1877 Clare by-election

The 1877 Clare by-election was fought on 13 August 1877. The by-election was fought due to the death of the incumbent Home Rule MP, Sir Colman O'Loghlen. It was won by the Home Rule candidate Sir Bryan O'Loghlen.[1] The result was remarkable in that O'Loghlen did not seek the nomination and was elected without his consent. He refused to take his seat as he was Attorney-General of Victoria. This position was considered an office of profit and thus disqualified him from membership of the House of Commons. A select committee was established to consider the issue and reported in 1879. They found that this was the case and the seat was declared vacant.[2] Some controversy remained because O'Loghlen's position was in a colony and not in the United Kingdom.[3] A writ was moved for another by-election in 1879.

Clare by-election, 1877[4]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Home Rule	Sir Bryan O'Loghlen	1,721	47.2
	Ind. Nationalist	O'Gorman Mahon	1,149	31.5
	Irish Conservative	Robert Carey Reeves	764	20.9	+2.9
	Home Rule	Francis Burton	15	0.4
Majority			572	15.7	−3.5
Turnout			3,649	68.9
	Home Rule hold		Swing	-18.9

References

1. Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs
2. "CLARE COUNTY WRIT". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). 25 April 1879. Retrieved 26 January 2017.
3. "THE HOUSE OF COMMONS CONSTITUENCIES BEGINNING WITH "C" Sir Bryan O'Loghlen,3rd baronet, MP for Clare 1877-1879 (bottom of page)". Leigh Rayment's Peerage Page. Archived from the original on 10 August 2009. Retrieved 26 January 2017.
4. "Clare Election". Leicester Daily Mercury. 14 August 1877. Retrieved 6 October 2016 – via British Newspaper Archive.