Commons 1754-1790

When this period opens George II had been on the throne for nearly 27 years; and Henry Pelham, first lord of the Treasury and leader of the House of Commons, had held these offices for nearly 11 years. The nation was at peace; Jacobitism no longer menaced the Hanoverian dynasty; and no deep-seated party divisions disturbed the House of Commons.

The basic elements of these volumes are the biographical studies in volumes II and III and the accounts of the constituencies in the second part of this volume. The biographies and constituency histories, though distinct in themselves, are complementary and the reader is advised to consult not only the biography of the Member in whom he is interested but also the relevant entry on the constituency or constituencies the Member represented or contested. The introductory survey, though it too complements the biographies and constituency histories, derives its subject matter from them.