The 1847 United Kingdom general election was conducted between 29 July 1847 and 26 August 1847 and resulted in the Whigs in control of government despite candidates calling themselves Conservatives winning the most seats. The Conservatives were divided between Protectionists, led by
Lord Stanley, and a minority of free-trade Tories, known also as the
Peelites
The Peelites were a breakaway dissident political faction of the British Conservative Party from 1846 to 1859. Initially led by Robert Peel, the former Prime Minister and Conservative Party leader in 1846, the Peelites supported free trade whilst ...
for their leader, former prime minister
Sir Robert Peel. This left the Whigs, led by Prime Minister
Lord John Russell, in a position to continue in governmen
The Irish Repeal group won more seats than in the previous general election, while the Chartists gained the only seat they were ever to hold,
Nottingham (UK Parliament constituency), Nottingham's second seat, held by Chartist leader
Feargus O'Connor
Feargus Edward O'Connor (18 July 1796 – 30 August 1855) was an Irish Chartist leader and advocate of the Land Plan, which sought to provide smallholdings for the labouring classes. A highly charismatic figure, O'Connor was admired for his ...
.
The election also witnessed the election of Britain's first Jewish MP, the Liberal
Lionel de Rothschild in the
City of London
The City of London is a city, ceremonial county and local government district that contains the historic centre and constitutes, alongside Canary Wharf, the primary central business district (CBD) of London. It constituted most of London f ...
. Members being sworn in were however required to swear the Christian
Oath of Allegiance, meaning Rothschild was unable actually to take his seat until the passage of the
Jews Relief Act in 1858. The constituency of
Sudbury (UK Parliament constituency), which elected two members, was disfranchised for this election. This accounts for the fact that there were two fewer seats in the
House of Commons as compared to the previous election, though no redistribution took place.
Results
Voting summary
Seats summary
Regional results
Great Britain
=England
=
=Scotland
=
=Wales
=
Ireland
Universities
Notes
References
Further reading
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External links
Spartacus: Political Parties and Election Results
{{British elections
1847 elections in the United Kingdom
General election
1847
July 1847 events
August 1847 events
1840s elections in Ireland
1847 United Kingdom general election