The
1818 general election of the United Kingdom saw the Whigs gain a few seats, but the Tories under
the Earl of LiverpoolRobert Banks Jenkinson, 2nd Earl of Liverpool KG PC was a British politician and the longest-serving Prime Minister of the United Kingdom since the Union with Ireland in 1801. He was 42 years old when he became premier in 1812 which made him younger than all of his successors to date...
retained a majority of around 90 seats. The Whigs were divided over their response to growing social unrest and the introduction of the
Corn LawsThe Corn Laws were trade barriers designed to protect cereal producers in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland against competition from less expensive foreign imports between 1815 and 1846. The barriers were introduced by the Importation Act 1815 and repealed by the Importation Act 1846...
.
The result of the election was known on 4 August 1818.
The fifth United Kingdom Parliament was dissolved on 10 June 1818. The new Parliament was summoned to meet on 4 August 1818, 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.
Political situation
The Tory leader was the Earl of Liverpool, who had been Prime Minister since his predecessor's assassination in 1812. The Tory
Leader of the House of CommonsThe Leader of the House of Commons is a member of the Cabinet of the United Kingdom who is responsible for arranging government business in the House of Commons...
was
Robert Stewart, Viscount CastlereaghRobert Stewart, 2nd Marquess of Londonderry, KG, GCH, PC, PC , usually known as Lord CastlereaghThe name Castlereagh derives from the baronies of Castlereagh and Ards, in which the manors of Newtownards and Comber were located...
.
The Whig Party had long suffered from weak leadership, particularly in the House of Commons.
At the time of the general election, the
Earl GreyCharles Grey, 2nd Earl Grey, KG, PC , known as Viscount Howick between 1806 and 1807, was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 22 November 1830 to 16 July 1834. A member of the Whig Party, he backed significant reform of the British government and was among the...
was the leading figure amongst the Whig peers. The last Whig Prime Minister, the
Lord GrenvilleWilliam Wyndham Grenville, 1st Baron Grenville PC, PC was a British Whig statesman. He served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1806 to 1807 as head of the Ministry of All the Talents.-Background :...
, had retired from active politics in 1817. It was likely that Earl 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, until his death in 1817, was
George PonsonbyGeorge Ponsonby PC , was a British lawyer and Whig politician. He served as Lord Chancellor of Ireland from 1806 to 1807 in the Ministry of All the Talents.-Background and education:...
the uncle of Grey's wife. About a year after Ponsonby's death,
George TierneyGeorge Tierney PC was an English Whig politician.-Background and education:Born in Gibraltar, Tierney was the son of Thomas Tierney, a wealthy Irish merchant of London, who was living in Gibraltar as prize agent. He was sent to Eton and Peterhouse, Cambridge, where he took the degree of Law in 1784...
reluctantly became the recognized leader of the opposition in the House of Commons. However after 1819 he did not carry out the functions of leader althouugh he retained the title.
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.
MonmouthshireMonmouthshire , also known as the County of Monmouth , is one of thirteen ancient counties of Wales and a former administrative county....
(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 MPs |
| England |
202 |
39 |
2 |
243 |
404 |
78 |
4 |
486 |
| Wales |
13 |
13 |
0 |
26 |
13 |
14 |
0 |
27 |
| Scotland |
15 |
30 |
0 |
45 |
15 |
30 |
0 |
45 |
| Ireland |
33 |
32 |
1 |
66 |
35 |
64 |
1 |
100 |
| Total |
263 |
114 |
3 |
380 |
467 |
176 |
5 |
658 |
Table 2: Number of seats per constituency, by type and country
| Country |
BCx1 |
BCx2 |
BCx4 |
CCx1 |
CCx2 |
UCx1 |
UCx2 |
Total C |
| England |
4 |
196 |
2 |
0 |
39 |
0 |
2 |
243 |
| Wales |
13 |
0 |
0 |
12 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
26 |
| Scotland |
15 |
0 |
0 |
30 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
45 |
| Ireland |
31 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
32 |
1 |
0 |
66 |
| Total |
63 |
198 |
2 |
42 |
72 |
1 |
2 |
380 |