House of Commons of Great Britain

The Honourable the Commons of the Kingdom of Great Britain in Parliament assembled
Royal coat of arms of Great Britain, 1714-1800
Type
Type	Lower house of the Parliament of Great Britain
History
Established	1 May 1707
Disbanded	31 December 1800
Preceded by	House of Commons of England Third Estate of the Parliament of Scotland
Succeeded by	House of Commons of the United Kingdom
Leadership
Speaker of the House	Henry Addington since 1789
Structure
Seats	558
Salary	none
Elections
Voting system	First past the post with limited suffrage
Meeting place
St Stephen's Chapel, Palace of Westminster, Westminster, London
Footnotes
See also: Irish House of Commons

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 the kingdoms of England and 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.

The business of the house was controlled by an elected Speaker. The Speaker's official role was to moderate debate, make rulings on procedure, announce the results of votes, and the like. The Speaker decided who may speak and had the powers to discipline members who break the procedures of the house. The Speaker often also represented the body in person, as the voice of the body in ceremonial and some other situations. The title was first recorded in 1377 to describe the role of Thomas de Hungerford in the Parliament of England. By convention, Speakers are normally addressed in Parliament as Mister Speaker, if a man, or Madam Speaker, if a woman.

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 of Great Britain and Ireland.

Pitt addressing the House in The House of Commons, 1793–94 by Anton Hickel

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.

Parliamentary constituencies

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

Table of Constituencies and Members of the Parliament

Country	Constituencies				Members
	Borough /Burgh	County	University	Total	Borough /Burgh	County	University	Total
England	203	40	2	245	405	80	4	489
Wales	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

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)

See also

• Elections in Great Britain
• Unreformed House of Commons
• List of parliaments of Great Britain
• First Parliament of Great Britain
• 2nd Parliament of Great Britain
• List of members of the House of Commons at Westminster 1705–1708
• List of speakers of the British House of Commons
• The Structure of Politics at the Accession of George III

Further reading

• "Parliamentary Register: Proceedings of the House of Commons 1775"

External links

• 18th Century Parliamentary Papers