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Reform of Parliament
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14th Earl of Derby - Abstract: The son of the 13th Earl of Derby, was born at Knowsley Park, Lancashire in 1799. He was educated at Eton and Christ College, Oxford and entered parliament for Stockbridge in 1820. In 1841 Stanley agreed to join the Conservative government led by Robert Peel. Stanley became colonial secretary and was responsible for the Canadian Corn Bill. However, he disagreed with the policy of Sir Robert Peel to repeal the Corn Laws in Britain. Stanley now became one of the leader of the group that became known as the Protectionists. By 1868 the now Earl of Derby and Prime Minister was in poor health and was forced to retire from office and was replaced by Benjamin Disraeli. Edward Stanley, 14th Earl of Derby, died later that year.

15th Earl of Derby - Abstract: Eldest son of the 14th Earl of Derby, was born on the 21st July 1826. He was educated at Rugby School and Trinity College, Cambridge. In 1848 Stanley went in a tour of the West Indies, America and Canada. While he was away he was elected as the Conservative MP for King's Lynn. In 1852 the Earl of Derby became Prime Minister. He appointed his son as under secretary for foreign affairs. In 1869 his father died and he succeeded him as the 15th Earl of Derby. Benjamin Disraeli became Prime Minister in February 1874 and the Earl of Derby became Foreign Secretary. The Earl of Derby disagreed with the policy of Irish Home Rule and in 1886 joined the new Liberal Unionist Party. He led this party in the House of Lords until he retired in 1889. Edward Stanley, 15th Earl of Derby, died on 21st April, 1893.

1832 Reform Act - Proposed by Earl Grey, Whig prime minister. Provided for disenfranchisement clauses for some of the rotten boroughs and more representation in the House of Commons for growing industrial towns. Defeated by the House of Lords.

1867 Reform Act - Gave the vote to every male adult householder living in a borough constituency. Male lodgers paying £10 for unfurnished rooms were also granted the vote.

1872 Secret Ballot Act - Absract: After the passage of the 1867 Reform Act, working class males now formed the majority in most borough constituencies. Employers were still able to use their influence in some constituencies because of the open system of voting. Employers and landlords knew how people voted and could punish them if they did not support their preferred candidate. In 1872 this intimidation was removed when the government brought in the Ballot Act which introduced a secret system of voting.

1883 Corrupt Practices Act - Offers information on the act.

1884 Reform Act - Introduced by Gladstone and gave working class males the same voting rights as those living in the boroughs.

1885 Redistribution Act - Parliamentary reform proposed by William Gladstone and the Liberal Party. Aimed to construct constituencies of approximately equal size.

1918 Qualification of Women Act - Granted women the vote in parliamentary elections. Includes selections from speeches and excerpts from several writers.

10.

Anne Knight - Offers information on Anne Knight including bibliography and comments on each work.

11.

Archibald Prentice - Offers information on Archibald Prentice including bibliography and comments on each work.

12.

Arthur Thistlewood - Offers information on Arthur Thistlewood including images and comments on each.

13.

Benjamin Disraeli - Offers information on Benjamin Disraeli.

14.

Bill of Rights Society - Offers information on the group.

15.

Blanketeers - Offers group information including bibliography and comments on each work.

16.

Cambridge University Elections - Offers information on the event.

17.

Cato Street Conspiracy - Offers information on the event including bibliography and comments on each work.

18.

Charles Bradlaugh - Offers a biography including bibliography and comments on each work.

19.

Charles Fox - Offers a biography including a political cartoon.

20.

Charles Kingsley - Offers information on Charles Kingsley.

21.

Chartist Newspapers - Offers information on the publication including bibliography.

22.

Chartist Petitions - Employed by leaders of the Moral Force faction as a method of persuasion to convince members of the House of Commons to change the parliamentary system.

23.

Daniel O'Connell - Offers information on Daniel O'Connell.

24.

Dr. James Watson - Offers information on Dr. James Watson.

25.

