1831 United Kingdom general election

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| ← 1830 | 28 April – 1 June 1831 (1831-04-28 – 1831-06-01) | 1832 →

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← outgoing members

elected members →

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All 658 seats in the House of Commons
330 seats needed for a majority
Registered| about 516,000[1] (out of a population of 24,000,000)
|   | First party  | Second party

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|

|  |
Leader  | Earl Grey | Duke of Wellington
Party  | Whig | Tory
Leader since  | 22 November 1830  | 22 January 1828
Leader's seat  | House of Lords | House of Lords
Last election  | 196 seats, 59.3%  | 250 seats, 38.4%
Seats won  | 370 | 235
Seat change  | 174  | 15
Popular vote  | 80,763 | 46,892
Percentage  | 63.3% | 36.7%
Swing  | 4.0pp | 1.7 pp

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Results of the general election

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Composition of the House of Commons after the general election

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| Prime Minister before election

Earl Grey
Whig

| Prime Minister after election

Earl Grey
Whig

|

The 1831 United Kingdom general election was held from 28 April 1831 to 1 June 1831. With electoral reform becoming a major issue, the Whigs under Prime Minister Earl Grey won a decisive victory with a majority of 82 seats. This was the last election before the Reform Act 1832.

* 1826 election
* MPs

* 1830 election
* MPs

* 1831 election
* MPs

* 1832 election
* MPs

* 1835 election
* MPs

## Political situation

[edit]

The ninth UK Parliament elected in 1830 lacked a stable Commons majority for the Tory government of the Duke of Wellington: the best estimate is that it had 310 supporters, 225 opponents and 121 doubtful.[2] After a series of defeats, on 15 November 1830 Henry Parnell's motion for an inquiry into the civil list was carried by 233 to 204; this defeat surprised Wellington and his cabinet and forced their resignation. Wellington went into opposition, with Sir Robert Peel as the Tory Leader of the Opposition in the Commons. A Whig government under Earl Grey was appointed on 22 November 1830, the first since the Ministry of all the Talents in 1806–07. The government's Leader of the House of Commons was Viscount Althorp, who also served as Chancellor of the Exchequer.[citation needed]

Grey was determined to bring in reform to the traditional electoral system, which had been discussed for many decades. With aristocratic colleagues he produced a surprisingly bold scheme of reform; the second reading of the Reform Bill was carried by only one vote (302–301) on 22 March 1831. The Tory opposition was determined to stop the scheme going ahead, and when the Bill went into committee on 18 April, General Gascoyne moved an amendment which required that the total number of MPs representing England and Wales ought not to be reduced. This proposal was a skilfully drafted 'wrecking amendment' and when it was passed by 299–291 on 19 April, the Grey government knew it would not get its legislation. In truth Grey had been ready to ask for a dissolution immediately when the Committee stage began, and King William IV reluctantly agreed; the King dissolved Parliament in person (amid a great political tumult) on 22 April.[3]

The new Parliament was summoned to meet on 14 June 1831, for a maximum seven-year term from that date.[citation needed]

## Dates of election

[edit]

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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.

The general election took place between the first contest on 28 April and the last contest on 1 June 1831.

## Summary of the constituencies

[edit]

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.[citation needed]

Table 1: Constituencies and MPs, by type and country

Country  | BC  | CC  | UC  | Total C  | BMP  | CMP  | UMP  | Total MPs

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England | 201  | 39  | 2  | 242  | 402  | 80  | 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  | 262  | 114  | 3  | 379  | 465  | 178  | 5  | 658

Table 2: Number of seats per constituency, by type and country

Country  | BCx1  | BCx2  | BCx4  | CCx1  | CCx2  | CCx4  | UCx1  | UCx2  | Total C

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England | 4  | 195  | 2  | 0  | 38  | 1  | 0  | 2  | 242
Wales | 13  | 0  | 0  | 12  | 1  | 0  | 0  | 0  | 26
Scotland | 15  | 0  | 0  | 30  | 0  | 0  | 0  | 0  | 45
Ireland | 31  | 2  | 0  | 0  | 32  | 0  | 1  | 0  | 66
Total  | 63  | 197  | 2  | 42  | 71  | 1  | 1  | 2  | 379

## See also

[edit]

* United Kingdom general elections
* List of MPs elected in the 1831 United Kingdom general election

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Elections and the electorate in the Eighteenth Century". The Age of George III. Retrieved 28 January 2023.
2. ^ D.R. Fisher, History of Parliament 1820–1832, vol. 1, Cambridge University Press 2009, p. 349.
3. ^ D.R. Fisher, History of Parliament 1820–1832, vol. 1, Cambridge University Press 2009, p. 351–360 passim.

## Sources

[edit]

* 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

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Great Britain
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