South Antrim (Northern Ireland Parliament constituency)

South Antrim
Former County constituency for the Parliament of Northern Ireland
South Antrim shown within Northern Ireland
Former constituency
Created	1929
Abolished	1973
Election method	First past the post

South Antrim was a constituency of the Parliament of Northern Ireland.

The House of Commons (Method of Voting and Redistribution of Seats) Act (Northern Ireland) 1929 introduced first-past-the-post elections for 48 single-member constituencies (including Antrim South).

Boundaries and boundary changes

This constituency was one of seven county divisions in County Antrim from 1929, and, after 1969, one of nine. The changes in the vicinity of Belfast affected the boundaries of this division.

It comprised (in terms of then local government units) part of the rural district of Lisburn and the whole of the urban district of Lisburn. In 1969, the part of the rural district closest to Belfast became the new seat of Antrim, Larkfield.

Antrim South returned one member of Parliament from 1929 until the Parliament of Northern Ireland was temporarily suspended in 1972, and then formally abolished in 1973.

Politics

County Antrim (except for parts of Belfast) is a strongly unionist area. There was never the slightest chance of a republican or nationalist candidate being elected in a single-member Antrim county constituency. Antrim South was not an exception.

From the Northern Ireland general election of 1929, the Antrim South division was an extremely safe Unionist seat for the rest of the existence of the Northern Ireland Parliament.

Members of Parliament

Election		Member	Party
	1929	John Milne Barbour	Ulster Unionist
	1951	Brian McConnell	Ulster Unionist
	1968	Richard Ferguson	Ulster Unionist
	1970	Rev. William Beattie	Protestant Unionist
	1971		Democratic Unionist
1973		constituency abolished

Elections

The elections in this constituency took place using the first past the post electoral system.

General Election 22 May 1929: Antrim South

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	UUP	John Milne Barbour	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	UUP win (new seat)

General Election 30 November 1933: Antrim South

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	UUP	John Milne Barbour	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	UUP hold		Swing	N/A

General Election 9 February 1938: Antrim South

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	UUP	John Milne Barbour	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	UUP hold		Swing	N/A

General Election 14 June 1945: Antrim South

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	UUP	John Milne Barbour	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	UUP hold		Swing	N/A

General Election 10 February 1949: Antrim South

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	UUP	John Milne Barbour	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	UUP hold		Swing	N/A

• Death of Barbour

South Antrim by-election, 1951

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	UUP	Brian McConnell	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	UUP hold		Swing	N/A

General Election 22 October 1953: Antrim South

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	UUP	Brian McConnell	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	UUP hold		Swing	N/A

General Election 20 March 1958: Antrim South

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	UUP	Brian McConnell	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	UUP hold		Swing	N/A

General Election 31 May 1962: Antrim South

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	UUP	Brian McConnell	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	UUP hold		Swing	N/A

General Election 25 November 1965: Antrim South

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	UUP	Brian McConnell	14,491	77.89	N/A
	NI Labour	Sydney Stewart	4,113	22.11	New
Majority			10,378	55.78	N/A
Turnout			34,419	54.05	N/A
	UUP hold		Swing	N/A

• Resignation of McConnell

South Antrim by-election, 1968

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	UUP	Richard Ferguson	16,288	85.12	+7.23
	NI Labour	John Coulthard	2,848	14.88	−7.23
Majority			13,440	70.24	+14.46
Turnout			38,672	49.48	−4.57
	UUP hold		Swing

• Boundary change

General Election 24 February 1969: Antrim South

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	UUP	Richard Ferguson	10,761	66.74	−18.38
	Protestant Unionist	William Beattie	5,362	33.26	New
Majority			5,399	33.48	−36.75
Turnout			24,693	65.29	+15.81
	UUP hold		Swing

• Resignation of Ferguson

South Antrim by-election, 1970

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Protestant Unionist	William Beattie	7,137	35.16	+1.90
	UUP	W. J. Morgan	6,179	30.44	−36.30
	Independent	David Corkey	5,212	25.67	New
	NI Labour	Adrian Whitby	1,773	8.73	New
Majority			958	4.72	N/A
Turnout			28,633	70.90	+5.61
	Protestant Unionist gain from UUP		Swing

• Parliament prorogued 30 March 1972 and abolished 18 July 1973

References

• Northern Ireland Parliamentary Election Results 1921-1972, compiled and edited by Sydney Elliott (Political Reference Publications 1973)