Duke of Richmond - Offers information on the Duke of Richmond including bibliography and comments on each work.

26.

Duke of Wellington - Offers information on the Duke of Wellington including bibliography and comments on each work.

27.

Earl Grey - Offers information on Earl Grey including bibliography and comments on each work.

28.

Earl of Aberdeen - Offers information on the Earl of Aberdeen.

29.

Elizabeth Pease - Offers information on Elizabeth Pease including bibliography and comments on each work.

30.

Equal Franchise Act - Includes information on the law.

31.

Ernest Jones - Offers a biography including bibliography and comments on each work.

32.

Feargus O'Connor - Offers a biography including bibliography and comments on each work.

33.

Francis Place - Offers a biography.

34.

Frederick Denison Maurice - Offers a biography including bibliography and comments on each work.

35.

Friends of the People - Offers information on the group.

36.

General Strike - Offers information on the event including bibliography and comments on each work.

37.

George Binns - Offers information on George Binns including bibliography and comments on each work.

38.

George Cruikshank - Offers information on George Cruikshank including images and comments on each.

39.

George Edwards - Offers information on George Edwards including bibliography and comments on each work.

40.

George Holyoake - Offers information on George Holyoake.

41.

George Julian Harney - Offers information on George Julian Harney including bibliography and comments on each work.

42.

George Mealmaker - Offers a biography including bibliography and comments on each work.

43.

Hebert Ingram - Offers information on Hebert Ingram.

44.

Henry Brougham - Offers information on Henry Brougham including bibliography and comments on each work.

45.

Henry Fawcett - Offers information on Henry Fawcett including bibliography and comments on each work.

46.

Henry Hetherington - Offers information on Henry Hetherington including bibliography and comments on each work.

47.

Henry Hunt - Offers a biography including bibliography and comments on each work.

48.

Henry Vincent - Offers a biography including bibliography and comments on each work.

49.

Horace Twiss - Offers a biography including bibliography and comments on each work.

50.

Isaac Cruikshank - Offers information on Isaac Cruikshank.

51.

James Bronterre O'Brien - Offers information on James Bronterre O'Brien including bibliography and comments on each work.

52.

James Gillray - Offers information on James Gillray including bibliography and comments on each work.

53.

James Ings - Offers information on James Ings including bibliography and comments on each work.

54.

James Leigh Hunt - Essayist, poet and editor. Started a political journal called the Examiner which gave support to radicals in Parliament. (1784-1859)

55.

James Martineau - Offers information on James Martineau.

56.

James Watson - Journalist. Publisher of the newspaper, the Working Man's Friend, in which he attacked the 1832 Reform Act.(1799-1874).

57.

James Wroe - Journalist and publisher of radical newspaper, the Manchester Observer. Helped form the Patriotic Union Society, a group dedicated to obtain parliamentary reform. (1788-1844)

58.

Jane Smeal - A supporter of the Moral Force Chartist movement in the 1840s.

59.

Jeremy Bentham - Philosopher, legal theorist and reformer, and political radical. Argued in favor of universal suffrage, annual parliaments and vote by ballot in his book, Constitutional Code. Includes excerpts. (1748-1832)

60.

John Bright - Quaker who was elected to represent Durham in the House of Commons and campaigned for the repeal of the Corn Laws. Became one of the leading advocates for universal suffrage. (1811-1889)

61.

John Brunt - Member of the Society of Spencean Philanthropists, a radical group that advocated revolution. Involved in the Cato Street Conspiracy, he was found guilty of high treason and sentenced to death.

62.

John Cam Hobhouse - Became the leading advocate of parliamentary reform and factory legislation in the House of Commons. Includes excerpt from his speech made on May 15, 1821. (1786-1869)

63.

John Castle - Member of the Spencean Philanthropists, a group of radicals who advocated revolution.

64.

John Cleave - Worked with Henry Hetherington in the Civil and Religious Association. Started newspaper and campaigned for political reform. Campaigned for removal of the stamp duty on newspapers. (1790-1847)

65.

