1848, the day prescribed for nominations, Stuart Donaldson and Andrew Lang were nominated. A show of hands was in favour of Donaldson and Lang demanded a poll. The returning officer had neglected to make any preparations for a poll and so declared Donaldson elected. [9] Donaldson attempted to resign on 16 August. [10] The election was declared void by the court of disputed returns and a new writ issued. [11]

1849 by-election

On 26 July 1848, the day prescribed for nominations, Stuart Donaldson and Andrew Lang were nominated. A show of hands was in favour of Donaldson and Lang demanded a poll. The returning officer had neglected to make any preparations for a poll and so declared Donaldson elected. [12] Donaldson attempted to resign on 16 August. [13] The election was declared void by the court of disputed returns and a new writ issued. [14]

County of Durham by-election
25 June 1849 [15]
CandidateVotes%
Stuart Donaldson (elected)Unopposed 

1851

1851 New South Wales colonial election, 24 September:
County of Durham [16]
CandidateVotes%
Stuart Donaldson 23934.94
Charles Cowper 23133.77
Adolphus Young 16924.71
Edward Hunt 456.58
Total votes684 100

1853 by-election

Stuart Donaldson resigned in January 1853.

County of Durham by-election
28 February 1853 [17]
CandidateVotes%
Alexander Park (elected)unopposed 

See also

Related Research Articles

William Bowman was an Australian politician and an elected member of the New South Wales Legislative Council between 1843 and 1856. He was also a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly for 1 term from 1856 until 1858.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Electoral district of Port Phillip</span> Former electorate of the New South Wales Legislative Council

The Electoral district of Port Phillip was an electorate of the New South Wales Legislative Council before it became the separate colony of Victoria (Australia) on 1 July 1851. At the time, some members of the Council were elected and the balance were appointed by the Governor. The Town of Melbourne returned one member while the Port Phillip district, which covered the rest of what became Victoria after its separation in 1851, returned five members.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Electoral district of Town of Melbourne</span> Former legislative council electoral district of New South Wales, Australia

The Electoral district of Town of Melbourne was an electorate of the New South Wales Legislative Council before it became part of the Colony of Victoria on 1 July 1851.

This is a list of members of the New South Wales Legislative Council from 1843 to 1851. The 1843 Electoral Act prescribed 36 members, 24 to be elected, 6 appointed by virtue of their office and 6 nominated. The appointments and elections were for five year terms and thus occurred in 1843, and 1848. The Speaker was Alexander Macleay until 19 May 1846 and then Charles Nicholson. The parliament was dissolved on 30 June 1851 as a result of the 1851 Electoral Act which increased the number of members in the Council to 54.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Electoral district of County of Cumberland</span> Former New South Wales Legislative Council electoral district

The Electoral district of County of Cumberland was an electorate of the New South Wales Legislative Council at a time when some of its members were elected and the balance were appointed by the Governor.

This is a list of members of the New South Wales Legislative Council from 1851 to 1856. The 1851 Electoral Act increased the number of members in the Council to 54, 18 to be appointed and 36 elected. The initial appointments were made in October 1851. The Speaker was Charles Nicholson.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Electoral district of Counties of Gloucester, Macquarie, and Stanley</span> Former New South Wales Legislative Council electoral district

The Electoral district of Counties of Gloucester, Macquarie, and Stanley and from 1851, Gloucester and Macquarie, was an electorate of the partially elected New South Wales Legislative Council, created for the first elections for the Council in 1843. The counties of Gloucester and Macquarie were the settled coastal areas north of Northumberland County, while the County of Stanley was the area surrounding Brisbane, in what became part of Queensland after its separation in 1859. Polling took place at Raymond Terrace, Port Macquarie, Dungog, Stroud, Brisbane, Ipswich and Mr Rowley's residence on the Manning River. The County of Stanley was removed from the district with the expansion of the Council in 1851 and became the districts of County of Stanley and Stanley Boroughs.

