Londonderry was a parliamentary constituency in Northern Ireland represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament, as well as a constituency in elections to various regional bodies. It was replaced in boundary changes in 1983. Londonderry returned two MPs (1801âÂÂ1885) and later one (1922âÂÂ1983).
From its inception, Londonderry had a unionist majority, though by the 1970s the nationalist vote was approaching 40% in some elections.
In 1951, it was one of the last four seats to be uncontested in a United Kingdom general election.
In 1974 the Ulster Unionist Party repudiated the Sunningdale Agreement and so did not reselect Robin Chichester-Clark, who had been a Minister in the government of Edward Heath. Instead they ran William Ross, who held the seat until the 1983 general election. He was then elected for the new East Londonderry constituency.
For the history of the area post-1983, see Foyle (UK Parliament constituency) and East Londonderry.
The constituency consisted, in 1801âÂÂ1885, of the whole of County Londonderry, except for the parliamentary boroughs of Coleraine and Londonderry City.
The seat was re-created in 1922. As part of the consequences of the devolved Stormont Parliament for Northern Ireland, the number of MPs in the Westminster Parliament was reduced from 30 to 13. The seat was focused on County Londonderry. From 1922 to 1950, it comprised the administrative county of Londonderry and the County Borough of Londonderry. From 1950 onwards, the rural district of Magherafelt in the south of the county was removed to form part of the new Mid Ulster constituency.
In 1983 the number of seats for Northern Ireland was increased from 12 to 17 and Londonderry was split in two, forming Foyle and East Londonderry.