1835 United Kingdom general election
6 January – 6 February 1835 (1835-01-06 – 1835-02-06)
All 658 seats in the House of Commons
330 seats needed for a majority
  First party Second party
 
Leader Viscount Melbourne Sir Robert Peel
Party Whig Conservative
Leader since 16 July 1834 19 December 1834
Leader's seat House of Lords Tamworth
Last election 441 seats, 67.0% 175 seats, 29.2%
Seats won 385[1] 273
Seat change Decrease56 Increase98
Popular vote 349,868 261,269
Percentage 57.2% 42.8%
Swing Decrease9.8% Increase13.6%
Colours denote the winning party[2]
Prime Minister before election

Sir Robert Peel
Conservative

 Prime Minister after
election

Viscount Melbourne
Whig

The 1835 United Kingdom general election was called when Parliament was dissolved on 29 December 1834. Polling took place between 6 January and 6 February 1835, and the results saw Robert Peel's Conservatives make large gains from their low of the 1832 election, but the Whigs maintained a large majority.

Under the terms of the Lichfield House Compact the Whigs had entered into an electoral pact with the Irish Repeal Association of Daniel O'Connell, which had contested the previous election as a separate party. The Radicals were also included in this alliance.

Dates of election

The eleventh United Kingdom Parliament was dissolved on 29 December 1834. The new Parliament was summoned to meet on 19 February 1835, for a maximum seven-year term from that date. The maximum term could be and normally was curtailed, by the monarch dissolving the Parliament, before its term expired.

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 January and February 1835. The first nomination was on 5 January, with the first contest on 6 January and the last contest on 6 February 1835. It was usual for polling in the University constituencies and in Orkney and Shetland to take place about a week after other seats. Disregarding contests in the Universities and Orkney and Shetland, the last poll was on 27 January 1835.

Peel ran a minority Conservative government until 8 April 1835, after being unable to form a majority. Melbourne subsequently became Prime Minister forming a Whig government.

Results

UK General Election 1835
Party Candidates Votes
Stood Elected Gained Unseated Net  % of total  % No. Net %
  Whig 538 385 −56 58.51 57.25 349,868 −9.7
  Conservative 407 273 +98 41.49 42.75 261,269 +13.6
PartyCandidatesUnopposedSeats
Whig 538 154 385
Conservative 407 121 273
Total 945 275 658

Voting summary

Popular vote
Whig
 
 57.25%
Conservative
 
 42.75%

Seats summary

Parliamentary seats
Whig
 
 58.51%
Conservative
 
 41.49%

Regional results

Great Britain

Party Candidates Unopposed Seats Seats change Votes  %  % change
Whig 451 126 317 −91 315,002 57.2 −13.9
Conservative 338 102 238 +91 235,907 42.8 +13.9
Total 789 228 555 Same position 550,909 100
England
Party Candidates Unopposed Seats Seats change Votes  %  % change
Whig 380 100 264 −83 281,576 57.4 −13.4
Conservative 278 77 200 +84 209,964 42.6 +13.4
Total 658 177 464 Same position 491,540 100
Scotland
Party Candidates Unopposed Seats Seats change Votes  %  % change
Whig 52 15 38 −5 28,307 62.8 −16.2
Conservative 33 8 15 +5 15,733 37.2 +16.2
Total 85 23 53 Same position 44,040 100
Wales
Party Candidates Unopposed Seats Seats change Votes  %  % change
Conservative 21 11 17 +3 10,210 63.9 +10.5
Whig 19 11 15 −3 5,119 36.1 −10.5
Total 40 22 32 Same position 15,329 100

Ireland

Party Candidates Unopposed Seats Seats change Votes  %  % change
Whig/Repeal Coalition[3] 87 28 68 −7 34,866 57.6 −10.3
Irish Conservative 69 19 35 +7 25,362 42.4 +10.3
Total 156 47 103 60,228 100

Universities

Party Candidates Unopposed Seats Seats change Votes  %  % change
Conservative 6 6 6 Same position Uncontested
Total 6 6 6 Same position None 100

Notes

  1. ↑ Including 43 moderate adherents of Lord Stanley who voted for a Conservative speaker.
  2. ↑ Darker colours and stripes indicate multiple seat constituencies.
  3. ↑ Coalition parties had won a total of 75 seats and 67.9% of the vote in 1832.

References

  • 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
  • Walker, B. M., ed. (1978), Parliamentary Election Results in Ireland 1801–1922, Royal Irish Academy
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