The 1705 English general election saw contests in 110

constituencies An electoral (congressional, legislative, etc.) district, sometimes called a constituency, riding, or ward, is a geographical portion of a political unit, such as a country, state or province, city, or administrative region, created to provi ...

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 In modern politics and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...

the Tories had become increasingly unpopular, and their position was therefore somewhat weakened by the election, particularly by the

Tackers Tackers was the name given to High Tory Members of Parliament who in 1704 tried to attach ('tack') an Occasional Conformity Act 1711, Occasional Conformity Bill to money bills in order to pass it through the House of Lords and into law. The Tacker ...

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 The Kingdom of England was a sovereign state on the island of Great Britain from the late 9th century, when it was unified from various Heptarchy, Anglo-Saxon kingdoms, until 1 May 1707, when it united with Kingdom of Scotland, Scotland to f ...

prior to its union with the

Kingdom of Scotland The Kingdom of Scotland was a sovereign state in northwest Europe, traditionally said to have been founded in 843. Its territories expanded and shrank, but it came to occupy the northern third of the island of Great Britain, sharing a Anglo-Sc ...

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 In modern politics and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...

elected before the

Acts of Union 1707 The Acts of Union refer to two acts of Parliament, one by the Parliament of Scotland in March 1707, followed shortly thereafter by an equivalent act of the Parliament of England. They put into effect the international Treaty of Union agree ...

. 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.

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).

References

External links

History of Parliament: Members 1690–1715

History of Parliament: Constituencies 1690–1715
{{English elections 1705 in politics 18th-century elections in Europe 1705

General election A general election is an electoral process to choose most or all members of a governing body at the same time. They are distinct from By-election, by-elections, which fill individual seats that have become vacant between general elections. Gener ...

Summary of the constituencies

Involved parties

Overview of 18th-century British politics

See also

References

External links