2nd Parliament of Great Britain
Encyclopedia
The 2nd Parliament of Great Britain was the first to actually be elected, as the 1st Parliament of Great Britain
was drawn from the former Parliament of England
and Parliament of Scotland
.
The Parliament was summoned on 26 April 1708. The members of the House of Commons of Great Britain
were elected between 30 April 1708 and 7 July 1708.
Parliament was summoned to meet on 8 July 1708. Under the Triennial Act, the Parliament was due to expire, if not sooner dissolved, at the end of the term of three years from the first meeting.
Parliament was dissolved on 21 September 1710.
Table 1: Constituencies and MPs, by type and country
Table 2: Number of seats per constituency, by type and country
Party Composition: An estimate of the approximate Party composition is Whig
291 and Tory
222.
of the House of Commons of Great Britain.
This Parliament was held before the office of Prime Minister
had come into existence. The Lord High Treasurer
(or when that office was in commission the First Lord of the Treasury
) was a very powerful and important minister of the Crown.
The Lord High Treasurer
, (in office in England and then Great Britain since 8 May 1702) was Sidney Godolphin, 1st Earl of Godolphin
. Godolphin was a Tory, but the Ministry last reconstructed in February 1708, included both Tory and Whig members. The factions supporting the Ministry were the Churchill Tories (followers of John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough
), Court Tory and Whig supporters of any Ministers the Queen cared to appoint, the Walpole-Townshend Whigs and Junto Whigs.
The great task of the Ministry had been to support Marlborough's armies in continental Europe during the War of the Spanish Succession
. Godolphin's financial expertise was essential to that task.
Queen Anne
initiated a complete change of Ministry in August 1710. To an extent unusual in the period Godolphin and his friends were all removed from office. A new Ministry was constructed composed of Court Party supporters and Tory groups led by Robert Harley
, Laurence Hyde, 1st Earl of Rochester
and Henry St John
.
Harley the ambitious MP from Radnor Boroughs had become associated with the Tories, since Godolphin and Marlborough had forced his resignation from the government in 1708.
On 10 August 1710, the office of Lord High Treasurer was put in commission. The First Lord of the Treasury was John Poulett, 1st Earl Poulett
. Robert Harley
became Chancellor of the Exchequer (and Second Lord of the Treasury).
Soon after taking office the new Ministers arranged for Parliament to be dissolved.
See List of members of the 1st Parliament of Great Britain (for Scotland and Wales) and List of members of the 1st Parliament of Great Britain, part two (for England).
Notes on lists:
(1) Background colours vary with political association.
(2) In the constituency column, BC means Borough/Burgh Constituency, CC stands for County Constituency and UC for University Constituency.
Sources:
British Electoral Facts 1832-1999, compiled and edited by Colin Rallings & Michael Thrasher (Ashgate 2000).
His Majesty's Opposition 1714-1830 by Archibald S. Foord (Clarendon Press 1964)
1st Parliament of Great Britain
The first Parliament of the Kingdom of Great Britain was established in 1707, after the merger of the Kingdom of England and the Kingdom of Scotland. No fresh elections were held in England, and the existing members of the House of Commons of England sat as members of the new House of Commons of...
was drawn from the former Parliament of England
Parliament of England
The Parliament of England was the legislature of the Kingdom of England. In 1066, William of Normandy introduced a feudal system, by which he sought the advice of a council of tenants-in-chief and ecclesiastics before making laws...
and Parliament of Scotland
Parliament of Scotland
The Parliament of Scotland, officially the Estates of Parliament, was the legislature of the Kingdom of Scotland. The unicameral parliament of Scotland is first found on record during the early 13th century, with the first meeting for which a primary source survives at...
.
The Parliament was summoned on 26 April 1708. The members of the House of Commons of Great Britain
House of Commons of Great Britain
The House of Commons of Great Britain was the lower house of the Parliament of Great Britain between 1707 and 1801. In 1707, as a result of the Acts of Union of that year, it replaced the House of Commons of England and the third estate of the Parliament of Scotland, as one of the most significant...
were elected between 30 April 1708 and 7 July 1708.