John Doherty - Leader of the Manchester Spinners' Union. Strong opponent of child labor and advocated an eight-hour day for all workers. Favored repeal of the Combination Acts and the Corn Laws. Includes excerpts from his speeches. (1798-1854)

66.

John Fielden - Founder member of the Todmorden Unitarian Society, a religious group active in the social reform movement. Leader of the reform movement in the House of Commons and campaigned for a ten-hour work day. Includes excerpts from his writings. (1784-1849)

67.

John Frost - Chartist who became a leader of the Physical Force movement. Advocated universal suffrage and prison reform. (1784-1877)

68.

John Horne Tooke - Leader of the Bill of Rights Society and later formed the Constitutional Society, to campaign for parliamentary reform. (1736-1812)

69.

John Leech NEW!

70.

John Stafford - Chief Clerk at Bow Street courthouse. One of his main tasks was to recruit Home Office spies, give them their orders and to receive their reports. Their information led to the arrest several members of the Spencean Philanthropists, a group who were involved in the Spa Riots and the Cato Street Conspiracy. (1766-1837)

71.

John Stuart Mill - Wrote a large number of books on philosophy and economics. Member of the House of Commons and campaigned for parliamentary reform. (1806-1873)

72.

John Thelwall - Helped form the London Corresponding Society, which attacked the government's foreign policy. Lectured frequently on political reform and was active in protest meetings. (1764-1834)

73.

John Wade - Journalist who wrote several articles in favor of parliamentary reform. (1788-1875)

74.

John Wilkes - Elected MP for Aylesbury. Established The North Briton, a newspaper that severely attacked the king and his Prime Minister. Campaigned for religious toleration and introduced the first motion for parliamentary reform. (1725-1797)

75.

Joseph Gales - Unitarian, publisher of radical newspaper, and political activist who supported parliamentary reform and universal suffrage. (1761-1841)

76.

Joseph Gerrald - Became involved in the campaign for parliamentary reform. Joined the London Corresponding Society and wrote the pamphlet A Convention is the Only Means of Saving Us from Ruin. (1763-1796)

77.

Joseph Hume - Represented Tory party in House of Commons and later became a Whig. Considered the leader of the movement for universal suffrage. Advocated the setting up of savings banks, the abolition of flogging in the army and an end to imprisonment for debt. (1777-1855)

78.

Joseph Johnson - Strong supporter of universal suffrage and annual parliaments. One of the founders of the Patriotic Union Society whose main objective was to obtain parliamentary reform. (1791-1872)

79.

Joseph Priestley - Clergyman and moderate reformer who advanced liberal political and religious thought in 18th century England. (1733-1804)

80.

Joseph Rayner Stephens - Established the Ashton Chronicle, a newspaper that advocated radical social reform. Campaigned against child labor and the 1834 Poor Law. Includes excerpts from newspaper articles. (1805-1879)

81.

Josiah Wedgwood - Political reformer who supported universal male suffrage and annual parliaments. Helped to form the Society for the Abolition of the Slave Trade. (1730-1795)

82.

Kennington Common Mass Meeting - Site of a Chartist rally led by Feargus O'Connor, an advocate of political reform.

83.

King George III - Opposed parliamentary reform and came into conflict with William Pitt over his policy of Catholic Emancipation. Includes brief biography. (1738-1820)

84.

King George IV - Strong opponent of Catholic Emancipation and against parliamentary reform. Includes brief biography. (1762-1830)

85.

London Corresponding Society - Organized in 1792 for the purpose of campaigning for the working class vote.

86.

Lord Althorp - Leader of the Whigs in Parliament and the House of Commons. Opposed the idea of a ten-hour day for children factory workers and led the opposition to Michael Sadler and his supporters in the debates on this issue in 1832. Includes excerpts from speeches and letters. (1782-1845)

87.

Lord Byron - Poet and member of the House of Lords. Became a strong advocate of social reform and was one of the few men in Parliament to defend the actions of the Luddites. Opposed the Frame Breaking Bill. Includes short biography and portrait. (1788-1824)

88.

