Compiled by EveryElectionResult.com's data team · Last updated 2026-08-30
Westmeath was won by Sinn Féin at the 1918 general election, with a majority of 8,977 votes over Irish Parliamentary Party. This page covers every general election in Westmeath from 1832 to 1918.
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, 1832–1918
Election
Elected
Votes
Vote Share
Runner-up
Majority
Turnout
1832
Montagu Lowther Chapman (Liberal); Richard Nagle (Repeal Association)
381
33.1% (top seat)
Gustavus Rochfort (Conservative)
143 (12.3 pts)
41.7%
1835
Montagu Lowther Chapman (Liberal); Richard Nagle (Repeal Association and Whig)
Elected unopposed — no other candidate stood, no vote count on record
0.0%
1837
Montagu Lowther Chapman (Liberal); Richard Nagle (Repeal Association and Whig)
798
33.7% (top seat)
Richard Handcock (Conservative)
405 (17.0 pts)
71.9%
1841
Hugh Morgan Tuite (Liberal); Benjamin James Chapman (Liberal)
Elected unopposed — no other candidate stood, no vote count on record
0.0%
1847
William Henry Magan (Repeal Association); Percy Fitzgerald Nugent (Liberal)
117
50.2% (top seat)
Richard George Augustus Levinge (Conservative)
117 (49.8 pts)
8.8%
1852
William Henry Magan (Independent Irish); William Pollard-Urquhart (Independent Irish)
1,414
41.3% (top seat)
Richard George Augustus Levinge (Conservative)
488 (12.2 pts)
63.6%
1857
William Henry Magan (Liberal); Richard George Augustus Levinge (Independent Irish)
Elected unopposed — no other candidate stood, no vote count on record
0.0%
1859
William Pollard-Urquhart (Liberal); Richard George Augustus Levinge (Liberal)
Elected unopposed — no other candidate stood, no vote count on record
0.0%
1865
Algernon William Fulke Greville (Liberal); William Pollard-Urquhart (Liberal)
Elected unopposed — no other candidate stood, no vote count on record
0.0%
1868
Algernon William Fulke Greville-Nugent (Liberal); William Pollard-Urquhart (Liberal)
Elected unopposed — no other candidate stood, no vote count on record
0.0%
1874
Patrick James Smyth (Irish Parliamentary Party); Robert Montagu (Irish Parliamentary Party)
2,164
43.2% (top seat)
Algernon William Fulke Greville-Nugent (Liberal)
1,763 (34.6 pts)
71.6%
1880
Timothy Daniel Sullivan (Irish Parliamentary Party); Henry Joseph Gill (Irish Parliamentary Party)
1,609
48.2% (top seat)
William Gowing (Irish Parliamentary Party)
1,468 (43.4 pts)
48.8%
1918
Laurence Ginnell (Sinn Féin)
12,435
75.4%
Patrick Weymes (Irish Parliamentary Party)
8,977 (54.4 pts)
68.7%
Full Result Breakdown by Election
1832 (2 seats)
Candidate
Party
Votes
Share
Elected
Montagu Lowther Chapman
Liberal
385
33.1%
Yes
Richard Nagle
Repeal Association
381
32.8%
Yes
Gustavus Rochfort
Conservative
238
20.5%
No
Gustavus Lambert
Conservative
159
13.7%
No
1835 (2 seats)
Candidate
Party
Votes
Share
Elected
Montagu Lowther Chapman
Liberal
Unopposed
Yes
Richard Nagle
Repeal Association and Whig
Unopposed
Yes
1837 (2 seats)
Candidate
Party
Votes
Share
Elected
Montagu Lowther Chapman
Liberal
804
33.7%
Yes
Richard Nagle
Repeal Association and Whig
798
33.5%
Yes
Richard Handcock
Conservative
393
16.5%
No
Richard George Augustus Levinge
Conservative
388
16.3%
No
1841 (2 seats)
Candidate
Party
Votes
Share
Elected
Hugh Morgan Tuite
Liberal
Unopposed
Yes
Benjamin James Chapman
Liberal
Unopposed
Yes
1847 (2 seats)
Candidate
Party
Votes
Share
Elected
William Henry Magan
Repeal Association
118
50.2%
Yes
Percy Fitzgerald Nugent
Liberal
117
49.8%
Yes
Richard George Augustus Levinge
Conservative
0
0.0%
No
1852 (2 seats)
Candidate
Party
Votes
Share
Elected
William Henry Magan
Independent Irish
1,647
41.3%
Yes
William Pollard-Urquhart
Independent Irish
1,414
35.5%
Yes
Richard George Augustus Levinge
Conservative
926
23.2%
No
1857 (2 seats)
Candidate
Party
Votes
Share
Elected
William Henry Magan
Liberal
Unopposed
Yes
Richard George Augustus Levinge
Independent Irish
Unopposed
Yes
1859 (2 seats)
Candidate
Party
Votes
Share
Elected
William Pollard-Urquhart
Liberal
Unopposed
Yes
Richard George Augustus Levinge
Liberal
Unopposed
Yes
1865 (2 seats)
Candidate
Party
Votes
Share
Elected
Algernon William Fulke Greville
Liberal
Unopposed
Yes
William Pollard-Urquhart
Liberal
Unopposed
Yes
1868 (2 seats)
Candidate
Party
Votes
Share
Elected
Algernon William Fulke Greville-Nugent
Liberal
Unopposed
Yes
William Pollard-Urquhart
Liberal
Unopposed
Yes
1874 (2 seats)
Candidate
Party
Votes
Share
Elected
Patrick James Smyth
Irish Parliamentary Party
2,202
43.2%
Yes
Robert Montagu
Irish Parliamentary Party
2,164
42.5%
Yes
Algernon William Fulke Greville-Nugent
Liberal
401
7.9%
No
Richard George Augustus Levinge
Liberal
328
6.4%
No
1880 (2 seats)
Candidate
Party
Votes
Share
Elected
Timothy Daniel Sullivan
Irish Parliamentary Party
1,631
48.2%
Yes
Henry Joseph Gill
Irish Parliamentary Party
1,609
47.6%
Yes
William Gowing
Irish Parliamentary Party
141
4.2%
No
1918
Candidate
Party
Votes
Share
Elected
Laurence Ginnell
Sinn Féin
12,435
75.4%
Yes
Patrick Weymes
Irish Parliamentary Party
3,458
21.0%
No
Walter Richard Nugent
Irish Nationalist
603
3.7%
No
Margin Over Time
Winning margin (percentage points) at each election, coloured by the winning party.
Trend
Westmeath has been contested at 13 general elections on record since 1832. Parties that have won a seat here over that span: Liberal, Repeal Association, Repeal Association and Whig, Independent Irish, Irish Parliamentary Party, Sinn Féin.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who won Westmeath in the 1918 general election?
Sinn Féin won Westmeath in 1918 with 12,435 votes (75.4%), a majority of 8,977 votes over Irish Parliamentary Party in second place.
Which parties have won Westmeath since 1832?
Since 1832, Westmeath has been won by: Independent Irish, Irish Parliamentary Party, Liberal, Repeal Association, Repeal Association and Whig, Sinn Féin.
What was the closest result in Westmeath?
The closest result on record for Westmeath was 1852, when Independent Irish beat Conservative by just 488 votes (12.2 percentage points).
Did Westmeath ever elect more than one MP at a time?
Yes -- like most UK constituencies before the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885, Westmeath 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.