1734 British general election

22 April – 6 June 1734 (1734-04-22 1734-06-06)

All 558 seats in the House of Commons
280 seats needed for a majority
  First party Second party Third party
 
Leader Sir Robert Walpole Viscount Bolingbroke William Pulteney
Party Whig Tory Opposition / Patriot Whigs
Leader's seat King's Lynn House of Lords Middlesex
Seats won 330 145 83
Seat change Decrease85 Increase17 Increase68

Prime Minister before election

Sir Robert Walpole
Whig

Prime Minister after election

Sir Robert Walpole
Whig

The 1734 British general election returned members to serve in the House of Commons of the 8th Parliament of Great Britain to be summoned, after the merger of the Parliament of England and the Parliament of Scotland in 1707. Robert Walpole's increasingly unpopular Whig government lost ground to the Tories and the opposition Whigs, but still had a secure majority in the House of Commons. The Patriot Whigs were joined in opposition by a group of Whig members led by Lord Cobham known as the Cobhamites, or 'Cobham's Cubs'.

Summary of the constituencies

See 1796 British general election for details. The constituencies used were the same throughout the existence of the Parliament of Great Britain.

Dates of election

The general election was held between 22 April 1734 and 6 June 1734.

At this period elections did not take place at the same time in every constituency. The returning officer in each county or parliamentary borough fixed the precise date (see hustings for details of the conduct of the elections).

Results

Seats summary

Parliamentary seats
Whig
59.1%
Tory
25.9%
Patriot
14.8%

See also

References

  • British Electoral Facts 1832–1999, compiled and edited by Colin Rallings and Michael Thrasher (Ashgate Publishing Ltd 2000). (For dates of elections before 1832, see the footnote to Table 5.02).
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