Lord John Russell - Leader of the Whig campaign in the House of Commons for parliamentary reform. Served as prime minister from 1846-52 and 1865-66. (1792-1878)

89.

Lord Melbourne - Whig who was elected to the House of Commons, the House of Lords and became prime minister. Disliked political controversy and after the passing of the 1832 Reform Act did not favor parliamentary reform. (1779-1848)

90.

Lord Morpeth - Member of the Whig party and supporter of parliamentary reform. Appointed chief secretary for Ireland for six years and carried through Parliament several reforms including the Irish Tithe Bill, the Irish Municipal Reform Bill and the Irish Poor Law Bill. (1802-1864)

91.

Lord Palmerston - Served as Secretary at War under five prime ministers. Became Prime Minister and was totally opposed to any extension of the franchise and parliamentary reform. (1784-1865)

92.

Lord Sidmouth - Become speaker of the House of Commons in 1789 and was appointed prime minister in 1801. Supported the Tories in parliament, voted against Catholic Emancipation and the Reform Act of 1832 and helped pass the Gagging Acts. (1757-1844)

93.

Manchester Chronicle - Tory newspaper founded by Charles Wheeler in 1781. Achieved popularity with readers who opposed social reform. Ceased publication in 1842.

94.

Manchester Guardian - First published in 1821. Advocated political reform.

95.

Manchester Herald - First published in 1792. Advocated parliamentary reform. Ceased publication in 1795.

96.

Manchester Observer - Radical newspaper formed in 1818 which criticized the government. Reported on the incident which became known as the Peterloo Massacre.

97.

Mary Wollstonecraft - Wrote a pamphlet, A Vindication of the Rights of Man, in which she opposed the slave trade, the game laws and ill-treatment of the poor. (1759-1797)

98.

Maurice Margarot - Member of the London Corresponding Society. Wrote and published pamphlets on parliamentary reform. (1745-1815)

99.

Michael Sadler - Served in the House of Commons and advocated decrease in children's working hours. (1780-1835)

100.

Moral Force - Advocated by Chartists who believed that peaceful methods of persuasion such as the holding of public meetings, the publication of newspapers and pamphlets and the presentation of petitions to the House of Commons would finally convince those in power to change the parliamentary system.

101.

Newport Uprising - Clash between the Chartists and government troops on November 4, 1839 in which over twenty men were killed and another fifty were wounded.

102.

Oxford University Elections - District was granted two members of Parliament. Almost all elected represented the Tory party, which sought to preserve the traditional political structure and opposed parliamentary reform.

103.

Percy Bysshe Shelley - Poet and writer who became involved in radical politics. Author of a pamphlet which suggested a national referendum on electoral reform and improvements in working class education. Includes biography, selections from his works and photo. (1792-1822)

104.

Physical Force Chartists - Group led by Feargus O'Connor, who advocated the use of violence to achieve political reform.

105.

Plug Riots - Series of strikes called in mines, mills and factories to protest wage reductions and appalling working conditions. Workers removed plugs from factory boilers, forcing the factories to close.

106.

Pocket Boroughs - Parliamentary constituencies controlled by one man who was known as the patron. Includes table with list of boroughs, patrons and representation.

107.

Preston Borough - Represented in Parliament in 1295 and unlike most boroughs granted the right to vote in parliamentary elections to all inhabitants.

108.

Public Meetings - Tactic used in the Chartist campaigns which gave orators such as Fears O'Connor and George Julian Harney the opportunity to persuade people to join the campaign for the six points of the Charter.

109.

Reform Riots in 1832 - Demonstrations waged by the people after the House of Lords defeated the Reform Bill of 1831. Includes a cartoon and letters.

110.

Richard Birnie - Abstract: Born in Scotland in 1760. Apprenticed as a saddler he moved to London, became partner in a tack company and married the daughter of a wealthy London merchant. He later became a magistrate at Bow Street where he developed a reputation for being autocratic and vindictive. He became Chief Magistrate in 1821 and died in 1832 as Sir Richard Birnie.