Parliament was summoned to meet on 8 July 1708. Under the Triennial Act, the Parliament was due to expire, if not sooner dissolved, at the end of the term of three years from the first meeting.
Parliament was dissolved on 21 September 1710.
Summary of the Members of Parliament
Key to categories in the following tables: BC - Borough/Burgh constituencies, CC - County constituencies, UC - University constituencies, Total C - Total constituencies, BMP - Borough/Burgh Members of Parliament, CMP - County Members of Parliament, UMP - University Members of Parliament.Table 1: Constituencies and MPs, by type and country
| Country | BC | CC | UC | Total C | BMP | CMP | UMP | Total MPs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| England | 202 | 39 | 2 | 243 | 404 | 78 | 4 | 486 |
| Wales | 13 | 13 | 0 | 26 | 13 | 14 | 0 | 27 |
| Scotland | 15 | 30 | 0 | 45 | 15 | 30 | 0 | 45 |
| Total | 230 | 82 | 2 | 314 | 432 | 122 | 4 | 558 |
Table 2: Number of seats per constituency, by type and country
| Country | BCx1 | BCx2 | BCx4 | CCx1 | CCx2 | UCx2 | Total C |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| England | 4 | 196 | 2 | 0 | 39 | 0 | 243 |
| Wales | 13 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 1 | 0 | 26 |
| Scotland | 15 | 0 | 0 | 30 | 0 | 0 | 45 |
| Total | 32 | 196 | 2 | 42 | 40 | 2 | 314 |
Party Composition: An estimate of the approximate Party composition is Whig
British Whig Party
The Whigs were a party in the Parliament of England, Parliament of Great Britain, and Parliament of the United Kingdom, who contested power with the rival Tories from the 1680s to the 1850s. The Whigs' origin lay in constitutional monarchism and opposition to absolute rule...
291 and Tory
Tory
Toryism is a traditionalist and conservative political philosophy which grew out of the Cavalier faction in the Wars of the Three Kingdoms. It is a prominent ideology in the politics of the United Kingdom, but also features in parts of The Commonwealth, particularly in Canada...
222.
Speaker and Ministries
On 16 November 1708, Sir Richard Onslow, Bt (1654-1717), MP (Whig) for Surrey since 1689, was elected the second SpeakerSpeaker (politics)
The term speaker is a title often given to the presiding officer of a deliberative assembly, especially a legislative body. The speaker's official role is to moderate debate, make rulings on procedure, announce the results of votes, and the like. The speaker decides who may speak and has the...
of the House of Commons of Great Britain.
This Parliament was held before the office of Prime Minister
Prime minister
A prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. In many systems, the prime minister selects and may dismiss other members of the cabinet, and allocates posts to members within the government. In most systems, the prime...
had come into existence. The Lord High Treasurer
Lord High Treasurer
The post of Lord High Treasurer or Lord Treasurer was an English government position and has been a British government position since the Act of Union of 1707. A holder of the post would be the third highest ranked Great Officer of State, below the Lord High Chancellor and above the Lord President...
(or when that office was in commission the First Lord of the Treasury
First Lord of the Treasury
The First Lord of the Treasury is the head of the commission exercising the ancient office of Lord High Treasurer in the United Kingdom, and is now always also the Prime Minister...
) was a very powerful and important minister of the Crown.
The Lord High Treasurer
Lord High Treasurer
The post of Lord High Treasurer or Lord Treasurer was an English government position and has been a British government position since the Act of Union of 1707. A holder of the post would be the third highest ranked Great Officer of State, below the Lord High Chancellor and above the Lord President...
, (in office in England and then Great Britain since 8 May 1702) was Sidney Godolphin, 1st Earl of Godolphin
Sidney Godolphin, 1st Earl of Godolphin
Sir Sidney Godolphin, 1st Earl of Godolphin, KG, PC was a leading English politician of the late 17th and early 18th centuries...
