1877 Clare by-election

{{Short description|UK Parliamentary by-election}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2019}}

{{Use British English|date=August 2019}}

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.{{Rayment-hc|date=May 2021}} 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.{{cite web|title=CLARE COUNTY WRIT.|url=https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/commons/1879/apr/25/clare-county-writ#S3V0245P0_18790425_HOC_77|website=Parliamentary Debates (Hansard)|date=25 April 1879|access-date=26 January 2017}} Some controversy remained because O'Loghlen's position was in a colony and not in the United Kingdom.{{cite web|url=http://www.leighrayment.com/commons/Ccommons4.htm|title=THE HOUSE OF COMMONS CONSTITUENCIES BEGINNING WITH "C" Sir Bryan O'Loghlen,3rd baronet, MP for Clare 1877-1879 (bottom of page)|website=Leigh Rayment's Peerage Page|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090810231604/http://www.leighrayment.com/commons/Ccommons4.htm|archive-date=10 August 2009|url-status=dead|access-date=26 January 2017}} A writ was moved for another by-election in 1879.

{{Election box begin | title=Clare by-election, 1877{{cite news |title=Clare Election|work=Leicester Daily Mercury |date=14 August 1877 |access-date=6 October 2016 |url=http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000759/18770814/036/0003| via = British Newspaper Archive|url-access=subscription }}

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{{Election box winning candidate with party link|

|party = Home Rule League

|candidate = Sir Bryan O'Loghlen

|votes = 1,721

|percentage = 47.2

|change =

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link|

|party = Independent Nationalist

|candidate = O'Gorman Mahon

|votes = 1,149

|percentage = 31.5

|change =

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link|

|party = Irish Conservative Party

|candidate = Robert Carey Reeves

|votes = 764

|percentage = 20.9

|change = +2.9

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link|

|party = Home Rule League

|candidate = Francis Burton

|votes = 15

|percentage = 0.4

|change =

}}

{{Election box majority|

|votes = 572

|percentage = 15.7

|change = -3.5

}}

{{Election box turnout|

|votes = 3,649

|percentage = 68.9

|change =

}}

{{Election box hold with party link|

|winner = Home Rule League

|swing = -18.9

}}

{{Election box end}}