111.

Richard Carlile - Abstract: Born in 1790, the son of a shoemaker from Ashburton, Devon. He received six years education from the local Church of England school, learnt to read and write and at age of twelve left school and was apprenticed as a tinplateman in Plymouth. In 1813 he married a local woman and moved to London where he tried to earn a living by selling the writings of reformers such as Tom Paine. He also began publishing a radical newspaper called The Republican and became involved in the campaign against child labour. Ultimately, he ended up living in poverty but when he died in 1843, a large number of people attended his funeral in recognition of his important role in achieving a free press.

112.

Richard Cobden - Abstract: Born in 1804, in Heyshott, Sussex one of eleven children. He received very little formal schooling and at the age of fourteen became a clerk in the textile industry. In 1841 General Election Cobden became the MP for Stockport. Cobden believed that international trade was essential if war between major powers was to be avoided. William Gladstone, the Chancellor of the Exchequer agreed and recruited Cobden to negotiate a new trade agreement with France. On 2nd April, 1865, Richard Cobden died of an acute attack of bronchitis.

113.

Richard Oastler - Absrtact: Born in Leeds in 1789, the son of a clothing merchant. He attended a Moravian boarding school from 1798 to 1810 and became a commission agent. He strongly opposed universal suffrage, trade unions and supported the class structure of the early 19th century. However, he believed it was the responsibility of the ruling class to protect the weak and vulnerable and in 1836 Oastler began advocating workers to use strikes and sabotage in their campaign for factory legislation and changes in the poor law. He died in 1861.

114.

Richard Price - Abstract: Born in Tynton, Glamorgan in 1723, the son of a Congregational minister, rejected his father's religious opinions and instead was attracted to the views of more liberal theologians. After attending a Dissenting Academy in London and he became a chaplain in Stoke Newington. In 1758 he wrote the influential Review of the Principal Questions of Morals and several other books followed. He was attracted to the ideas of Jeremy Bentham and accepted many aspects unitarianism, but was unwilling to question the divinity of Christ. He died in 1791 and his funeral sermon was preached by Joseph Priestly.

115.

Richard Tidd - Abstract: Born in Lincolnshire in 1775, he moved to London in his youth and became a shoemaker. Over the years his political ideas had become more revolutionary and he was now a follower of Thomas Spence. He was particularly incensed by the Peterloo Massacre and afterwards talked about the possibility of killing Lord Castlereagh and Lord Sidmouth for their role in this event. On 28th April 1820, he, with others, was found guilty of high treason and sentenced to death. He was executed at Newgate Prison on the 1st May, 1820.

116.

Robert Cecil: Marquis of Salisbury - Became Secretary for India in Lord Derby's government and Foreign Secretary. Helped in defeat of the Parliamentary Reform Bill proposed by William Gladstone in 1866. Became leader of the Conservative Party and prime minister in 1885. (1830-1903)

117.

Robert Gammage - Helped establish the National Reform League. In 1852 he was elected to the National Executive Committee of the Chartist movement. (1820-1888)

118.

Robert Owen - Abstract: Born in 1771 in Newtown, Wales, at age ten, he went to work in drapers in Lincolnshire. He eventually purchased four textile factories in New Lanark and under his control, the Chorton Twist Company expanded rapidly. He stopped employing children under ten and reduced their labour to ten hours a day. The young children went to the nursery and infant schools that he had built. Older children worked in the factory but also had to attend his secondary school for part of the day. He hoped that the way he treated children at his factories would encourage others to follow his example. By 1827 he had lost interest in his textile mills and sold the business. He continued to work for his "new moral order" until his death in 1858.

119.

Rotten Boroughs - Abstract: A rotten borough was a parliamentary constituency that had declined in size but still had the right to elect members of the House of Commons. Rotten boroughs had very few voters and were under the control of one man, the patron. With just a few individuals with the vote and no secret ballot, it was easy for candidates to buy their way to victory.

