2nd Parliament of Great Britain
Dates of the Parliament
Election: The Parliament was summoned on 26th April 1708. The members of the House of Commons of the 2nd Parliament of Great Britain were elected between 30th April 1708 and 7th July 1708.
First meeting and maximum legal term: Parliament was summoned to meet on 8th July 1708. The Parliament was due to expire, if not sooner dissolved, at the end of the term of three years from the first meeting.
Dissolution: The 2nd Parliament of Great Britain was dissolved on 21st 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 |
Speaker and Ministries
On 16th November, 1708 Sir Richard Onslow, Bt (1654-1717), MP (Whig) for Surrey since 1689, was elected the second Speaker 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 May 8 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 Seven Years War. Godolphin's financial expertise was essential to that task.
Queen Anne initiated a comple change of Ministry in August 1710. To an extent unusal 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, Rochester and Bolingbroke.
Harley had a Whig background. However 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 10th 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).
The new Ministry wanted to negotiate an end to the war in Europe. This was a policy that greatly upset Prince George of Hanover, the eldest son of the Electress Sophia of Hanover heiress to the British throne.
Soon after taking office the new Ministers arranged for Parliament to be dissolved.
Members of the 2nd Parliament
List of members pf 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)