1708 British general election
First election held after the Acts of Union 1707
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The 1708 British general election was the first general election to be held after the Acts of Union had united the Parliaments of England and Scotland.
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30 April – 7 July 1708
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All 558 seats in the House of Commons 280 seats needed for a majority | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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 The House of Commons following the 1708 General Election | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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The election saw the Whigs gain a majority in the House of Commons, and by November the Whig-dominated parliament had succeeded in pressuring the Queen into accepting the Whig Junto into government for the first time since the late 1690s. The Whigs only able to take partial control of the government, however, owing to the continued presence of the moderate Tory Godolphin in the cabinet (as Lord High Treasurer) and the opposition of the Queen. Contests were held in 95 of the 269 English and Welsh constituencies and 28 of the 45 Scottish constituencies.
Following the election, Whig MP Lord Somers was appointed as Lord President of the Council. However, moderate Tory Lord Godolphin remained as Lord High Treasurer and the Godolphin–Marlborough ministry remained in place.
Summary of the constituencies
Dates of election
The first general election held since the Union took place between 30 April 1708 and 7 July 1708. At this period elections did not take place at the same time in every constituency. The returning officer in each county or borough fixed the precise date (see hustings for details of the conduct of the elections).
Results
In England and Wales, the Whigs took 268 seats and the Tories took 225, with 20 unclassified. The 45 in Scotland could be classified as ministerial supporters.[2]
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