Kingdom of Great Britain ←   ← 1707–1801 → Flag Royal coat of arms Motto Dieu et mon droit (English: "God and my right")2 Anthem God Save the King/Queen Capital London Language(s) English (throughout) Cornish (Cornwall) Scots (Scotland) Scottish Gaelic (Scotland) Welsh (Wales) Government Constitutional monarchy Monarch  - 1707–14 Anne  - 1714–27 George I  - 1727–60 George II  - 1760–1801 George III Prime Minister  - 1721–42 Robert Walpole  - 1783–1801 William Pitt the Younger Legislature Parliament  - Upper house House of Lords  - Lower house House of Commons of Great Britain Historical era 18th century  - 1707 Union 1 May 1707  - 1801 Union 1 January 1801 Area  - 1801 230,977 km2 (89,181 sq mi) Population  - 1801 est. 16,345,646       Density 70.8 /km2  (183.3 /sq mi) Currency Pound sterling 1Scots: Kinrick o Great Breetain, Welsh: Teyrnas Prydain Fawr 2 The Royal motto used in Scotland was In My Defens God Me Defend.

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 changes brought about by the Union of England and Wales with Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain.

In the course of the 18th century, the office of Prime Minister developed. The notion that a government remains in power only as long as it retains the support of Parliament also evolved, leading to the first ever motion of no confidence, when Lord North's government failed to end the American Revolution. The modern notion that only the support of the House of Commons is necessary for a government to survive, however, was of later development. Similarly, the custom that the Prime Minister is always a Member of the Lower House, rather than the Upper one, did not evolve until the twentieth century.

In 1801, the House was enlarged to become the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, as a result of the Act of Union of 1800 which combined Great Britain and the Kingdom of Ireland into the United Kingdom.^[1]

Contents 1 Creation 2 Parliamentary constituencies 3 See also 4 References 5 External links

[edit] Creation

The members of the last House of Commons of England had been elected between 7 May and 6 June 1705, and from 1707 they all continued to sit as members of the new House of Commons. The last general election in Scotland had been held in the autumn of 1702, and from 1707 only forty-five of the members of the Parliament of Scotland joined the new house. In Scotland there was also no new election from the burghs, and the places available were filled by co-option from the last Parliament.

[edit] Parliamentary constituencies

The constituencies which elected members in England and Wales remained unchanged throughout the existence of the Parliament of Great Britain.^[1]

Table of Constituencies and Members of the Parliament

Country	BC	CC	UC	Total C	BM	CM	UM	Total Members
England[2]	203	40	2	245	405	80	4	489
Wales[2]	12	12	0	24	12	12	0	24
Scotland	15	30	0	45	15	30	0	45
Total	230	82	2	314	432	122	4	558

• Key: BC - Borough or 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.
• Sources:
  • Chris Cook & John Stevenson, British Historical Facts 1760-1830 (The Macmillan Press, 1980)
  • Colin Rallings & Michael Thrasher, British Electoral Facts 1832-1999 (Ashgate Publishing Ltd, 2000)

[edit] See also

• Unreformed House of Commons
• List of Parliaments of Great Britain
• 1st Parliament of Great Britain
• 2nd Parliament of Great Britain
• List of members of the 1st Parliament of Great Britain

[edit] References

[edit] External links

v • d • e Elections in Great Britain General elections 1707 co-option · 1708 · 1710 · 1713 · 1715 · 1722 · 1727 · 1734 · 1741 · 1747 · 1754 · 1761 · 1768 · 1774 · 1780 · 1784 · 1790 · 1796

Coordinates: 51°29′59.6″N 0°07′28.8″W / 51.499889°N 0.124667°W / 51.499889; -0.124667