Popular Movements c. 1830–1850

214 Pages·1970·21.095 MB·English

by  J. T. Ward M.A., Ph.D. (Cantab.) (eds.)

Popular Movements
!830-1850
C.
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PROBLEMS IN FOCUS SERIES
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The Mid-Tudor Polity c. 1540-1560
edited by Jennifer Loach and Robert Tittler
Church and Society in England: Henry VIII to James I
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The Reign of Elizabeth I
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The Origins of the English Civil War
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Europe's Balance of Power 1815-1848
edited by Alan Sked
Enlightened Absolutism
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Popular Movements, c. 1830-/850
edited by J. T. Ward
British Imperialism in the Nineteenth Century
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The Early Stuart Church, 1603-1642
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Politics and Culture in Early Stuart England
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Popular Movements
c. 1830-1850
EDITED BY
J. T. WARD
M
MACMILLAN
© J. T. Ward, Derek Fraser, M. E. Rose, W. H. Fraser,
Alex Wilson, W. H. Chaloner,J. H. Treble, C. H. Hume 1970
All rights reserved. No reproduction, copy or transmission of
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Any person who does any unauthorised act in relation to this
publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil
claims for damages.
First published 1970 by
THE MACMILLAN PRESS LTD
Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire RG21 2XS
and London
Companies and representatives
throughout the world
ISBN 978-0-333-11137-6 ISBN 978-1-349-15366-4 (eBook)
DOI 10.1007/978-1-349-15366-4
A catalogue record for this book is available
from the British Library.
Eleventh reprint 1993
Contents
Acknowledgements vii
List of Abbreviations ix
Introduction: Britain c. I83o-I850: The Background I
J. T. WARD
I The Agitation for Parliamentary Reform 31
lJEREK FRASER
2 The Factory Movement 54
J. T. WARD
3 The Anti-Poor Law Agitation
M. E. ROSE
4 Trade Unionism 95
W. H. FRASER
5 Chartism 116
ALEX WILSON
6 The Agitation against the Corn Laws I35
W.H.CHALONER
7 The Irish Agitation
J. H. TREBLE
8 The Public Health Movement
C. H. HUME
Notes on Contributors 20I
Index 202
v
Acknowledgements
The authors are greatly indebted to many librarians and other owners of
papers who generously allowed them to use their collections. In par
ticular, they wish to express their gratitude to the following owners for
permission to quote from the material under their control: Bradford
City Library (Balme Collection); the late Colonel G. W. Ferrand,
O.B.E. (Ferrand MSS); the Co-operative Union, Holyoake House,
Manchester (Owen Collection); Leeds City Reference Library (Samuel
Fenton's diary); London University Library, Goldsmiths' Collection,
and Columbia University Library (Richard Oastler's 'White Slavery'
collection); Mrs C. M. Lyman of New Haven, Conn. (the late Professor
Cecil Driver's collection); the late Professor David Owen of Harvard
(Fielden MSS); Sheffield City Library (local pamphlets collection); the
National Library of Ireland (Smith O'Brien papers); and University
College London Library (Parkes papers).
The editor wishes to thank the following for their kind permission to
reproduce extracts from the works listed below:
Messrs George Allen & Unwin Ltd (for Max Beer, History of British
Socialism); Messrs Edward Arnold (Publishers) Ltd (for Donald Read
and Eric Glasgow, Feargus O'Connor); the London School of Economics
and Political Science (for Sidney and Beatrice Webb, History of Trade
Unionism); Messrs M:1cmillan & Co. Ltd (for F. C. Mather, 'The
Government and the Chartists', in As a Briggs (e d. ), Chartist Studies);
and Manchester University Press (for Mark Hovell, The Chartist
Movement).
Finally, the editor desires to express his gratitude to his colleagues
Dr John Butt, who first suggested the theme ofthe book, and Professor
S. G. E. Lythe, who gave invaluable advice on parts of it.
vii
List of Abbreviations
Add. MSS Additional Manuscripts, British Museum
AHR American Historical Review
CHJ Cambridge Historical Journal
EcHR Economic History Review
EHR English Historical Review
HJ Historical Journal
HO Home Office
HT History Today
JEH Journal of Economic History
JEccH Journal of Ecclesiastical History
JMH Journal of Modern History
NLI National Library of Ireland
PP Parliamentary Papers
PRO Public Record Office
TLCAS Transactions of the Lancashire and Cheshire Antiquarian
Society
TRHS Transactions of the Royal Historical Society
UCLL University College London Library
vs
Victorian Studies
ix
Introduction:
