There is no separate tally of votes or seats for thePeelites. They did not contest elections as an organised party but more as independentFree trade Conservatives with varying degrees of distance from the two main parties.
The general election of 1857 is unique in our history: the only election ever conducted as a simple plebiscite in favour of an individual. Even the "coupon" election of 1918 claimed to be more than a plebiscite for Lloyd George; even Disraeli and Gladstone offered a clash of policies as well as of personalities. In 1857 there was no issue before the electorate except whether Palmerston should be Prime Minister; and no one could pretend that Palmerston had any policy except to be himself.[1]
^abSeveral country and university seats held by Conservatives were uncontested, and many urban multi-member constituencies that tended to vote Liberal had multiple candidates, so this is an misleading figure. Therefore, national swing is not applicable to elections in this era.
Hawkins, Angus. "British Parliamentary Party Alignment and the Indian Issue, 1857–1858."Journal of British Studies 23.2 (1984): 79-105.
Hicks, Geoffrey. "Peace, war and party politics: The Conservatives and Europe 1846–59." inPeace, war and party politics (Manchester University Press, 2013).
Hodgson, Robert, and John Maloney. "Economic voting in Britain, 1857–1914."Electoral Studies 31.4 (2012): 668-678.online
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