. Godolphin was a Tory, but the Ministry last reconstructed in February 1708, included both Tory and Whig members. The factions supporting the Ministry were the Churchill Tories (followers of John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough
John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough
John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough, Prince of Mindelheim, KG, PC , was an English soldier and statesman whose career spanned the reigns of five monarchs through the late 17th and early 18th centuries...
), Court Tory and Whig supporters of any Ministers the Queen cared to appoint, the Walpole-Townshend Whigs and Junto Whigs.
The great task of the Ministry had been to support Marlborough's armies in continental Europe during the War of the Spanish Succession
War of the Spanish Succession
The War of the Spanish Succession was fought among several European powers, including a divided Spain, over the possible unification of the Kingdoms of Spain and France under one Bourbon monarch. As France and Spain were among the most powerful states of Europe, such a unification would have...
. Godolphin's financial expertise was essential to that task.
Queen Anne
Anne of Great Britain
Anne ascended the thrones of England, Scotland and Ireland on 8 March 1702. On 1 May 1707, under the Act of Union, two of her realms, England and Scotland, were united as a single sovereign state, the Kingdom of Great Britain.Anne's Catholic father, James II and VII, was deposed during the...
initiated a complete change of Ministry in August 1710. To an extent unusual in the period Godolphin and his friends were all removed from office. A new Ministry was constructed composed of Court Party supporters and Tory groups led by Robert Harley
Robert Harley, 1st Earl of Oxford and Mortimer
Robert Harley, 1st Earl of Oxford and Earl Mortimer KG was a British politician and statesman of the late Stuart and early Georgian periods. He began his career as a Whig, before defecting to a new Tory Ministry. Between 1711 and 1714 he served as First Lord of the Treasury, effectively Queen...
, Laurence Hyde, 1st Earl of Rochester
Laurence Hyde, 1st Earl of Rochester
Laurence Hyde, 1st Earl of Rochester KG PC was an English statesman and writer. He was originally a supporter of James II but later supported the Glorious Revolution in 1688.-Early life:...
and Henry St John
Henry St John, 1st Viscount Bolingbroke
Henry St John, 1st Viscount Bolingbroke was an English politician, government official and political philosopher. He was a leader of the Tories, and supported the Church of England politically despite his atheism. In 1715 he supported the Jacobite rebellion of 1715 which sought to overthrow the...
.
Harley the ambitious MP from Radnor Boroughs had become associated with the Tories, since Godolphin and Marlborough had forced his resignation from the government in 1708.
On 10 August 1710, the office of Lord High Treasurer was put in commission. The First Lord of the Treasury was John Poulett, 1st Earl Poulett
John Poulett, 1st Earl Poulett
John Poulett, 1st Earl Poulett KG was the son of John Poulett, 3rd Baron Poulett and his wife Susan Herbert, daughter of Philip Herbert, 5th Earl of Pembroke....
. Robert Harley
Robert Harley, 1st Earl of Oxford and Mortimer
Robert Harley, 1st Earl of Oxford and Earl Mortimer KG was a British politician and statesman of the late Stuart and early Georgian periods. He began his career as a Whig, before defecting to a new Tory Ministry. Between 1711 and 1714 he served as First Lord of the Treasury, effectively Queen...
became Chancellor of the Exchequer (and Second Lord of the Treasury).
Soon after taking office the new Ministers arranged for Parliament to be dissolved.
Members of the 2nd Parliament
List of members of the 2nd Parliament to be prepared.See List of members of the 1st Parliament of Great Britain (for Scotland and Wales) and List of members of the 1st Parliament of Great Britain, part two (for England).
Notes on lists:
(1) Background colours vary with political association.
- Court Party: blue.
- None (ie no information as to party currently available): light grey.
- Squadrone Party: green.
- Tory Party: red.
- Whig Party: yellow.
(2) In the constituency column, BC means Borough/Burgh Constituency, CC stands for County Constituency and UC for University Constituency.
Sources:
- (Election dates in 1708)
British Electoral Facts 1832-1999, compiled and edited by Colin Rallings & Michael Thrasher (Ashgate 2000).
- (The change of Ministry in 1710)
His Majesty's Opposition 1714-1830 by Archibald S. Foord (Clarendon Press 1964)