Compiled by EveryElectionResult.com's data team · Last updated 2026-08-30
Cavan elected 2 MPs at the 1880 general election: Charles Joseph Fay (Irish Parliamentary Party) and Joseph Gillis Biggar (Irish Parliamentary Party). This page covers every general election in Cavan from 1832 to 1880.
This constituency elected more than one MP at once in some years. Before the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 (and in a shrinking number of boroughs through 1948), most UK constituencies elected two or more MPs together by "multi-member plurality" (block vote): each elector could cast one vote per available seat, and the top vote-getters overall were all elected. In those elections below, "Elected" lists every MP returned, "Votes" is the count that secured the last seat, and "Majority" is the gap between that seat and the first candidate who missed out.
Full Election History, 1832–1880
Election
Elected
Votes
Vote Share
Runner-up
Majority
Turnout
1832
Henry Maxwell (Conservative); John Young (Conservative)
Elected unopposed — no other candidate stood, no vote count on record
0.0%
1835
Henry Maxwell (Conservative); John Young (Conservative)
Elected unopposed — no other candidate stood, no vote count on record
0.0%
1837
Henry Maxwell (Conservative); John Young (Conservative)
Elected unopposed — no other candidate stood, no vote count on record
0.0%
1841
Henry John Clements (Conservative); John Young (Conservative)
Elected unopposed — no other candidate stood, no vote count on record
0.0%
1847
James Pierce Maxwell (Conservative); John Young (Peelite)
Elected unopposed — no other candidate stood, no vote count on record
0.0%
1852
James Pierce Maxwell (Conservative); John Young (Peelite)
2,049
44.8% (top seat)
Hercules Ellis (Liberal)
1,322 (26.3 pts)
65.3%
1857
James Pierce Maxwell (Conservative); Hugh Annesley (Conservative)
2,164
47.0% (top seat)
Matthew O'Reilly Dease (Radical)
755 (11.2 pts)
59.7%
1859
James Pierce Maxwell (Conservative); Hugh Annesley (Conservative)
Elected unopposed — no other candidate stood, no vote count on record
0.0%
1865
Hugh Annesley (Conservative); Edward James Saunderson (Liberal)
Elected unopposed — no other candidate stood, no vote count on record
0.0%
1868
Hugh Annesley (Conservative); Edward James Saunderson (Liberal)
Elected unopposed — no other candidate stood, no vote count on record
0.0%
1874
Charles Joseph Fay (Irish Parliamentary Party); Joseph Gillis Biggar (Irish Parliamentary Party)
3,079
37.5% (top seat)
Edward James Saunderson (Conservative)
769 (8.9 pts)
69.2%
1880
Charles Joseph Fay (Irish Parliamentary Party); Joseph Gillis Biggar (Irish Parliamentary Party)
3,061
36.9% (top seat)
Somerset Henry Maxwell (Conservative)
828 (9.9 pts)
68.8%
Full Result Breakdown by Election
1832 (2 seats)
Candidate
Party
Votes
Share
Elected
Henry Maxwell
Conservative
Unopposed
Yes
John Young
Conservative
Unopposed
Yes
1835 (2 seats)
Candidate
Party
Votes
Share
Elected
Henry Maxwell
Conservative
Unopposed
Yes
John Young
Conservative
Unopposed
Yes
1837 (2 seats)
Candidate
Party
Votes
Share
Elected
Henry Maxwell
Conservative
Unopposed
Yes
John Young
Conservative
Unopposed
Yes
1841 (2 seats)
Candidate
Party
Votes
Share
Elected
Henry John Clements
Conservative
Unopposed
Yes
John Young
Conservative
Unopposed
Yes
1847 (2 seats)
Candidate
Party
Votes
Share
Elected
James Pierce Maxwell
Conservative
Unopposed
Yes
John Young
Peelite
Unopposed
Yes
1852 (2 seats)
Candidate
Party
Votes
Share
Elected
James Pierce Maxwell
Conservative
2,252
44.8%
Yes
John Young
Peelite
2,049
40.8%
Yes
Hercules Ellis
Liberal
727
14.5%
No
1857 (2 seats)
Candidate
Party
Votes
Share
Elected
James Pierce Maxwell
Conservative
3,164
47.0%
Yes
Hugh Annesley
Conservative
2,164
32.1%
Yes
Matthew O'Reilly Dease
Radical
1,409
20.9%
No
1859 (2 seats)
Candidate
Party
Votes
Share
Elected
James Pierce Maxwell
Conservative
Unopposed
Yes
Hugh Annesley
Conservative
Unopposed
Yes
1865 (2 seats)
Candidate
Party
Votes
Share
Elected
Hugh Annesley
Conservative
Unopposed
Yes
Edward James Saunderson
Liberal
Unopposed
Yes
1868 (2 seats)
Candidate
Party
Votes
Share
Elected
Hugh Annesley
Conservative
Unopposed
Yes
Edward James Saunderson
Liberal
Unopposed
Yes
1874 (2 seats)
Candidate
Party
Votes
Share
Elected
Charles Joseph Fay
Irish Parliamentary Party
3,229
37.5%
Yes
Joseph Gillis Biggar
Irish Parliamentary Party
3,079
35.7%
Yes
Edward James Saunderson
Conservative
2,310
26.8%
No
1880 (2 seats)
Candidate
Party
Votes
Share
Elected
Charles Joseph Fay
Irish Parliamentary Party
3,097
36.9%
Yes
Joseph Gillis Biggar
Irish Parliamentary Party
3,061
36.5%
Yes
Somerset Henry Maxwell
Conservative
2,233
26.6%
No
Margin Over Time
Winning margin (percentage points) at each election, coloured by the winning party.
Trend
Cavan has been contested at 12 general elections on record since 1832. Parties that have won a seat here over that span: Conservative, Peelite, Liberal, Irish Parliamentary Party.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who won Cavan in the 1880 general election?
Charles Joseph Fay (Irish Parliamentary Party), Joseph Gillis Biggar (Irish Parliamentary Party) won Cavan in 1880.
Which parties have won Cavan since 1832?
Since 1832, Cavan has been won by: Conservative, Irish Parliamentary Party, Liberal, Peelite.
What was the closest result in Cavan?
The closest result on record for Cavan was 1874, when Irish Parliamentary Party beat Conservative by just 769 votes (8.9 percentage points).
Did Cavan ever elect more than one MP at a time?
Yes -- like most UK constituencies before the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885, Cavan elected multiple MPs at once in some elections on this page (a system called multi-member plurality, or 'block vote'), each voter casting one vote per available seat.