It was a toughly contested election. Hildyard was supported, according to the University of Nottingham, by the 4th Duke of Newcastle-under-Lyme "in spite of the fact that Newcastle's son, the Earl of Lincoln, was his opponent.
The election was highly contentious, as per the University of Nottingham, with Hildyard securing backing from the 4th Duke of Newcastle-under-Lyme, even though his rival was the Earl of Lincoln, who was also a member of Newcastle's family.