BRITAIN Breadth 1- Redistribution of seats Flashcards
What legislation abolished the Irish parliament?
Act of Union of 1800
How many county seats were there before the 1832 RPA?
122
Which borough was notorious for buying and selling votes?
Suffolk town of Sudbury
How many MPs did Cornwall return before the 1832 RPA?
44
How many Scottish MPs were there in 1780?
45
When did Pitt become PM?
1783
When was the Yorkshire Association founded?
1780
Who founded the Yorkshire Association?
Christopher Wyvill
What was the aim of the Yorkshire Association?
To eliminate corruption in parliament
When did Pitt make unsuccessful proposals to reform parliament?
1782; May 1783; April 1785
What did Pitt propose in April 1785?
Abolition of 36 corrupt boroughs; transfer of their seats to London/counties
What did Pitt propose in May 1783?
Vague suggestion to disenfranchise a number of corrupt boroughs and transfer their seats
Why was Pitt’s April 1785 proposal such a failure?
George III was openly hostile to measure; no groundswell of opinion in the country as a whole for reform
Who was Pitt’s chief opponent in the HoC?
Fox
What had Fox long supported?
Reform
Why did Fox oppose Pitt’s April 1785 proposal?
Refused to accept Pitt’s suggestion that £1 million should be made available to compensate owners of seats
How did Pitt’s April 1785 bill fare in the HoC?
Defeated (by 248 votes to 174)
Why did Pitt not take up the issue of reform again after the April 1785 bill?
French Revolution; explosive growth in radical activity and ideas
When did Grey introduce a reform proposal that was almost identical to Pitt’s in 1785 and opposed by the latter?
1792
When were issues about widespread corruption in the boroughs brought into sharp relief?
With controversy over Catholic relief in the late 1820s
When was Peel elected as MP for Oxford University?
1817
What led to Peel resigning his seat for Oxford University and forcing a by-election?
His support of Catholic Relief
When did Peel resign his seat for Oxford University?
January 1829
When did PM, Earl Grey, order a comprehensive review of the whole electoral system that would inform the government’s proposals in the reform bill?
1830
How many English towns had a population of over 10,000 people but returned no MPs in 1830?
33
How many new borough seats were created as a result of the 1832 RPA?
44