120.

Samuel Smiles - Abstract: Born in 1812, the eldest of eleven children, after attending the local school he left at fourteen and joined Dr. Robert Lewins as an apprentice and then went to Edinburgh University in 1829 to study medicine and graduated in 1832. While in Edinburgh, Smiles became involved in the campaign for parliamentary reform. In 1837 he began contributing articles on parliamentary reform for theLeeds Times and decided to abandon his career as a doctor and to become a full-time worker for the cause of political change. In the 1850s Samuel Smiles completely abandoned his interest in parliamentary reform and now argued that self-help provided the best route to success. He died in 1904.

121.

Sir Francis Burdett - Abstract: Born in 1770, the son of the Baronet of Foremark. After being educated at Westminster School and Oxford University, he went on a long tour of Europe. In 1797 he became a member of the House of Commons. He opposed the suspension of Habeas Corpus in 1796 and criticised all attempts by the government to suppress individual freedom. He was seen as the leader of the Radicals in the House of Commons. He died in 1884, while sitting as the Tory M.P. for North Wiltshire.

122.

Sir Robert Peel - Anstract: Born in Bury, Lancashire, on 5th February, 1788. Educated at Harrow School and Christ Church, Oxford, he won a double first in classics and mathematics. Robert Peel entered the House of Commons in April 1809, at the age of twenty-one. In 1822, after a brief interlude, rejoined Lord Liverpool's government when he accepted the post of Home Secretary. Over the next five years Peel was responsible for large-scale reform in the legal system including the repeal of over 250 old statutes. For a long time politicians had been concerned about the problems of law and order in London. In 1829 Peel decided to reorganize the way London was policed. As a result of this reform, the new metropolitan police force became known as "Peelers" or "Bobbies". He was badly hurt in a riding accident and on 2nd July, 1850, he died from his injuries.

123.

Spencean Philanthropist Society - Abstract: Thomas Spence a schoolteacher from Newcastle-upon-Tyne arrived in London in December 1792. Soon after arriving he was arrested for selling Rights of Man by Tom Paine. For the next twenty years of his life Spence spent long periods in prison for selling Radical books, pamphlets, newspapers and broadsheets. He died in September 1814. He was buried by "forty disciples" who pledged that they would keep his ideas alive. They did this by forming the Society of Spencean Philanthropists.

124.

Taxes on Knowledge - Abstract: A tax was first imposed on British newspapers in 1712. The tax was gradually increased until in 1815 it had reached 4d. a copy. As few people could afford to pay 6d. or 7d. for a newspaper, the tax restricted the circulation of most of these journals to people with fairly high incomes. The stamp duty was also applied on journals that contained any "public news, intelligence or occurrences, or any remarks or observations thereon, or upon any matter in Church or State." The government announced that it hoped that this stamp duty would stop the publication of newspapers and pamphlets that tended to "excite hatred and contempt of the Government and holy religion."

125.

The Bristol Riot - Offers information on the event including bibliography and comments on each work.

126.

The Gagging Acts - Offers information on the laws.

127.

The Hampden Clubs - Offers information on the organization including bibliography and comments on each work.

128.

The Leeds Mercury - Newspaper edited by Edward Baines, an ardent advocate of parliamentary reform and supporter of the Liberal Party.

129.

The Leeds Times - Middle-class radical newspaper founded in 1833. Attempted to unite working and middle class reformers and favored factory legislation.

130.

The Luddites: 1811-1812 - Workers, upset by wage reductions and the use of unapprenticed workmen, who broke into factories at night to destroy new machines. Their activities became a capital offense. As a result, Parliament passed the Frame Breaking Act in which people convicted of machine-breaking were sentenced to death.

131.

The Northern Star - First published in 1838. Contained reports on Chartist meets in Britain and its letter's page enabled supporters to join the debate on parliamentary reform. Ceased publication in 1852.

132.

The Observer - Newspaper which advocated government's policies and did not support writers advocating parliamentary reform.