Nelson Simmons Lawson was an Australian politician.

Donald McIntyre, sometimes referred to as Donald MacIntyre, was a Scottish-Australian colonial politician, who was a member of the New South Wales Legislative Council from 1848 to 1851.

The electoral district of Cumberland Boroughs, also known as the united towns of Windsor, Richmond, Liverpool and Campbelltown, was an electorate of the New South Wales Legislative Council at a time when two thirds were elected, one sixth were official members, that is they held a government office and the balance were appointed by the Governor.

The 1843 New South Wales colonial election, the first in the colony, was held between 15 June and 3 July 1843, to elect 24 members from eighteen electoral districts. Each district returned one member, except for Port Phillip which returned five members and County of Cumberland and Town of Sydney which returned two each.

The 1848 New South Wales colonial election was held between 29 July and 2 August. No candidates were nominated for Port Phillip as a result of the campaign for independence from New South Wales, and a fresh writ was issued for an election on 3 October.

The Electoral district of Counties of Hunter, Brisbane and Bligh and from 1851, Phillip, Brisbane and Bligh, was an electorate of the partially elected New South Wales Legislative Council, created for the first elections for the Council in 1843. The electoral district included the north western counties of Hunter, Brisbane, Bligh. Polling took place in the towns of Jerrys Plains, nearby Merton, Muswellbrook, Scone, as far north as Murrurundi, Watson's on the Macdonald River, Cassilis and as far west as Montefiores. With the expansion of the Council in 1851 Phillip, the other north west county, was added to the district, replacing Hunter which was combined with the lower Hunter county of Northumberland as Counties of Northumberland and Hunter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Electoral district of County of Northumberland</span> Former legislative council electoral district of New South Wales, Australia

The Electoral district of County of Northumberland and from 1851, Northumberland and Hunter, was an electorate of the partially elected New South Wales Legislative Council, created for the first elections for the Council in 1843. The County of Northumberland was bounded by the part of the Hawkesbury River to the south, the Macdonald River to the south-west, and the Hunter River to the north, however the electoral district did not include the towns of East Maitland, West Maitland and Newcastle which made up the district of Northumberland Boroughs. Polling took place at Gosford, Newcastle, East Maitland, Wollombi, Singleton and Watson's on the Macdonald River. The County of Hunter was added to the district with the expansion of the Council in 1851 and elected two members.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Electoral district of Northumberland Boroughs (NSW Legislative Council)</span> Former New South Wales Legislative Council electoral district

The Electoral district of Northumberland Boroughs was an electorate of the partially elected New South Wales Legislative Council, created for the first elections for the Council in 1843. From 1843 until 1851 the electorate covered the major towns or boroughs of Northumberland County, East Maitland, West Maitland and Newcastle, and polling took place at East Maitland, West Maitland and Newcastle. Morpeth was added to the electorate from 1851 while Newcastle was removed from the electorate to form, with Raymond Terrace, the North Eastern Boroughs. The rest of Northumberland County was covered by the County of Northumberland from 1843 until 1951, and Counties of Northumberland and Hunter from 1851 until 1856.

The 1851 New South Wales colonial election, was held between 12 and 25 September. It involved a re-distribution of electorates as a result of the separation of Victoria, which had 6 seats in the previous council, and the expansion of the council from 24 elected members to 36 elected members representing 31 electorates. The major changes were the addition of 8 pastoral districts and the separate representation for the northern regions of what would later become Queensland. These had previously been a part of the single district of Gloucester, Macquarie, and Stanley and from 1851 were covered by the separate districts of Stanley, Stanley Boroughs and the pastoral districts of Moreton, Wide Bay, Burnett, and Maranoa. The other 8 additional seats were distributed among the nineteen counties of New South Wales.

