Parliamentary boundary post

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A cast-iron administrative marker post of 1918 marking the outer extent of the jurisdiction of Belfast Corporation (as Belfast City Council was then known), and of St Anne’s Division and St Anne’s Ward electoral areas within it.

Embedded in a landscaped sunken part of Musgrave Park known as Grovelands, it is located over a now-culverted stream which marked the course of this boundary hereabouts.

Of slightly tapered cylindrical profile, it bears the shield of Belfast Corporation’s coat of arms, below which is a plaque reading “Parliamentary/ and Municipal/ Boundary of/ Belfast/ St Anne’s Division/ St Anne’s Ward/ 1918”. It has an octagonal banded base and oversailing flat octagonal top with slightly smaller fluted circular cap.

Historical information

The County of the Borough of Belfast was created under the Local Government Act 1898 and enacted the following year. The new borough was divided into four constituencies for the purposes of parliamentary elections to the Westminster House of Commons (this was pre-Partition and creation of Stormont) – North, East, West and South. Each division had its own Member of Parliament.
Under the Redistribution of Seats (Ireland) Act 1918, the existing four constituencies were abolished and their number increased to nine - Cromac, Duncairn, Falls, Ormeau, Pottinger, St Anne’s, Shankill, Victoria, and Woodvale.
Each new parliamentary division had its own MP and encompassed one or several municipal wards; the latter were used for elections to Belfast Corporation. St Anne’s Division encompassed the municipal wards of St Anne’s and St George’s. As its legend states, this particular post marks the boundary of that particular parliamentary division, and of the ward of the same name within it.
These new constituencies were first used in the General Election of 14 December 1918, just over a month after the cessation of the First World War. This particular election took place under the Representation of the People Act 1918 (also known as the Fourth Reform Act). It is of special significance in that, for the first time, all men over 21 years of age and all women over 30 could vote; it was also the first election to be completed within the one day. Previously, only male property owners but no women could vote, and the election was spread out over several weeks.
With the inception of the devolved parliament for Northern Ireland in 1922, the number of Westminster MPs was greatly reduced. The St. Anne's parliamentary constituency, created only four years previously, was abolished and the previous seat of West Belfast restored (encompassing Court, Falls, St Anne's, St George's, Smithfield and Woodvale Wards). However, the municipal wards continued to be used for local elections, although some, including St Anne’s, have since been reconfigured and renamed.
The boundary of the County Borough of Belfast is clearly marked on the 1902 OS map, along with a boundary post (‘B.P.’) at this location. It is similarly denoted on all subsequent OS maps. Given that the present post was not erected until 1918, it obviously replaced a previous one. Belfast Corporation was superseded by Belfast City Council in 1973 and its jurisdiction extended beyond its former borough boundary. This post now lies within Balmoral District Electoral Division (as used for Council elections), and is in Musgrave Ward.

References – Primary Sources:
1. Local Government Act 1898.
2. PRONI OS/6/1/64/3. OS six-inch map, Co Antrim sheet 64 (1901-02).
3. Representation of the People Act 1918 (7 & 8 Geo. 5 c.64).
4. Redistribution of Seats (Ireland) Act 1918 (7 & 8 Geo. 5 c.65).
5. PRONI OS/6/1/64/4. OS six-inch map, Co Antrim sheet 64 (1920-21).
6. PRONI OS/10/1/64/4/4. OS 25-inch map, Co Antrim sheet 64-04 (1931).
7. PRONI OS/10/1/64/4/5. OS 25-inch map, Co Antrim sheet 64-04 (1938).
8. PRONI OS/11/130/15/1. OS 25-inch IG map sheet 146-08 (1958-59).

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
J. Setting
K. Group value

Criteria for listing: historic interest

R. Age
S. Authenticity
T. Historic Importance
X. Local Interest

Evaluation

This boundary post exhibits a degree of decoration beyond that necessitated of its utilitarian function. Its cast-iron construction reflects the need for durability. Its setting is also of significance insofar as it denotes an invisible political boundary at this particular spot. It also has group value with nearby boundary posts on the Lisburn Road (HB26/15/020 and HB26/15/021, both on the same stream). Belfast has what is probably the most complete group of administrative markers anywhere in the Province. It is from the historical viewpoint that this post is of most interest. It is a tangible reminder of the first election in Britain and Ireland when nearly everyone (bar women under 30) had the right to vote, which took place on 14 December 1918. It is also of interest in marking a short-lived period in the province’s political development from 1918 until the creation of the Stormont Parliament in 1922. Many of these posts have succumbed to road widening and random removal, so this particular example is now a comparatively rare survivor.