1784 British general election
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The 1784 British general election resulted in William Pitt the Younger securing an overall majority of about 120 in the House of Commons of Great Britain, having previously had to survive in a House which was dominated by his opponents.
Background
In December 1783,
On 2 February 1784 Fox carried a
By 1 March, Fox's motion which concluded by "beseech[ing] His Majesty, that He would be graciously pleased to lay the Foundation of a strong and stable Government, by the previous Removal of His present Ministers" was carried but only by 201 to 189. A week later, a more strongly worded motion threatening the withholding of supply was also passed—but only by 191 to 190. Fox thereafter declined to push motions, as his base continued to crumble. Pitt meanwhile decided to go to the country and on 24 March, Parliament was prorogued and on the following day the Parliament first elected in 1780 was dissolved.
Course of the election
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The election was fought very much as a national campaign around the questions of the fall of the Fox–North government and whether or not Pitt should continue in office, rather than a series of local campaigns, which was more common for 18th century British elections.
Thanks to a combination of
The first day's polling, 30 March, saw thirteen government supporters and four opponents returned. By the conclusion of the fifth day (3 April), there were already more than 150 government Members and a lead of fifty over the supporters of the coalition. The government achieved an overall majority on 15 April and the election ended on 10 May.
Notable contests
University of Cambridge
The contests involving both Pitt and Fox attracted particular attention. Pitt had long wished to be a
Westminster
Fox was one of the two sitting members for the constituency of
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At the conclusion of polling on 17 May, Fox had narrowly succeeded, with 6,233 votes to Sir Cecil Wray's 5,998. However, Pitt's supporters then demanded a scrutiny of the votes and the Returning Officer therefore did not make the return. A scrutiny in a constituency as large as Westminster was an enormously time-consuming process; Fox, suspecting this might happen, had already arranged for his return for the Tain Burghs, which had elected him on 26 April, so that he would not be out of the House during such a scrutiny. The process did not show unexpectedly large numbers of unqualified voters and as the months went by it looked more and more like a political delaying tactic; on 4 March 1785 the House of Commons finally put an end to it by ordering the Returning Officer to declare the result.
The election was notable for being one of the first in history in which visual propaganda, in the form of caricatures satirising or promoting the candidates, played a significant role. Caricatures appeared almost daily, allowing the young artists Thomas Rowlandson and James Gillray both to make their names on the strength of their satirical output. After the election, one of the leading London print sellers William Humphrey, gathered together a number the election plates to illustrate a detailed blow-by-blow account of the election.[1] It quickly ran to a second edition.
A London constable, Nicholas Casson, was killed during the election.
Ipswich
The election results were originally recorded as being 490 votes for William Fowle Middleton, 297 votes for John Cator (Whig) and 7 votes for Charles Crickitt (Tory). However Crickitt filed a petition against Cator's election, accusing him of bribery. The petition was handled by Bamber Gascoyne, who was both Crickitt's political agent and godfather. John Strutt acted on Crickitt's behalf on the House of Commons committee which investigated the allegation. Crickitt also had the support of the Duke of Cumberland.[2] Cator's election was declared void and Crickett was seated in June 1784.
Results
Seats summary
See also
- List of parliaments of Great Britain
- MPs elected in the British general election, 1784
References
- ^ Humphrey, William. (1794). History of the Westminster election, containing every material occurrence ... to which is prefixed a summary account of the proceedings of the late Parliament ... / by Lovers of Truth and Justice. London: William Humphrey.
- ISBN 9780275975135.
Bibliography
- Laprade, William Thomas (1916), "Public Opinion and the General Election of 1784", English Historical Review, 31 (122): 224–237,
- Lock, Alexander (2010), "The Electoral Management of the Yorkshire Election of 1784", Northern History, 47 (2): 271–296, S2CID 143962112
- Lock, Alexander (2016), Catholicism, Identity and Politics in the Age of Enlightenment: The Life and Career of Sir Thomas Gascoigne, 1745–1810, Woodbridge: Boydell and Brewer, [esp. chapter 3]
{{citation}}: CS1 maint: postscript (link) - McAdams, Donald R. (1972), "Electioneering Techniques in Populous Constituencies, 1784–1796", Studies in Burke and His Time, 14 (1): 23–53
- Namier, Lewis; Brooke, John (1964), The History of Parliament: The House of Commons, 1754–1790, London: HMSO, 3 vols
{{citation}}: CS1 maint: postscript (link) - Phillips, N.C. (1961), Yorkshire and English National Politics 1783–1784, Canterbury: University of Canterbury Press
- Rallings, Colin; Thrasher, Michael, eds. (2000), British Electoral Facts 1832–1999, Farnham: Ashgate, [For dates of elections before 1832, see the footnote to Table 5.02]
{{citation}}: CS1 maint: postscript (link) - Worthington Smith, Robert (1969), "Political Organisation and Canvassing: Yorkshire Elections Before the Reform Bill", The American Historical Review, 74 (5): 1538–1560, JSTOR 1841324