West Down (Northern Ireland Parliament constituency)
# West Down (Northern Ireland Parliament constituency)

54°20′38″N 6°02′28″W﻿ / ﻿54.344°N 6.041°W﻿ / 54.344; -6.041

West Down was a constituency of the Parliament of Northern Ireland.

## Boundaries

West Down was a county constituency comprising part of western County Down. It was created 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. West Down was created by the division of Down into eight 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.

The seat included the town of Banbridge, and also certain district electoral divisions of the rural districts of Banbridge and Newry No.1.

## Politics

The seat had a substantial unionist majority and was always won by Ulster Unionist Party candidates. It was contested on three occasions by independent unionists, each of whom won over 40% of the votes cast, and once by a communist candidate.

## Members of Parliament

| Elected | Party | Name |
| - | - | - |
| 1929 | Ulster Unionist | Robert McBride |
| 1933 | Ulster Unionist | Samuel Fryar |
| 1938 | Ulster Unionist | John Edgar Bailey |
| 1959 | Ulster Unionist | David John Little |
| 1965 | Ulster Unionist | John Dobson |

## Election results

At the 1929 Northern Ireland general election, Robert McBride was elected unopposed.

General Election 1933: West Down :

| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| | Ulster Unionist | Samuel Fryar | 6,168 | 55.9 | N/A |
| | Ind. Unionist | J. U. Finnery | 4,863 | 44.1 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,305 | 11.8 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 11,031 | 70.8 | N/A |
| | Ulster Unionist hold | Ulster Unionist hold | Swing | N/A | |

General Election 1938: West Down :

| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| | Ulster Unionist | John Edgar Bailey | 7,178 | 59.8 | +3.9 |
| | Ind. Unionist Party | R. J. Hale | 4,833 | 40.2 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,345 | 19.6 | +7.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 12,011 | 73.4 | +2.6 |
| | Ulster Unionist hold | Ulster Unionist hold | Swing | N/A | |

General Election 1945: West Down :

| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| | Ulster Unionist | John Edgar Bailey | 8,197 | 76.5 | +16.7 |
| | Communist (NI) | S. E. Maitland | 2,524 | 23.5 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 5,673 | 53.0 | +33.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 10,721 | 66.3 | -7.1 |
| | Ulster Unionist hold | Ulster Unionist hold | Swing | N/A | |

At the 1949, 1953 and 1958 Northern Ireland general elections, John Edgar Bailey was elected unopposed.

At the 1959 by-election and the 1962 Northern Ireland general election, David John Little was elected unopposed.

At the 1965 by-election and the 1965 Northern Ireland general election, John Dobson was elected unopposed.

General Election 1969: West Down :

| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| | Ulster Unionist | John Dobson | 7,608 | 59.3 | N/A |
| | Ind. Unionist | A. W. Buller | 5,219 | 40.7 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,389 | 18.6 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 12,827 | 77.5 | N/A |
| | Ulster Unionist hold | Ulster Unionist hold | Swing | N/A | |
