1705 English general election

General election in England May 2024 Kingdom of England parliamentary no 1702 English general election 1702 1708 British general election 1708 (GB) All 513 seats in the House of Commons 257 7 May – 6 June 1705 0.7 File:John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough, Captain-General of the English forces and Master-General of the Ordnance, 1702 (c), attributed to Michael Dahl 91996.jpg Duke of Marlborough Tories (British political party) 260 38 Portrait_of_John_Somers,_Baron_Somers.jpg 60 60 75 0 0 1stEarlOfHalifax.jpg 100 60 75 0 20 Gibson,_Edward_Russell.jpg 60 60 75 0 0 Whig Junto (Baron Somers, Baron Halifax, Baron Wharton) Whigs (British political party) 233 49 House of Commons elected members, 1705.svg House of Commons after election (Whigs-orange, Tories-blue) List of members of the House of Commons at Westminster 1705–1708 thumb|393x393px|English Parliament of General Election 1705 The 1705 English general election saw contests in 110 constituencies in England and Wales, roughly 41% of the total. The election was fiercely fought, with mob violence and cries of "Church in Danger" occurring in several boroughs. During the previous session of Parliament the Tories had become increasingly unpopular, and their position was therefore somewhat weakened by the election, particularly by the Tackers controversy. Due to the uncertain loyalty of a group of 'moderate' Tories led by Robert Harley, the parties were roughly balanced in the House of Commons following the election, encouraging the Whigs to demand a greater share in the government led by Marlborough. This was the final election to be held in the Kingdom of England. Summary of the constituencies See 1796 British general election for details. The constituencies used in England and Wales were the same throughout the period. In 1707 alone the 45 Scottish members were not elected from the constituencies, but were returned by co-option in a part of the membership of the last Parliament of Scotland elected before the Acts of Union 1707.Redlich, Josef. "The Procedure of the House of Commons: A Study of Its History and Present Form." (1903). Party strengths are an approximation, with many MPs' allegiances being unknown. Involved parties In 1705 the House of Commons was controlled by two parties: the Tory party led by John Churchill, Duke of Marlborough, and the Whig party led by a group of leading party members known as the Whig Junto. The four members of the Whig Junto were John Somers, Charles Montagu, Thomas Wharton, and Edward Russell.Bradlaugh, Charles. "John Churchill, Duke of Marlborough: The Mob, the Scum, and the Dregs." (1884). Overview of 18th-century British politics The politics of Britain in 1705 was chaotic. The government was very decentralised and led to unrest in the general population. This led to the mob violence that occurred during this election process across the country.O'Gorman, Frank. "The long eighteenth century: British political and social history 1688-1832." (2016). See also List of members of the House of Commons at Westminster 1705–08 2nd Parliament of Queen Anne List of parliaments of England References The History of Parliament The House of Commons, 1690–1715 Eveline Cruickshanks Stuart Handley David Hayton Cambridge University Press Cambridge 2002 External links History of Parliament: Members 1690–1715 https://web.archive.org/web/20241001025056/https://www.historyofparliamentonline.org/research/members/members-1690-1715 1 October 2024 History of Parliament: Constituencies 1690–1715 https://web.archive.org/web/20241003212921/https://historyofparliamentonline.org/research/constituencies/constituencies-1690-1715 3 October 2024 Category:1705 in politics Category:18th-century elections in Europe 1705 General election