British general election, 1713

Great Britain general election, 1713
Kingdom of Great Britain
22 August 12 November
All 558 seats of the House of Commons
280 seats were needed for a majority
  First party Second party
 
Leader Robert Harley Whig Junto
Party Tory Whig
Leader since 1710 c. 1695
Leader's seat Earl of Oxford and Earl Mortimer
Seats won 369 161
Seat change Increase 23 Decrease 25
Popular vote - -
Percentage - -

The British general election, 1713 produced further gains for the governing Tory party. Since 1710 Robert Harley had led a government appointed after the downfall of the Whig Junto, attempting to pursue a moderate and non-controversial policy, but had increasingly struggled to deal with the extreme Tory backbenchers who were frustrated by the lack of support for anti-dissenter legislation. The government remained popular with the electorate, however, having helped to end the War of the Spanish Succession and agreeing on the Treaty of Utrecht. The Tories consequently made further gains against the Whigs, making Harley's job even more difficult. Contests were held in 94 constituencies in England and Wales, some 35 per cent of the total, reflecting a decline in partisan tension and the Whigs' belief that they were unlikely to win anyway.

Summary of the Constituencies

See British general election, 1796 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 August 1713 and 12 November 1713. 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).

See also

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References


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