County Donegal

CO. DONEGAL – 43%, [66,720] c. 2,500 [c. 6,000 (1815)]
BOROUGH	TYPE	PATRON	ELECTORATE
Ballyshannon	Corporation	Conolly family; sold 2 seats	13 burgesses, one resident
		in 1797 to Earl of Belmore
Donegal	Corporation	Earl of Arran	13 burgesses, one resident
Killybegs	Corporation	Earl of Conyngham and heirs	13 burgesses, all non-resident
Lifford	Corporation	Lord Erne	13 burgesses, one resident
St Johnstown	Corporation	Earl of Abercorn (2 seats)	13 burgesses, all non-resident
		William Forward and heiress
		– Countess of Wicklow (2 seats)

Co. Donegal - Constituency

Originally one of the Gaelic ‘countries’ escheated (along with Armagh, Tyrone, Londonderry, Cavan and Fermanagh) following the Flight of the Earls in 1607, Donegal was part of the Plantation of Ulster. As a county it developed late and within the framework of the plantation, which encouraged English and Scottish settlers to take up land grants and settle them with their followers. All the five boroughs – Ballyshannon, Donegal, Killybegs, Lifford and St Johnstown – were incorporated between 1611 and 1616 in the expectation of future development, and all were disfranchised by the Act of Union in 1800.

Apart from the Finn and Foyle river valleys much of the country was mountainous and infertile. At the beginning of the century Lord Abercorn and the Gores were allied and probably joined by the Conolly-Conyngham interest, resulting in the return of various members of their families. In the middle of the century the Abercorn interest went into abeyance and in the 1760s the old alliances appear to have broken down; in 1768 Alexander Montgomery and John McCausland were returned with the help of the popular interest.

In 1785 a political commentator described Co. Donegal as follows: ‘Wild and mountainous. Great fishing. The county might be governed by the leading interests if they would unite. A popular interest prevailed at the last election (1783). Lord Donegall [Chichester], Lord Leitrim [Clements], Mr Burton-Conyngham (0303), Mr Conolly (0459), have the chief interests. Mr Montgomery (1437) and Mr Brooke (0249) were returned by the independent interest.’

To this analysis should be added, particularly in the early part of the century, the Gores and the Hamiltons, although in the middle of the century the interest of the Earl of Abercorn (Hamilton) was apparently sleeping; in the 1790s it was enthusiastically revived by his heir, the1st Marquess of Abercorn. Among the lesser interests was that of the Montgomerys, who had an estate at Convoy and an interest in Lifford. The eastern part of Donegal had a large Presbyterian interest and while this increased the county electorate it also gave it a strong streak of independence, which added to the divisions between the major interests.

In 1768 Montgomery was returned. He was considered to be ‘extremely flighty and very independent’, and his voting pattern and that of his colleague, John McCausland (1309), who was said to be under his influence, was erratic. Many of the emigrants from this area fought on the American side during the War of American Independence, and Montgomery’s brother died an American hero in 1775, thereby ensuring his return in the 1776 general election. Montgomery continued on his erratic path but was returned until his death in 1800.

Brooke, who was supported and probably dominated by Montgomery, was also a local landlord returned by the independent interest and described as amiable, ‘well-meaning but not a party man’. Montgomery’s and Brooke’s return was due to the failure of the leading interest in the county to combine, and the strength of the popular interest in the county. By 1797 not even a challenge from the rising influence of the Marquess of Abercorn could unseat them.

ID	County	Year	Type	Ref. No.	Name
1	Co. Donegal	1692	Election	914	Charles Hamilton
2	Co. Donegal	1692	Election	924	Gustavus Hamilton
3	Co. Donegal	1695	Election	463	Henry Conyngham
4	Co. Donegal	1695	Election	924	Gustavus Hamilton
5	Co. Donegal	1703	Election	463	Henry Conyngham
6	Co. Donegal	1703	Election	924	Gustavus Hamilton
7	Co. Donegal	1707	By Election	919	Frederick Hamilton
8	Co. Donegal	1713	Election	919	Frederick Hamilton
9	Co. Donegal	1713	Election	872	Sir Ralph Gore
10	Co. Donegal	1715	Election	919	Frederick Hamilton
11	Co. Donegal	1715	Election	872	Sir Ralph Gore
12	Co. Donegal	1716	By Election	925	Gustavus Hamilton
13	Co. Donegal	1727	Election	925	Gustavus Hamilton
14	Co. Donegal	1727	Election	1435	Alexander Montgomery
15	Co. Donegal	1730	By Election	929	Henry Hamilton
16	Co. Donegal	1735	By Election	1179	George Knox
17	Co. Donegal	1741	By Election	880	Sir St George Gore(-St George)
18	Co. Donegal	1743	By Election	1175	Andrew Knox
19	Co. Donegal	1747	By Election	881	Sir Ralph Gore-St George
20	Co. Donegal	1761	Election	881	Sir Ralph Gore-St George
21	Co. Donegal	1761	Election	1175	Andrew Knox
22	Co. Donegal	1765	By Election	418	Robert Clements
23	Co. Donegal	1768	Election	1309	John McCausland
24	Co. Donegal	1768	Election	1437	Alexander Montgomery
25	Co. Donegal	1776	Election	418	Robert Clements
26	Co. Donegal	1776	Election	1437	Alexander Montgomery
27	Co. Donegal	1783	Election	249	Henry Vaughan Brooke
28	Co. Donegal	1783	Election	1437	Alexander Montgomery
29	Co. Donegal	1790	Election	249	Henry Vaughan Brooke
30	Co. Donegal	1790	Election	1437	Alexander Montgomery
31	Co. Donegal	1797	Election	249	Henry Vaughan Brooke
32	Co. Donegal	1797	Election	1437	Alexander Montgomery
33	Co. Donegal	1800	By Election	862	Arthur Saunders Gore (Lord Sudley)
34	Co. Donegal	1801	UK	862	Arthur Saunders Gore (Lord Sudley)
35	Co. Donegal	1801	UK	249	Henry Vaughan Brooke
36	Co. Donegal	1802	Election	862	Arthur Saunders Gore (Lord Sudley)
37	Co. Donegal	1802	Election		Sir James Stewart

