In October 1714, soon after George I had arrived in London after ascending to the throne, he dismissed the Tory cabinet and replaced it with one almost entirely composed of Whigs, as they were responsible for securing his succession.

The election of 1715 saw the Whigs win an overwhelming majority in the House of Commons, and afterwards virtually all Tories in central or local government were purged, leading to a period of Whig ascendancy lasting almost fifty years during which Tories were almost entirely excluded from office.

The Whigs then moved to impeach Robert Harley, the former Tory first minister.

After he was imprisoned in the Tower of London for two years, the case ultimately ended with his acquittal in 1717.

The returning officer in each county or parliamentary borough fixed the precise date (see hustings for details of the conduct of the elections).