1820 United Kingdom general election

none August 2024 May 2014 1820 United Kingdom general election United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland parliamentary no 1818 United Kingdom general election 1818 List of MPs elected in the United Kingdom general election, 1818 1826 United Kingdom general election 1826 All 658 seats in the House of Commons 330 List of MPs elected in the United Kingdom general election, 1820 1820 3 6 1820 4 14 yes 160x160px Earl of Liverpool 8 June 1812 Tory Party (UK) 341 280 61 160x160px Earl Grey — Whigs (British political party) 215 175 40 Prime Minister Prime Minister after election Earl of Liverpool Tory Party (UK) Earl of Liverpool Tory Party (UK) 1820generalelection.svg Composition of the House of Commons after the election The 1820 United Kingdom general election was held on 6 March 1820 to 14 April 1820, to elect members of the House of Commons, the lower house of Parliament. Triggered by the death of King George III, it produced the first parliament of the reign of his successor, King George IV. It was held shortly after the Radical War in Scotland and the Cato Street Conspiracy. In this atmosphere, the Tories under the Earl of Liverpool were able to win a substantial majority over the Whigs. The sixth United Kingdom Parliament was dissolved on 29 February 1820. The new Parliament was summoned to meet on 21 April 1820, for a maximum seven-year term from that date. The maximum term could be and normally was curtailed, by the monarch dissolving the Parliament before its term expired. none 1812 1818 1820 1826 1830 Political situation The Tory leader was the Earl of Liverpool, who had been prime minister since his predecessor's assassination in 1812. Liverpool had led his party to two general election victories before that of 1820. The Tory Leader of the House of Commons was Robert Stewart, Viscount Castlereagh. The Whig Party continued to suffer from weak leadership, particularly in the House of Commons. At the time of the general election, the Earl Grey was the leading figure amongst the Whig peers. It was likely that Grey would have been invited to form a government, had the Whigs come to power, although in this era the monarch rather than the governing party decided which individual would be prime minister. The Leader of the Opposition in the House of Commons, George Tierney, was successful at first after the Whig gains at the 1818 general election. However, on 18 May 1819, Tierney moved a motion in the House of Commons for a committee on the state of the nation. This motion was defeated by 357 to 178. Foord comments that "this defeat put an effective end to Tierney's leadership". However he continued to be the nominal leader at the time of the 1820 election. Dates of election At this period there was not one election day. After receiving a writ (a royal command) for the election to be held, the local returning officer fixed the election timetable for the particular constituency or constituencies he was concerned with. Polling in seats with contested elections could continue for many days. It was triggered by the death of King George III. The general election took place between the first contest on 6 March and the last contest on 14 April 1820. Summary of the constituencies Key to categories in the following tables: BC – Borough/Burgh constituencies, CC – County constituencies, UC – University constituencies, Total C – Total constituencies, BMP – Borough/Burgh Members of Parliament, CMP – County Members of Parliament, UMP – University Members of Parliament. Monmouthshire (1 County constituency with 2 MPs and one single member Borough constituency) is included in Wales in these tables. Sources for this period may include the county in England. Table 1: Constituencies and MPs, by type and country Country BC CC UC Total C BMP CMP UMP Total MPsEngland202402243404784486Wales 180713120261314027Scotland15300451530045Ireland333216635641100Total26311433804671765658 Table 2: Number of seats per constituency, by type and country Country BCx1 BCx2 BCx4 CCx1 CCx2 UCx1 UCx2 Total CEngland4196203902243Wales 180713001210026Scotland15003000045Ireland31200321066Total631982427212380 See also United Kingdom general elections Further reading Chase, Malcolm. 1820: Disorder and stability in the United Kingdom (Manchester University Press, 2013) pp. 86–97. excerpt McQuiston, Julian R. (1973) “Sussex Aristocrats and the County Election of 1820.” The English Historical Review, vol. 88, no. 348, pp. 534–58. online Pentland, Gordon. “‘Betrayed by Infamous Spies’? The Commemoration of Scotland’s ‘Radical War’ of 1820.” Past & Present, no. 201, 2008, pp. 141–73. online References British Electoral Facts 1832–1999, compiled and edited by Colin Rallings and Michael Thrasher (Ashgate Publishing Ltd 2000). Source: Dates of Elections – Footnote to Table 5.02 British Historical Facts 1760–1830, by Chris Cook and John Stevenson (The Macmillan Press 1980). Source: Types of constituencies – Great Britain His Majesty's Opposition 1714–1830, by Archibald S. Foord (Oxford University Press 1964) Parliamentary Election Results in Ireland 1801–1922, edited by B.M. Walker (Royal Irish Academy 1978). Source: Types of constituencies – Ireland Category:1820 elections in the United Kingdom General election Category:1820s elections in Ireland Category:March 1820 Category:April 1820 1820 Category:Charles Grey, 2nd Earl Grey Category:George III Category:Robert Jenkinson, 2nd Earl of Liverpool