Co. Donegal - Boroughs

Ballyshannon was incorporated by a 1613 charter of 10 James I with a portreeve, 12 burgesses and the commonalty, whose participation appears to have been short-lived as the two MPs were elected by the portreeve and free burgesses under the guidance of the Conolly family. In 1796 Thomas Conolly (0459) sold the borough to the Earl of Belmore (1269) for £12,000. At the Union Lord Belmore received £15,000 for its disfranchisement.

Donegal town was a plantation borough incorporated by a 1613 charter of 10 James I with a portreeve, 12 burgesses and the commonalty: the last soon vanished. The Gore family controlled the borough absolutely and from time to time sold the seats. Its head, the Earl of Arran (0861), received the £15,000 compensation at the Union.

Killybegs was incorporated by a charter of 13 James I, 1616, on the usual pattern of a portreeve/provost, 12 burgesses and the commonalty, about whose municipal activity little is known. It was entirely in the hands of successive branches of the Conyngham family, and from 1782 until his death in 1796 of Col. William Burton-Conyngham (0303), who inherited it from his uncle, Earl Conyngham. On his death in 1796 it devolved under the will of his uncle, Henry, 1st Earl Conyngham (of the first creation) (0464) to his nephew, Henry, 3rd Baron Conyngham (of the second creation) and in 1816 1st Marquess Conyngham, who received the £15,000 compensation for its disfranchisement in 1800.

Lifford was incorporated by a charter of 1613 under the title of ‘the Warden, free burgesses and commonalty of the borough of Liffer’. It envisaged quite an elaborate structure of by-laws, a borough court, a guild of merchants and various inferior officers. Letters patent were issued to Sir Richard Hansard. In 1678 Hugh Hamill purchased the Lordship of Lifford from Richard Hansard. From its Borough-Book, 1716–83, it does appear to have had some sort of corporate life. In June 1727 ‘Articles of agreement were made and concluded by Hon. Maj. Gen. David and Abraham Creighton, his son, and Col. Alexander Montgomery (1435) in relation to the borough of Lifford in Donegal Co.’

Montgomery left no direct heirs and, during the long parliament of George II, it passed to the Creighton family, later Earls of Erne, who thereafter controlled it entirely. On 21 May 1776 the warden and three burgesses were present at the election of two MPs. The Earl of Erne received the £15,000 compensation for its disfranchisement in 1800.

The charter of incorporation for St Johnstown is missing, but from other charters it was known to have been incorporated before 1619. It was the object of a corporation takeover. The original patrons and lords of the soil were the Earls of Abercorn. In 1736 William Forward (0802) of Castle Forward was elected Provost of St Johnstown, and he contrived to gain control of the corporation.

In 1754 the Earl of Abercorn was seeking legal advice about the corporation. However, Forward retained his control and bequeathed it to his daughter and heiress, Alice Howard, née Forward, later Countess of Wicklow. The 1st Marquess of Abercorn resented the loss of what had been an Abercorn borough and was most anxious for its return: in February 1790 he wrote to Henry Pomeroy (1694) that ‘Between ourselves, I am trying to sound Lord Wicklow whether he will sell me St Johnstown. I cannot bear not to recover that family borough if possible.’

Lord Abercorn even prevailed on Chief Secretary Hobart to discover whether a borough in Co. Wexford, which he had heard was for sale, would be acceptable to Lord Wicklow. All to no avail: the Countess of Wicklow was equally anxious to retain St Johnstown and she was awarded the £15,000 compensation at the Union. Lord Abercorn had to be satisfied with the Co. Tyrone borough of Augher.

Constituencies and Elections

County Donegal

Co. Donegal - Constituency

Co. Donegal - Boroughs