1857_United_Kingdom_general_election

1857 United Kingdom general election

1857 United Kingdom general election

Parliamentary elections

In the 1857 United Kingdom general election, the Whigs, led by Lord Palmerston, won a majority in the House of Commons as the Conservative vote fell significantly. The election had been provoked by a vote of censure in Palmerston's government over his approach to the Arrow affair which led to the Second Opium War.

Quick Facts All 654 seats in the House of Commons 328 seats needed for a majority, First party ...

There is no separate tally of votes or seats for the Peelites. They did not contest elections as an organised party but more as independent Free trade Conservatives with varying degrees of distance from the two main parties.

According to A. J. P. Taylor:

The general election of 1857 is unique in our history: the only election ever conducted as a simple plebiscite in favour of an individual. Even the "coupon" election of 1918 claimed to be more than a plebiscite for Lloyd George; even Disraeli and Gladstone offered a clash of policies as well as of personalities. In 1857 there was no issue before the electorate except whether Palmerston should be Prime Minister; and no one could pretend that Palmerston had any policy except to be himself.[2]

Results

More information UK General Election 1857, Party ...
Total votes cast: 716,552.[3][4]

Summary

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Seats summary

More information Parliamentary seats ...

See also

Notes

  1. [n 1]
    Several country and university seats held by Conservatives were uncontested, and many urban multi-member constituencies that tended to vote Liberal had multiple candidates, so this is an misleading figure. Therefore, national swing is not applicable to elections in this era.

References

  1. [1]
    Including Peelites.
  2. [2]
    A. J. P. Taylor, "Lord Palmerston," History Today (1951) 1#7 pp 35-41 at p. 38 online
  3. [3]
    "Others" are mostly Irish Independent Opposition.
  4. [4]
    The Conservative total votes cast and MPs includes around 26 Peelites—some reference works claim it was as few as 18.

Further reading

  • Craig, F. W. S. (1989), British Electoral Facts: 1832–1987, Dartmouth: Gower, ISBN 0900178302
  • Rallings, Colin; Thrasher, Michael, eds. (2000), British Electoral Facts 1832–1999, Ashgate Publishing Ltd
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