The Forgotten Prime Minister: The 14th Earl of Derby: Volume II: Achievement, 1851-1869

546 Pages·2008·4.27 MB·English

by  Angus Hawkins

THE FORGOTTEN
PRIME MINISTER
Praise for the first volume:
‘Thefirstvolumeleaveshimonthebrinkofhisfirstministry;thesecond
volumeiseagerlyawaited…[a]finework.’
A.W.Purdue,THES
‘Hopefullyreaderswillnothavetowaitlongfortheremainderofthis
impressivework.’
TerryJenkins,BBCHistoryMagazine
‘This,thefirstfull-lengthbiographyofDerbytobewrittenwithaccessto
thearchives,willbetheonlyoneneededthiscentury…Thenextvolume
iseagerlyawaited.’
AndrewRoberts,TheSundayTimes
‘Almostacenturyandahalfafter[Derby’s]death,AngusHawkinssets
outtorescuethisclever,diffidentpoliticianfromrelativeobscurityand
givehislifethefullpropertreatmentitdeserves.Itisanimpressiveand
seriouspieceofworkthatremindsusofthevalueofthescholarly
monograph.’
GeorgeOsborne,TheSpectator
‘Thisisrealhistory.Unlikesomanypoliticalbiographers,Hawkinshas
reallymasteredthearchives.Thereismuchinthisbookthatisnew,
muchthatwillpermanentlychangeinterpretationsoftheperiod.Itis
aboutrealpoliticians,notcaricaturesorfacelessabstractions.Thosewho
alreadyhavesomeacquaintancewiththeearlyyearsofthenineteenth
centurywillfindgreatpleasureinreadingthisbook.’
LeslieMitchell,LiteraryReview
THE FORGOTTEN
PRIME MINISTER
14
The th Earl of Derby
volume ii
achievement: 1851–1869
ANGUS HAWKINS
1
1
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Includesbibliographicalreferencesandindex.
ISBN978–0–19–920440–3(v.1:alk.paper)1.Derby,EdwardGeorge
GeoffreySmithStanley,Earlof,1799–1869.2.Primeministers—Great
Britain—Biography.3.GreatBritain—Politicsandgovernment—1837–
1901.4.Statesmen—GreatBritain—Biography.I.Title.
DA565.D35H392007
941.081092—dc22
[B]
2007023084
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ingratitudeforhisinspiration,
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Preface
Although thrice prime minister and Conservative leader for twenty-two
14
years, the th Earl of Derby has hitherto lacked a full biography based
upon his papers and correspondence. As a result, Derby has become
the forgotten prime minister. Conventionally portrayed as a dull and
politicallyuninterestedaristocrat,hishistoricalpresencehasbeenreduced
to the role of remote Conservative caretaker, whose apathy suppressed
the talents of Benjamin Disraeli as the frustrated genius of the mid-
Victorian party. This orthodoxy is wrong and misleading in almost all
respects. A substantial and influential politician in his own right, astute,
resourceful,andintelligent,Derbyemergesfromposterity’sdisparagement
as a key figure in the events of his time. An understanding of Derby
is crucial to an appreciation of the successes and limitations of the
mid-Victorian Conservative party. His Whig education, his moderate
evangelical Anglicanism, his commitment to the authority of parliament,
the rule of law, and the Church Establishment were essential elements
1850 1860
in the dynamics of party politics during the s and s. Thus stable
progress might be safeguarded and rising social interests brought within
the political nation, while the supremacy of parliament and the status of
thearistocracywerepreserved.
Derby was the first British statesman to become prime minister three
times and he remains the longest-serving party leader in modern British
politics.Yetpoliticsisnotaone-manshow.Evenleadingmenrarelystand
constantlyinthefullglareofthefootlights.Inreflectingthevaryingtempo
ofDerby’spoliticalactivityIhaveexaminedperiodsofintenseendeavour,
1866 7
suchas – ,closely.Thethinningofthenarrativeatothertimes,such
1860
as the early s, mirrors a slackening of Derby’s political efforts, when
ill health or private pursuits, such as Homeric translation, horse racing
at Epsom and Ascot, or alleviating suffering and remedying industrial
pollution in Lancashire occupied his time. This recovery of the view
