1859 United Kingdom general election

The 1859 United Kingdom general election was held from 28 April to 18 May 1859 following the defeat of Prime Minister the Earl of Derby's Conservative government in a vote of confidence. The newly formed Liberal Party, led by Viscount Palmerston, secured victory despite winning fewer seats than in the previous election.

1859 United Kingdom general election

← 1857 28 April – 18 May 1859 (1859-04-28 – 1859-05-18) 1865 →
← outgoing members elected members →
All 654 seats in the House of Commons 328 seats needed for a majority
Turnout	565,500
First party Second party   Leader Viscount Palmerston Earl of Derby Party Liberal Conservative Leader since 6 February 1855 July 1846 Leader's seat Tiverton House of Lords Last election 377 seats, 64.8% 264 seats, 33.5% Seats won 356[a] 298 Seat change 21 34 Popular vote 372,117 193,232 Percentage 65.8% 34.2% Swing 1.0 pp 0.7 pp
Results by constituency Results by country Colours denote the winning party—as shown in § Results
Composition of the House of Commons after the election
Prime Minister before election Earl of Derby Conservative Prime Minister after election Viscount Palmerston Whig

There is no separate tally of votes or seats for the Peelites. They did not contest elections as an organised party but more as independent Free trade Conservatives with varying degrees of distance from the two main parties.

It was also the last general election entered by the Chartists, before their organisation was dissolved. As of 2025^[update], this is the last election in which the Conservatives won the most seats in Wales.^[1]

The election was the quietest and least competitive between 1832 and 1885, with most county elections being uncontested. The election also saw the lowest number of candidates between 1832 and 1885, with Tory gains potentially being the result of a lack of opposition as much as a change in public opinion.^[2] According to A. J. P. Taylor:

the government which Palmerston organized in June 1859 was a coalition of a different kind: not a coalition of groups which looked back to the past, but a coalition which anticipated the future. Had it not been for Palmerston himself—too individual, too full of personality to be fitted into a party-pattern—it would have been the first Liberal government in our history. Everything that was important in it was Liberal—finance, administrative reform, its very composition: the first government with unmistakable middle-class Free Traders as members.^[3]

Results

1859 United Kingdom general election
Party		Candidates						Votes
		Stood	Elected	Gained	Unseated	Net	% of total	%	No.	Net %
	Liberal	465	356[a]			−21	54.43	65.80	372,117	−0.2
	Conservative	394	298			+34	45.57	34.17	193,232	+0.3
	Chartist	1	0	0	0	0	0	0.03	151	−0.1

Total votes cast: 565,500.

Voting summary

Popular vote Liberal   65.80% Conservative   34.17% Chartist   0.09%

Seats summary

Parliamentary seats Liberal   54.43% Conservative   45.57%

Regional results

Great Britain

Party		Candidates	Unopposed	Seats	Seats change	Votes	%	% change
	Liberal	392	157	306		314,708	66.6
	Conservative & Peelites	327	160	245		157,974	33.4
	Chartist	1	0	0		151	0.0
Total		720	317	551		472,833	100

England

Party		Candidates	Unopposed	Seats	Seats change	Votes	%	% change
	Liberal	330	109	251		307,949	67.1
	Conservative & Peelite	286	129	209		152,591	32.9
	Chartist	1	0	0		151	0.0
Total		617	238	460		460,691	100

Scotland

Party		Candidates	Unopposed	Seats	Seats change	Votes	%	% change
	Liberal	44	34	40		5,174	66.4
	Conservative & Peelite	17	11	13		2,616	33.6
Total		61	45	53		7,790	100

Wales

Party		Candidates	Unopposed	Seats	Seats change	Votes	%	% change
	Conservative & Peelite	18	14	17		2,767	63.6
	Liberal	18	14	15		1,585	36.4
Total		36	28	32		4,352	100

Ireland

Main article: 1859 United Kingdom general election in Ireland

Party		Candidates	Unopposed	Seats	Seats change	Votes	%	% change
	Irish Conservative & Peelite	67	36	53		35,258	38.9
	Liberal	73	26	50		57,409	61.1
Total		140	62	103		92,667	100

Universities

Party		Candidates	Unopposed	Seats	Seats change	Votes	%	% change
	Conservative & Peelite	6	6	6
Total		6	6	6			100

See also

• List of MPs elected in the 1859 United Kingdom general election
• 1859 United Kingdom general election in Ireland

Notes

1. The seat and vote count figures for the Liberals given here include the Speaker of the House of Commons