Electoral results for the district of Cumberland (South Riding)

Cumberland South Riding, an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of New South Wales was created in 1856 and abolished in 1859.[1][2][3]

Election	Member		Party	Member		Party
1856		William Manning [4]	None		Elias Weekes [5]	None
August 1856 by					Ryan Brenan [6]	None
October 1856 by
November 1856 by					Stuart Donaldson [7]	None
1857 by		James Byrnes [8]	None
1858		Edward Flood [9]	None

Election results

1858

1858 New South Wales colonial election: Cumberland (South Riding)
30 January [10]

Candidate		Votes	%
Edward Flood (re-elected 1)		1,271	42.3
Stuart Donaldson (re-elected 2)		955	31.8
Thomas Holt (defeated)		778	25.9
George Smith		0	0.0
Total formal votes		3,004	100.0
Informal votes		0	0.0
Turnout		3,004	41.3

The other sitting member James Byrnes successfully contested Parramatta. Edward Flood was a sitting member for North Eastern Boroughs. Thomas Holt was the sitting member for Stanley Boroughs. There was some debate as to whether George Smith had received no votes, with Stuart Donaldson stating that he had seen one vote while Edward Flood said he had seen several.[11]

1857 by-election

1857 Cumberland (South Riding) by-election
Friday 12 June [12]

Candidate		Votes	%
James Byrnes (elected)		769	58.4
Ryan Brenan		548	41.6
Total formal votes		1,317	100.0
Informal votes		0	0.0
Turnout		1,317	36.2

William Manning resigned on account of ill-health.[13]

November 1856 by-election

1856 Cumberland (South Riding) by-election
Tuesday 4 November [14]

Candidate		Votes	%
Stuart Donaldson (elected)		unopposed

The Qualifications Committee declared the election of Ryan Brenan was invalid as no poll had been conducted at Canterbury. Brenan was persuaded not to stand to allow Stuart Donaldson to regain a seat, having lost Sydney Hamlets in a ministerial by-election.[15]

October 1856 by-election

1856 Cumberland (South Riding) by-election
Friday 17 October [16]

Candidate		Votes	%
William Manning (elected)		893	80.6
William Redman		215	19.4
Total formal votes		1,108	100.0
Informal votes		0	0
Turnout		1,108	40.3

The by-election was caused by the appointment of William Manning as Attorney-General in the Parker ministry.[16]

August 1856 by-election

1856 Cumberland (South Riding) by-election
Thursday 21 August [17]

Candidate		Votes	%
Ryan Brenan (elected)		435	42.7
Augustus Morris		367	36.0
Thomas W Shepherd		110	10.8
William Sherwin		107	10.5
Total formal votes		1,019	100.0
Informal votes		0	0
Turnout		1,019	37.1

Elias Weekes resigned in August 1856 after winning his appeal against his defeat in Northumberland Boroughs.[17]

1856

1856 New South Wales colonial election: Cumberland (South Riding) [18]

Candidate		Votes	%
William Manning (elected 1)		833	38.7
Elias Weekes (elected 2)		576	26.8
Ryan Brenan		521	24.2
William Russell		220	10.2
Total formal votes		2,150	100.0
Informal votes		0	0.0
Turnout		1,242	45.2

Polling was conducted on 9 April 1856. Manning had served in the old Legislative Council as an appointed member. Unlike other newly appointed Ministers, he did not have to resign and contest a ministerial by-election as he already held the office of Solicitor-General at the time of his election. Weekes was elected, but later won an appeal against his defeat in Northumberland Boroughs, choosing to sit for that seat and resign from this seat. The subsequent by-election was won by Brenan.

References

1. Green, Antony. "Elections for the District of Cumberland South Riding". New South Wales Election Results 1856-2007. Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 31 August 2020.
2. "Part 5B alphabetical list of all electorates and Members since 1856" (PDF). NSW Parliamentary Record. Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 18 December 2019.
3. "Former Members". Members of Parliament. Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 14 December 2019.
4. "Sir William Montagu Manning (1811-1895)". Former Members of the Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 13 June 2019.
5. "Mr Elias Weekes (1809–1881)". Former Members of the Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 13 June 2019.
6. "Mr John Brenan (1798-1868)". Former Members of the Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 13 June 2019.
7. "Sir Stuart Alexander Donaldson (1812-1867)". Former Members of the Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 13 June 2019.
8. "Mr James Byrnes (1806-1886)". Former Members of the Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 13 June 2019.
9. "Mr Edward Flood (1805–1888)". Former Members of the Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 13 June 2019.
10. Green, Antony. "1858 Cumberland South Riding". New South Wales Election Results 1856-2007. Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 12 June 2019.
11. "South Riding of Cumberland election". The Sydney Morning Herald. 3 February 1858. p. 8. Retrieved 12 June 2019 – via Trove.
12. Green, Antony. "1857 Cumberland (South Riding) by-election". New South Wales Election Results 1856-2007. Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 12 June 2019.
13. "Sir William Montagu Manning (1811-1895)". Former Members of the Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 13 June 2019.
14. Green, Antony. "November 1856 Cumberland (South Riding) by-election". New South Wales Election Results 1856-2007. Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 12 June 2019.
15. "To J Ryan Brenan Esq". The Sydney Morning Herald. 28 October 1856. p. 2. Retrieved 13 June 2019 – via Trove.
16. Green, Antony. "October 1856 Cumberland (South Riding) by-election". New South Wales Election Results 1856-2007. Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 10 January 2021.
17. Green, Antony. "August 1856 Cumberland (South Riding) by-election". New South Wales Election Results 1856-2007. Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 12 June 2019.
18. Green, Antony. "1856 Cumberland (South Riding)". New South Wales Election Results 1856-2007. Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 21 March 2015.