Belfast was a constituency in the Irish House of Commons, the house of representatives of the Kingdom of Ireland, until 1800.
History Belfast in County Antrim was enfranchised as a borough constituency in 1613. It continued to be entitled to send two Members of Parliament to the Irish House of Commons until the Parliament of Ireland was merged into the Parliament of the United Kingdom on 1 January 1801.
During the Commonwealth of England, Scotland and Ireland Belfast was represented from 1654 in the Westminster Parliament as part of the Carrickfergus and Belfast constituency. Belfast was the place of election in this single-member constituency. See First Protectorate Parliament for further details.
In 1661, following the restoration of the king, the Parliament of Ireland was re-established as it had existed before the Protectorate. In the Patriot Parliament of 1690 summoned by King James II, Belfast was represented by one member.
Under the Acts of Union 1800 the Parliament of Ireland was merged with the Parliament of Great Britain to form the Parliament of the United Kingdom. The 300 members of the Irish House of Commons were reduced to 100 Irish members of the United Kingdom House of Commons. As part of that process Belfast lost one of its seats.
Members of Parliament, 1613–1801 ElectionFirst MPSecond MP 1613 Sir John Blennerhassett George Trevelyan 1634 Charles Price Thomas Bramston 1634 John Ingersall 1639 Sir William Wrey George Rawdon 1654–1660Commonwealth – See Carrickfergus and Belfast (constituency) 1660 Sir Jerome Alexander 1661 William Knight Henry DavysReturn of Members of Parliament (1878) vol. II, p. 605. 1689 Mark Talbot Belfast had only one seat 1692 Sir Richard Levinge James Macartney 1692 George Macartney 1695 Charles Chichester 1703 William Crafford William Cairnes 1707 Samuel Ogle 1713 Robert Moore Anthony Atkinson 1715 George Macartney John Ichingham Chichester 1721 George Macartney 1725 John Chichester 1727 David John Barry 1745 John Chichester 1747 William Macartney 1757 Arthur Barry 1761 John Chichester John Ludford 1768 Hon. Henry Skeffington George Hamilton 1776 Barry Yelverton Patriot 1777 Alexander Crookshank 1784 Joseph Hewitt 1792 Sir William Godfrey, 1st Bt 1797 Lord Spencer Stanley Chichester George Crookshank 1798 Alexander Hamilton January 1800 James Edward May February 1800 John Congreve 1801 Succeeded by the Westminster constituency Belfast
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