Belfast Shankill (Northern Ireland Parliament constituency)
# Belfast Shankill (Northern Ireland Parliament constituency)

54°36′14″N 5°57′00″W﻿ / ﻿54.604°N 5.950°W﻿ / 54.604; -5.950

Belfast Shankill was a constituency of the Parliament of Northern Ireland.

## Boundaries

Belfast Shankill was a borough constituency comprising part of northern Belfast. It was created in 1929 when the House of Commons (Method of Voting and Redistribution of Seats) Act (Northern Ireland) 1929 introduced first-past-the-post elections throughout Northern Ireland.

Belfast Shankill was created by the division of Belfast North into four new constituencies. It survived unchanged, returning one member of Parliament, until the Parliament of Northern Ireland was temporarily suspended in 1972, and then formally abolished in 1973.

## Politics

In common with other seats in North Belfast, the seat had little nationalist presence. The seat was strongly Unionist, but there was some labour movement strength. For the first twenty-four years of its existence, the seat was held by an independent Unionist.

## Members of Parliament

| Election | Election | Member | Party |
| - | - | - | - |
| | 1929 | Tommy Henderson | Independent Unionist |
| | 1937 | Tommy Henderson | Independent Unionist Association |
| | 1940s | Tommy Henderson | Independent Unionist |
| | 1953 | Henry Holmes | Ulster Unionist |
| | 1960 | Desmond Boal | Ulster Unionist |
| | 1961 | Desmond Boal | Independent Unionist |
| | 1961 | Desmond Boal | Ulster Unionist |
| | 1970 | Desmond Boal | Independent Unionist |
| | 1971 | Desmond Boal | Democratic Unionist |
| 1973 | 1973 | constituency abolished | constituency abolished |

## Election results

General Election 1929: Belfast Shankill :

| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| | Ind. Unionist | Tommy Henderson | 6,525 | 51.1 | |
| | Ulster Unionist | Samuel McGuffin | 6,244 | 48.9 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 281 | 2.2 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 12,769 | 74.8 | |
| | Ind. Unionist win (new seat) | Ind. Unionist win (new seat) | Ind. Unionist win (new seat) | Ind. Unionist win (new seat) | Ind. Unionist win (new seat) |

General Election 1933: Belfast Shankill :

| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| | Ind. Unionist | Tommy Henderson | 6,451 | 50.5 | -0.6 |
| | Ulster Unionist | James Norman Fulton | 6,335 | 49.5 | +0.6 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 116 | 1.0 | -1.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 12,786 | 76.4 | +1.6 |
| | Ind. Unionist hold | Ind. Unionist hold | Swing | | |

General Election 1938: Belfast Shankill :

| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| | Ind. Unionist Party | Tommy Henderson | 7,518 | 51.4 | +0.9 |
| | Ulster Unionist | James Norman Fulton | 7,095 | 48.6 | -0.9 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 423 | 2.8 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 14,613 | 83.6 | +7.2 |
| | Ind. Unionist Party gain from Ind. Unionist | Ind. Unionist Party gain from Ind. Unionist | Swing | | |

    At the 1945 and 1949 general elections, Tommy Henderson was elected unopposed.

General Election 1953: Belfast Shankill :

| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| | Ulster Unionist | Henry Holmes | 5,485 | 47.3 | N/A |
| | Ind. Unionist | Tommy Henderson | 3,215 | 27.7 | N/A |
| | NI Labour | Norman Branagh Fullerton | 2,897 | 25.0 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,270 | 19.6 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 11,597 | 65.6 | N/A |
| | Ulster Unionist gain from Ind. Unionist | Ulster Unionist gain from Ind. Unionist | Swing | N/A | |

General Election 1958: Belfast Shankill :

| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| | Ulster Unionist | Henry Holmes | 6,411 | 56.2 | +8.9 |
| | NI Labour | Samuel Cree | 4,995 | 43.8 | +18.8 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,416 | 12.4 | -7.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 11,406 | 61.5 | -4.1 |
| | Ulster Unionist hold | Ulster Unionist hold | Swing | | |

1960 Belfast Shankill by-election :

| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| | Ulster Unionist | Desmond Boal | 4,320 | 64.2 | +8.0 |
| | NI Labour | Samuel Cree | 2,414 | 35.8 | -8.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,906 | 28.4 | +16.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 6,734 | 28.4 | -33.1 |
| | Ulster Unionist hold | Ulster Unionist hold | Swing | | |

    At the 1962 Northern Ireland general election, Desmond Boal was elected unopposed.

General Election 1965: Belfast Shankill :

| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| | Ulster Unionist | Desmond Boal | 6,289 | 67.4 | N/A |
| | NI Labour | David Overend | 3,035 | 32.6 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 3,254 | 34.8 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 9,324 | 50.5 | N/A |
| | Ulster Unionist hold | Ulster Unionist hold | Swing | | |

General Election 1969: Belfast Shankill :

| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| | Ulster Unionist | Desmond Boal | 6,384 | 49.4 | -18.0 |
| | Ind. Unionist | Samuel Walsh | 4,545 | 35.2 | New |
| | NI Labour | David Overend | 1,997 | 15.4 | -17.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,839 | 14.2 | -20.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 12,926 | 71.1 | +20.6 |
| | Ulster Unionist hold | Ulster Unionist hold | Swing | | |
