The 1796 British general election returned members to serve in the 18th and last House of Commons of the Parliament of Great Britain. They were summoned before the Union of Great Britain and Ireland on 1 January 1801. The members in office in Great Britain at the end of 1800 continued to serve in the first Parliament of the United Kingdom (1801–02).
Political situation Great Britain had been at war with France since 1793. The Prime Minister since 1783, William Pitt the Younger, led a broad wartime coalition of Whig and Tory politicians.
The principal opposition to Pitt was a relatively weak faction of Whigs, led by Charles James Fox. For four years after 1797 opposition attendance at Westminster was sporadic as Fox pursued a strategy of secession from Parliament. Only a small group, led by George Tierney, had attended frequently to oppose the ministers. As Foord observes "only once did the minority reach seventy-five, and it was often less than ten".His Majesty's Opposition 1714–1830, by Archibald S. Foord (Oxford University Press 1964)
Dates of election The period between the first and last returns was 25 May to 29 June 1796.Footnote to Table 5.02 British Electoral Facts 1832–1999, compiled and edited by Colin Rallings and Michael Thrasher (Ashgate Publishing Ltd 2000).
Summary of the constituencies
Monmouthshire (One County constituency with two members and one single member Borough constituency) is included in Wales in these tables. Sources for this period may include the county in England.
Table 1: Constituencies and Members, by type and countryBritish Historical Facts 1760–1830, by Chris Cook and John Stevenson (The Macmillan Press 1980).
Country Total Members20239224340478448613130261314027153004515300452308223144321224558
Table 2: Number of seats per constituency, by type and country Country BC×1 BC×2 BC×4 CC×1 CC×2 UC×2 Total C4196203922431300121026150030004532196242402314
Results
Seats summary
See also List of parliaments of Great Britain List of MPs elected in the 1796 British general election
References