Britain c. I83o-185o:
The Background
J. T. WARD
THE second quarter of the nineteenth century had a distinctive character.
Sandwiched between the long period of Pittite Toryism and the mid
century liberal dominance, it was an age of change in many aspects of
British life. A predominantly rural society was still slowly adjusting to
its new role as 'the workshop of the world'. Technological advance and
industrial evolution were producing varied results. To some ancient
labour aristocracies and the mercantile oligarchies of some towns they
had already given a foretaste of a bleak future. For many new 'hands'
they had provided a harsh factory discipline - in addition to generally
higher earnings. For consumers of all kinds they were starting to provide
wider choices and cheaper prices. And for many industrial entrepreneurs
they were providing an affluence which permitted major 'social'
transformations. Some such 'self-made' men, proud of personal
success stories later to be publicised by such industrial hagiographers as
Samuel Smiles, now demanded increased participation in national
management and decision-making.
This was an era when many seemingly permanent attitudes and
institutions - Richard Hooker's Elizabethan equation of Churchman
and English citizen; the political and religious settlements of the
Restoration and Revolution; the long dominance of the landed interest;
the major remnants of mercantilist state interference - were questioned,
eroded, amended or ended. The Crown itself was closely involved in the
political struggle: George IV at least partly because of his desertion of
Opposition causes and his unsavoury divorce; William IV, despite his
general constitutional propriety, over' Reform'; Victoria initially because
of her neglect of constitutional propriety. The Church of England was
at least equally under attack, as Archbishop Howley discovered when
he was stoned at Canterbury. Late Victorians recalled the Primate's
'princely honours' and personal mildness - and the Duke of
2 POPULAR MOVEMENTS c. 1830-1850
Cumberland's report that Howley 'said he would be damned to hell if he
didn't throw the [Reform] Bill out'.l The peerage, consisting in 1830 of
4 Royal dukes, 18 dukes, 18 marquesses, 92 earls, 22 viscounts and 160
barons, was also under regular attack, above all for its political activities
in the House of Lords-where it was joined by 16 Scottish representative
peers (elected for each Parliament), 28 Irish representative peers (elected
for life) and 26 English and 4 Irish bishops. The Commons, with
658 members - 188 representing 114 county constituencies, 465
representing 262 borough constituencies and 5 representing the
universities of Oxford, Cambridge and Dublin2 ~ faced another range of
assaults. As the House contained two members each for such con
stituencies as Castle Rising (with scarcely any electors), Gatton, St
Germans and St Michael (with 7 each), New Romney (8), Old Sarum
and Winchelsea (u), Newport (12), Launceston (17), Orford (22),
Lostwithiel (24) and Heytesbury (26) and none for Leeds, Manchester,
Birmingham or Sheffield, hostile complaints were widespread and
extending.
An older radical tradition was revived in many forms, to provide some
'philosophic' background for many of the attacks on established insti
tutions and entrenched privileges. Most important and influential,
because (despite variations of emphasis) most consistent, was the newer
utilitarian creed propounded by Jeremy Bentham and his apostles.
Benthamite insistence upon the measuring-rod of utility, supplemented
to some extent by the hedonistic calculus and notions of 'the greatest
good of the greatest number', led to a denunciation of' the whole class
of fallacies built upon authority, precedent, wisdom of ancestors,
dread of innovation, immutable laws, and many others, occasioned by
ancient ignorance and ancient abuses'. 3 But, despite the wide appeal of
radical panaceas, an assortment of more liberal notions attracted the
generality of the ever-growing bourgeoisie. The Tory Quarterly Review,
the Whig Edinburgh Review, the Benthamite Westminster Review and
the ultra-radical metropolitan journals bravely fighting 'the taxes on
knowledge' provided no attraction for the northern Liberal
manufacturer devoted to his Leeds Mercury or Manchester Guardian.
On the political Right the conservative defenders of the old order
themselves became the organisers of many of the changes in it; indeed,
a prolonged rearguard action was transformed into a series of well
planned and competently administered reforms. But controversy
inevitably extended to 'new' subjects. Urban life created and extended
problems of public health, sanitation, policing, amenity and local