The Electoral district of Pastoral Districts of New England and Macleay was an electorate of the New South Wales Legislative Council at a time when some of its members were elected and the balance were appointed by the Governor. It was a new electorate created in 1851 by the expansion of the Legislative Council to 54, 18 to be appointed and 36 elected. The district is located in the north of the state and covered the Northern Tablelands region of New England and part of the Mid North Coast region, including the area to the north of the Macleay River, but excluding the area south of the Macleay River which was included in the Counties of Gloucester and Macquarie. To the north was the Pastoral Districts of Clarence and Darling Downs and to the west the Pastoral Districts of Liverpool Plains and Gwydir. Polling took place in the towns of Wellingrove, Armidale, Tenterfield, Walcha and Kempsey.

A by-election was held for the New South Wales Legislative Assembly electorate of Lower Hunter on 19 July 1861 because of the resignation of Alexander Scott to accept an appointment to the Legislative Council.

The 1848 New South Wales colonial election was held between 29 July and 2 August 1848. This election was for 24 seats in the New South Wales Legislative Council and it was conducted in 15 single-member constituencies, two 2-member constituencies and one 5-member constituency, all with a first past the post system. The Legislative Council was a hybrid system with 36 members, 24 elected, 6 appointed by virtue of their office and 6 nominated. The appointments and elections were for five year terms.<

References

  1. 1 2 "An Act to provide for the division of the Colony of New South Wales into Electoral Districts and for the Election of Members to serve in the Legislative Council.". Act No. 16 of 23 February 1843 (PDF). Retrieved 11 September 2014.
  2. "An Act to provide for the division of the Colony of New South Wales after the separation of the District of Port Phillip therefrom into Electoral Districts and for the Election of Members to serve in the Legislative Council.". Act No. 48 of 2 May 1851 (PDF). Australasian Legal Information Institute. Retrieved 11 September 2014.
  3. 1 2 "Mr Richard Windeyer (1806-1847)". Former members of the Parliament of New South Wales . Retrieved 20 April 2019.
  4. "Sir Stuart Alexander Donaldson (1812-1867)". Former members of the Parliament of New South Wales . Retrieved 20 April 2019.
  5. "Sir Charles Cowper [1] (1807-1875)". Former members of the Parliament of New South Wales . Retrieved 20 April 2019.
  6. "Alexander Park (1808-1873)". Former members of the Parliament of New South Wales . Retrieved 20 April 2019.
  7. "The election". The Maitland Mercury and Hunter River General Advertiser . 1 July 1843. p. 2. Retrieved 22 May 2019 via Trove.
  8. "Durham election". The Sydney Morning Herald . 23 February 1848. p. 2. Retrieved 1 June 2019 via Trove.
  9. 1 2 "Election for Durham". The Maitland Mercury and Hunter River General Advertiser . 26 July 1848. p. 2. Retrieved 25 May 2019 via Trove.
  10. "To the independent electors of Durham". The Sydney Morning Herald . 16 August 1848. p. 1. Retrieved 25 May 2019 via Trove.
  11. "Writ of election". New South Wales Government Gazette . No. 78. 8 June 1849. p. 880. Retrieved 25 May 2019 via Trove.
  12. "Election for Durham". The Maitland Mercury and Hunter River General Advertiser . 26 July 1848. p. 2. Retrieved 25 May 2019 via Trove.
  13. "To the independent electors of Durham". The Sydney Morning Herald . 16 August 1848. p. 1. Retrieved 25 May 2019 via Trove.
  14. "Writ of election". New South Wales Government Gazette . No. 78. 8 June 1849. p. 880. Retrieved 25 May 2019 via Trove.
  15. "The election for Durham". The Maitland Mercury and Hunter River General Advertiser . 27 June 1849. p. 2. Retrieved 25 May 2019 via Trove.
  16. "The elections: Durham". The Maitland Mercury and Hunter River General Advertiser . 1 October 1851. p. 2. Retrieved 30 May 2019 via Trove.
  17. "The election for Durham". The Maitland Mercury and Hunter River General Advertiser . 23 February 1853. p. 2. Retrieved 24 April 2019 via Trove.