'Ardee' (also known as 'Ardee Borough') was a constituency represented in the
Irish House of Commons from 1378 to 1801.
Boundaries and Boundary Changes
''
Ardee'' in
County Louth was enfranchised as a
borough constituency in
1378. It continued to be entitled to send two
Members of Parliament to the
Irish House of Commons until the Parliament of Ireland was merged into the
Parliament of the United Kingdom on
1 January 1801. The constituency was disenfranchised on
31 December 1800.
The borough was represented in the
House of Commons of the United Kingdom as part of the
county constituency of
Louth.
Electoral System and Electorate
The parliamentary representatives of the borough were elected using the
bloc vote for two-member elections and
first past the post for single-member
by-elections.
A summary of the borough electorate was included in ''Lewis's Topographical Dictionary of Ireland, 1837.'' The electorate consisted of the members of the Borough Corporation (the local Council) and the freemen. All of the classes of electors qualified because of co-option by all or part of the existing ones, so this was a constituency with an
oligarchic constitution rather than a
democratic one.
Members of Parliament (Ireland) to 1800
★
1559-
1559 ?
★
1568-
1571 ?
★
1585-
1586 Robert Barnewall and ?
★
1613-
1615 ?
★
1634-
1635 ?
★
1639-
1649 ?
★
1661-
1666 John Chambers and
John Ruxton; ''changes'' (1665) Sir
Robert Byron vice Chambers and
Brent Moore vice Ruxton
★
1689-
1689 Hugh Gernon and
John Babe ''Members of the
Patriot Parliament''
★
1692-
1693 ?
★
1695-
1699 ?
★
1703-
1713 ?
★
1713-
1714 ?
★
1715-
1727 ?
★
1727-
1760 ?; ''changes'' (1741)
Tichborne Aston (b. before
1723 - d.
4 March 1747/48) vice ?
★
1761-
1768 ?
★
1769-
1776 ?
★
1776-
1783 ?
★
1783-
1790 ?
★
1790-
1797 ?
★
1798-
1800 ?
''Note: ''In 1665 the
Lord Lieutenant (
James Butler, 1st Duke of Ormonde) wrote to the
Portreeve of Ardee recommending Sir
Robert Byron, as Burgess in Parliament for Ardee, in the room of Captain
John Chambers, "removed" and Colonel
Brent Moore, in the "stead of Lieutenant
John Ruxton, removed".''
Elections
See also
★
List of Irish constituencies