| Upper: | yes |
| County of Durham | |
| State: | nsw |
| Image Upright: | 0.81 |
| Created: | 1843 |
| Abolished: | 1856 |
| Namesake: | Durham County |
| Coordinates: | -32°N 151°W |
The Electoral district of County of Durham was an electorate of the New South Wales Legislative Council at a time when some of its members were elected and the balance were appointed by the Governor.[1] It was named after Durham County, which lies on the north side of the Hunter River.
It was created by the 1843 Electoral Districts Act and initially returned one member.[1] It returned two members with the expansion of the Council in 1851 to 54, 18 to be appointed and 36 elected.[2] In 1856 the unicameral Legislative Council was abolished and replaced with an elected Legislative Assembly and an appointed Legislative Council. The district was represented by the Legislative Assembly electorate of Durham
| Election | Member | Term | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1843 | Richard Windeyer[3] | Jun 1843 – Dec 1847 | |
| 1848 by | Stuart Donaldson[4] | Feb 1848 – Jan 1853 | |
| 1848 | |||
| 1849 by | Member | Term | |
| 1851 | Charles Cowper[5] | Sep 1851 – Feb 1856 | |
| 1853 by | Alexander Park[6] | Feb 1853 – Feb 1856 |
Richard Windeyer died in December 1847.[3]
On 26 July 1848, the day prescribed for nominations, Stuart Donaldson and Andrew Lang were nominated. A show of hands was in favour of Donaldson and Lang demanded a poll. The returning officer had neglected to make any preparations for a poll and so declared Donaldson elected.[7] Donaldson attempted to resign on 16 August.[8] The election was declared void by the court of disputed returns and a new writ issued.[9]
Stuart Donaldson resigned in January 1853.