Global Information1698 English general election information
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All 513 seats in the House of Commons 257 seats needed for a majority | |||||||||||||
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After the conclusion of the 1698 English general election 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. After Parliament was dissolved on 7 July 1698,[1] voting began on 19 July 1698 and continued until 10 August, with an order directing the new House of Commons to meet on 24 August 1698.[2]
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.
- ^ Chris Cook and John Stevenson, A History of British Elections Since 1689 (Taylor & Francis, 2014) p. 24
- ^ Members of Parliament Return to Two Orders of the Honourable the House of Commons. Parliaments of England, 1213-1702 (House of Commons, 1878) pp. 589-595