United Kingdom general election, 1801

Co-option of members to the first House of Commons of the United Kingdom, 1801

1796 (GB only) ← 1 January 1801 → 1802

→ Members: British/Irish

All 658 seats to the House of Commons 330 seats needed for a majority   First party Second party Third party   Leader Henry Addington Charles James Fox William Pitt Party Tory Whig Pittites Leader's seat Devizes Westminster Cambridge University Seats won - - -

Prime Minister before election William Pitt Tory Subsequent Prime Minister Henry Addington Tory

William Pitt
Tory

Henry Addington
Tory

In the first Parliament to be held after the formation of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland on 1 January 1801, the first House of Commons of the United Kingdom was composed of all 558 members of the former Parliament of the Kingdom of Great Britain and one hundred of the members of the House of Commons of Ireland.

The Parliament of Great Britain had held its last general election in 1796 and had last met on 5 November 1800. The final general election for the Parliament of Ireland had taken place in 1797, although by-elections had continued to take place until 1800.

The other chamber of the Parliament, the House of Lords, consisted of the members of the pre-existing House of Lords in Great Britain, in addition to 28 representative peers elected by members of what had been the Irish House of Lords.

By a proclamation dated 5 November 1800, the members of the new united Parliament were summoned to a first meeting at Westminster on 22 January 1801. At the outset, the Tories led by Addington enjoyed a majority of 108 in the new House of Commons.

Great Britain had been at war with France since 1792. The Prime Minister since 1783, William Pitt the Younger, led a broad wartime coalition of Whig and Tory politicians.

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Wikipedia