Commons 1790-1820

First ministers and leaders of the House of Commons

Speakers of the House of Commons

Dates of Parliaments

Parliamentary Lists

In this appendix lists having reference to Members’ general political allegiance and behaviour are noted first, specifically Scottish and Irish lists appearing as an addendum. Division lists, recording their actual votes (or consolidated votes) on specific questions before the House, follow. Commentaries on them may be found in the Introductory Survey.

Reports of debates in the House of Commons, 1790-1820

The following collections of debates were published during this period:

The Parliamentary Register (John Debrett), commencing as a continuation of John Almon’s in 1780, was a standard source until 1803. Taken over by John Stockdale, who had published Debates for the Parliament of 1784, it survived until 1812, but was no competitor for Cobbett.

Constituencies and Contested Elections

The House of Commons from 1790 until 1801 had 558 Members, elected by 314 constituencies as follows:

England, 489 Members, 245 constituencies:

40 counties, returning 2 Members each; 196 boroughs, returning 2 Members each; 2 boroughs (London and the combined constituency of Weymouth and Melcombe Regis), returning 4 Members each; 5 boroughs (Abingdon, Banbury, Bewdley, Higham Ferrers and Monmouth, the latter a group of boroughs), returning 1 Member each; 2 universities, returning 2 Members each

This section of the Survey provides a list of the abbreviations used in the volumes for this period, in addition to standard and self-explanatory abbreviations, Please note that there are separate lists for the preliminary paragraphs (the family and education and career elements) and for the notes.

St. Stephen’s Chapel accommodated the House virtually throughout this period. The conflagration of 16 Oct. 1834 which destroyed it, together with the Lords, might have taken place on 9 May 1792 but for the timely discovery of a pair of burning breeches, thought to be stuffed with combustibles, in a water-closet. A Jacobin incendiary plot was suspected by alarmists, but no evidence of it was forthcoming.

AGE, FAMILY AND PARLIAMENTARY EXPERIENCE

Between the dissolutions of 1790 and 1820 the number of Members elected to the House was 2,143. This excludes the Hon. John Knox, returned to the first Imperial Parliament for the Irish borough of Dungannon, who was lost at sea before the date of his return. Of the 2,143 some 492 were first elected to the House before the general election of 1790: seven were first elected before the general election of 1754, Welbore Ellis as early as 1741.

AGE OF THE MEMBERS RETURNED AT EACH GENERAL ELECTION