House of Commons passes the Great Reform Bill, September 1831
- When
- 1831
- Where
- House of Commons
- Episodes
- 1
In September 1831, the House of Commons passed a Reform Bill intended to address electoral anomalies. This bill was subsequently defeated in the House of Lords, leading to further legislative attempts. The eventual Reform Act 1832 abolished rotten boroughs and established uniform voting requirements, though it excluded women and retained some anomalies.
Episodes
Background and detail
Background. The House of Commons attempted to address electoral anomalies by passing a Reform Bill in 1831. The bill aimed to reform the electoral system in England and Wales, expanding the male franchise while excluding women. The political pressure for reform was significant, with pro-reform Whigs winning a landslide victory in the 1831 general election.
Legislative Process. Lord John Russell brought forward the Reform Bill in the House of Commons on 1 March 1831. During the committee stage, opponents slowed progress, but the bill was finally passed in September 1831 by a margin of more than 100 votes. The bill did not pass the House of Lords until 1832, after the Commons had passed it in September 1831.
Outcome. The Reform Act 1832 abolished rotten boroughs, established uniform voting requirements, and granted representation to populous cities. It expanded the electorate from approximately 400,000 to 650,000 in England. However, the vast majority of people were still not entitled to vote, and women were excluded from voting.
People involved
- Lord John Russell · Introduced the Reform Bill in the House of Commons
- House of Commons · Passed the Reform Bill in September 1831
- House of Lords · Initially defeated the bill, later passed it in 1832
Sources
- House of Commons of the United Kingdom Wikipedia, revision of 2026-09-27
- Reform Act 1832 Wikipedia, revision of 2026-09-12
Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.