English general election, 1698

English general election, 1698

July–August 1698
All 513 seats of the House of Commons 257 seats were needed for a majority
First party Second party   Party Whig Tory Seats won 246 208 Popular vote - - Percentage - -

After the conclusion of the English general election, 1698 the government led by the Whig Junto believed it had held its ground against the opposition. Over the previous few years, divisions had emerged within the Whig party between the 'court' supporters of the junto and the 'country' faction, who disliked the royal prerogative, were concerned about governmental corruption, and opposed a standing army. Some contests were therefore between candidates representing 'court' and 'country', rather than Whig and Tory. The Whigs made gains in the counties and in small boroughs, but not in the larger urban constituencies.

Increasingly, however, the Tories and the country Whigs managed to wear down the government's resolve and win over dissident Whig MPs. After 1699, the junto ministry gradually disintegrated to be replaced by a largely Tory government, which was securely in power by the autumn of 1700.

Party strengths are an approximation, with the allegiance of many MPs being unknown.

Summary of the Constituencies

See British general election, 1796 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 of a part of the membership of the last Parliament of Scotland elected before the Union.

External links

• History of Parliament: Members 1690-1715
• History of Parliament: Constituencies 1690-1715