List of counties and boroughs of the unreformed House of Commons in 1800
County Voters ( 1800 ) Times contested Dominant interests Comments
Bedfordshire 2,000 14 Russell , St John Under the dominant influence of the Duke of Bedford , head of the Russell family , Bedfordshire was a Whig stronghold
Berkshire 3,000 11 Dundas , Neville , Vansittart There was no single dominant family . The seats were usually shared between Tories and Whigs
Buckinghamshire 4,000 10 Cavendish Bentinck , Grenville The Grenvilles , led after 1821 by the Duke of Buckingham , and the Cavendish-Bentincks , led by the Duke of Portland , shared the representation . There was only one contest between 1734 and 1831
Cambridgeshire 3,000 9 Manners , Yorke The Tory Manners family , led by the Duke of Rutland , dominated the county until 1830 , when two Whigs were elected
Cheshire 5,000 8 Cholmondeley , Crewe , Egerton Uncontested between 1734 and 1831 , Cheshire was a Tory stronghold , the representation shared among the leading families by agreement
Cornwall 2,700 5 Lemon , St Aubyn , Tremaine , Vyvyan Cornwalls 21 boroughs attracted candidates from all over the country , but the county seats were rarely contested , since the Whig Lemons and the Tory Tremaines usually shared the representation
Cumberland 4,000 6 Fletcher , Lowther The dominant northern family , the Tory Lowthers , always controlled one seat . The other usually went to a Whig family such as the Fletchers . Contests were rare
Derbyshire 3,000 4 Cavendish , Curzon , Mundy The Whig Cavendish family , led by the Duke of Devonshire , always nominated one member , leaving the other to the local Tory families . As a result of this arrangement contests were very rare
Devon 8,000 6 Acland , Bastard Despite the large electorate , the county was not contested between 1700 and 1790 , being dominated by the Tory Aclands and Bastards . The Tories were dramatically overthrown in 1831 when Lord John Russell won a seat
Dorset 3,000 4 Chaffin , Pitt , Portman , Stangways There was no one dominant family , although one of the members was usually a Tory Pitt . There was no contest between 1727 and 1806
County Durham 3,500 6 Eden , Vane Most of the local families were Whigs , and usually shared the representation among themselves , making contests rare
Essex 6,000 12 Abdy , Bullock , Bramston Essex was a large and wealthy county , close to the metropolis , and saw regular contests , usually when the Whig Bullocks and the Tory Bramstons could not agree on candidates
Gloucestershire 6,000 9 Berkeley , Guise , Somerset The Tory Somersets , led by the Duke of Beaufort , and two Whig families , the Berkeleys and their cousins the Guises , conducted a long feud in the county , which ended in an agreement in 1783 to share the representation . Thereafter there were no contests until 1832
Hampshire 5,000 8 Heathcote , Jervoise , Thistlethwayte The Tory Heathcotes and the Whig Jervoises and Thistlethwaytes were regular rivals , with the Whig Duke of Bedford using his influence in the county to assist his allies . But the Tories usually controlled the representation until being overthrown in 1831
Herefordshire 3,500 8 Cornewall , Cotterell , Harley The Whig Cornewalls and the Tory Harleys dominated the county until 1802 , when the Tory Cotterells entered the fray . Thereafter the Tories usually controlled the representation
Hertfordshire 4,000 13 Brand , Plumer , Seabright Being close to London , Hertfordshire saw regular contests . Despite the presence of the Tory magnate the Marquess of Salisbury , the county families were mostly Whigs and after 1803 they fended off the Tories at every election
Huntingdonshire 1,700 9 Montague The Tory Montague family , led by the Earl of Sandwich , was the dominant force in this small county , although sometimes rival members of the same family gave the Sandwich interest trouble . Only in 1831 did the Whigs manage to win a seat
Kent 9,000 14 Knatchbull The Tory Knatchbulls were the leading county family , but the county 's size , wealth and proximity to London made it impossible to control and there were frequent contests , often between East Kent and West Kent interests . The government , through the Admiralty 's influence in the Kent ports , also had a big say
Lancashire 8,000 5 Blackburn , Stanley The Stanleys , led by the Earl of Derby ( at this time a Whig ) dominated the county . One seat was nearly always held by a Stanley relative , the other by one of the leading Tory families
Leicestershire 6,000 7 Keck , Manners , Palmer The representation was divided between the Tory Manners family , led by the Duke of Rutland , and local families , who were also mostly Tories
English counties
This is a list of the counties and boroughs of the Unreformed House of Commons