Londonderry (constituency)

Londonderry
Former County constituency for the House of Commons
1801–1885
Replaced by	North Londonderry and South Londonderry
1922–1983
Replaced by	East Londonderry and Foyle
Created from	Londonderry City, North Londonderry and South Londonderry

Londonderry was a Parliamentary Constituency in the House of Commons and also a constituency in elections to various regional bodies. It was replaced in boundary changes in 1983. It returned two MPs 1801–1885 and one 1922–1983.

The constituency consisted, in 1801–1885, of the whole of County Londonderry, except for the Parliamentary boroughs of Coleraine and Londonderry City.

The seat was re-created in 1922. As part of the consequences of the devolved Stormont Parliament for Northern Ireland, the number of MPs in the Westminster Parliament was drastically cut. The seat was focused on County Londonderry. It comprised the Administrative county of Londonderry and the County Borough of Londonderry.

In 1951, it was one of the last four seats to be uncontested in a United Kingdom general election.

In 1983 the number of seats for Northern Ireland was increased from 12 to 17 and Londonderry was split in two, forming Foyle and East Londonderry.

From its inception Londonderry had a unionist majority, though by the 1970s the nationalist vote was approaching 40% in some elections.

In 1974 the Ulster Unionist Party repudiated the Sunningdale Agreement and so did not reselect Robin Chichester-Clark, who had been a Minister in the government of Edward Heath. Instead they ran William Ross, who held the seat until 1983. He was then elected for the new East Londonderry.

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