from Knowsley is a conscious corrective to those celebrated perspectives
from Gladstone’s Hawarden, Peel’s Drayton, Russell’s Pembroke Lodge,
or Palmerston’s Cambridge House, which have hitherto commanded the
viii preface
historicalvista.FromthestandpointofKnowsley,forexample,Gladstone’s
personal journey from Peelite to popular Liberal tribune and Disraeli’s
apotheosisasanunlikelyConservativeherobecomelessprominentfeatures
in the landscape of mid-Victorian politics, as alternative routes and
differentdestinationsopenupbeforeus.
AsnotedinvolumeI,Ihaveincurredmanydebtsinexploringtheview
from Knowsley. The present Lord Derby, who gave generous permission
to reproduce portraits hanging at Knowsley, has helped and encouraged
by his kind interest. The convivial conference at Knowsley, graciously
2004
hosted by Lord Derby in March , bringing together those with an
active historical interest in the earls of Derby, was an enjoyable and
rewarding occasion. A huge debt is owed to John Vincent, hence the
grateful dedication of this work. Andrew Jones and Alan Beattie guided
my early thinking on Derby’s career. The late Colin Matthew warmly
encouragedtheproject,ashavemyOxfordcolleaguesLawrenceGoldman
and Peter Ghosh. Jeremy Black, David Brown, Tom Buchanan, Joe
Coohill,RichardDavis,DavidGrylls,TheoHoppen,TonyHowe,Terry
Jenkins,BruceKinzer,JohnPowell,JohnPrest,PhilipSalmon,andMark
Smith have all given much-appreciated advice. Seaborne conversations
with David Cannadine and Linda Colley brought illumination. Those
younghistoriansattheUniversityofEastAngliawho,undertheguidance
of John Charmley, are extending our knowledge of the Victorian Derbys
inimportant ways,GeoffHicks,BendorGrosvenor, andLloydMitchell,
provided an enjoyable and beneficial stimulus. The comments of seminar
groupsattheuniversitiesofOxford,Cambridge,London,Exeter,andEast
AngliahavehelpedtoclarifymyunderstandingofDerby.Thesuggestions
ofthetwoanonymousreadersforOxfordUniversityPresswereinvaluable.
Peter Elvins performed a critical service as an interested and intelligent
generalreader.ForanysurvivingerrorsIamsolelyresponsible.
IamgratefultotheNationalTrust,DisraeliPapers,theTrusteesofthe
BroadlandsArchives,andtheHampshireRecordOfficeforpermissionto
quotefrompapersforwhichtheyholdthecopyright.Iamalsogratefulto
thestaffoftheNationalRegisterofArchives,bothinLondonandinEd-
inburgh;theClerkoftheRecords,theRecordOffice,theHouseofLords;
the Suffolk Record Office; Lambeth Palace Library; the British Library;
the University of Nottingham Library; the Leeds District Archives; the
DepartmentofPalaeographyandDiplomatic,theUniversityofDurham;
University College London; the Scottish Record Office; the National
LibraryofScotland;theGlamorganArchiveService;theSomersetRecord
Office; the Hertfordshire Record Office; the Borthwick Institute of
preface ix
Historical Research, York; the Kent Archives Office; and the National
Archives,Kew.IamgratefultotheUniversityofOxfordforpermissionto
reproducetheportraitofLordDerbyasChancelloroftheUniversity.This
image forms part of a research programme coordinated by the University
©
of Oxford and is supplied under licence by Isis Innovation Ltd Isis
2006
Innovation Ltd . I apologize for any inadvertent infringement of
copyright.
I owe a great debt to the successive archivists of the Derby Papers
at Liverpool Record Office, Naomi Evetts and Ruth Hobbins, and the
professional guidance of their staff, as well as the Curator of Collections
at Knowsley, Emma Tate. Alison Adam and Hazel Arrandale expertly
prepared the typescript, while Christopher Wheeler, Matthew Cotton,
andLaurienBerkeleyhavebeensupportiveandpatienteditors.Forlonger
thanI careto remember, myfamily,Esther, Emma, andKate,have lived
14
withthe thEarlofDerby;theirtoleranceandencouragementhavebeen
unstintingandbeyondrepayment.
AngusHawkins
Oxford
2007
February