Causes of unrest, 1812-1822

Question 1

Summary of 1815 to 1820.

Answer 1

The years between 1815 and 1820 where characterised by unemployment, hunger, discontent and violence.

Question 2

What was the issue for the Luddites? What did they do?

Answer 2

The Luddites felt that their jobs and livelihoods were under threat.
They were led by the mythical Ned Ludd.
Men with blackened faces attacked factories and mills at night, mainly destroying new machines.

Question 3

What happened to the Luddites?

Answer 3

Thousands of troops were stationed in the North to counter the Luddite threat. Several people were executed.
They were defeated but did shock the authorities.

Question 4

What was the political outcome for the Luddites?

Answer 4

There was a high level of concern due to fear of revolution, even if that attacks were not politically motivated.

Question 5

What were the corn laws?

Answer 5

A measure designed in 1815 which meant that despite foreign wheat opposition offering lower prices, it would guarantee British wheat growers would not have to charge such low prices to compete.

Question 6

What did the corn laws do?

Answer 6

They excluded foreign corn until British corn reached 80 shillings a quarter.
This kept the price of bread high, maintaining the riches lifestyle of the landowning elite.
High bread prices led to high wages, so the cost of labour was high.

Question 7

What did the corn laws highlight?

Answer 7

Showed an outdated parliamentary system, representing a corrupt few while ignoring the many.

Question 8

Who was William Cobbett?

Answer 8

A journalist who singled out those who received income from taxes due to the places they held in the government.

Question 9

When was the radical press active?

Answer 9

1815

Question 10

What was significant about Cobbett’s writings?

Answer 10

Cobbett’s writings were being read aloud in South Lancashire and the East Midlands in the winter of 1816 - 1817.

Question 11

What did Henry Hunt do for the radical press?

Answer 11

Ran public meetings, delivered speeches and became a hero to the working class.

Question 12

What was introduced in 1819?

Answer 12

The Newspaper and Stamp Duties Act.

Question 13

What did the he Newspaper and Stamp Duties Act do?

Answer 13

This restricted the circulation of certain radical publications. It applied a 4d stamp duty to all journals sold for less than 6d As most working people earned only 10 shillings a week, this tax massively reduced the number of people able to purchase radical newspapers.

Question 14

What happened to Cobbett?

Answer 14

He fled to the USA in 1817.

Question 15

When and where was the Spa Fields Rally?

Answer 15

London, December 1816.

Question 16

What happened at Spa Fields?

Answer 16

Henry Hunt spoke and they marched to the Tower of London.

Question 17

What were the grievances leading to Spa Fields?

Answer 17

All men were to have the vote, reduce taxes and reform parliament.
4 million people were living in distress while half a million lived in luxury.
The government received 700 petitions with thousands of signatures.

Question 18

What was the outcome of Spa Fields?

Answer 18

The petitions were either dismissed or ignored, and afterwards came the suspension of Habeas Corpus.

Question 19

When was the March of the Blanketeers?

Answer 19

10th March 1817, a crowd gathered in Manchester.

Question 20

What were the grievances of those who were involved in the March of the Blanketers?

Answer 20

They had economic grievances concerning unemployment.

Question 21

What did those who were involved in the March of the Blanketers do?

Answer 21

They planned to organise a protest march to London where a petition would be handed to the regent. This demanded parliamentary reform, the abolition of the Corn Laws and for the reintroduction of Habeas Corpus.

Question 22

What happened with the March of the Blanketeers?

Answer 22

The 300 marchers, who were unemployed, handloom weavers did not get very far. They were stopped by troops in Stockport, where one man was shot and a few others were wounded.

Question 23

What was the outcome of the March of the Blanketeers?

Answer 23

Parliament passed an Act that made it illegal to hold meetings of more than 50 people, which forced radicals underground into secrecy. This made it very difficult to plan activities.
The march was unsuccessful as it failed to gain support and the government took very harsh measures. Their arrest was unlawful.

Question 24

When was the Pentrich Uprising?

Answer 24

June, 1817.

Question 25

What happened during the Pentrich Uprising?

Answer 25

About 200 men set off with weapons from Pentrich in Derbyshire to march to Nottingham. When they arrived in Nottingham, they were met by troops and rounded up.
They were infiltrated by the most famous government spy - ‘Oliver’. He was the one who led them to Nottingham.

Question 26

What was the outcome of the Pentrich Uprising?

Answer 26

Following a trial, the leaders were hanged and 30 were transported. The harsh government response was intended to serve as a deterrent to others, but instead leader to public outcry.
The government were successful - they removed the radical threat.

Question 27

When was Peterloo?

Answer 27

1818

Question 28

What was the aim of Peterloo?

Answer 28

The order was for the Yeomanry to retrieve Henry Hunt, a radical who was a very good orator.

Question 29

What happened at Peterloo?

Answer 29

The Yeomanry tried to reach Hunt, 11 civilians were killed with another 400 wounded.

Question 30

What was the outcome of Peterloo?

Answer 30

The radicals attracted support by sympathy due to the dead containing two women and a child, and the government became unpopular.

Question 31

When was the Cato Street Conspiracy?

Answer 31

1820

Question 32

What happened during the Cato Street Conspiracy?

Answer 32

A group of extremists plotted to murder members of the cabinet. The group was infiltrated and arrested, with the radicals executed.

Question 33

How successful was the Cato Street Conspiracy?

Answer 33

This wasn’t successful as very few of the reformers supported such radical violence, so there was little complaint when the radicals were executed.

Question 34

Evidence the government was harsh in this period to the poor.

Answer 34

Corn Laws forced up bread prices.

New taxes on common articles hit the poor the hardest.

Question 35

What did the government suspend? When?

Answer 35

Suspension of habeas Corpus in 1817 was an unnecessary breach of Civil Rights.

Question 36

What did the government use to capture criminals?

Answer 36

The use of spies and informers was excessive - they had an incentive to exaggerate as they would receive higher pay.

Question 37

What was the atmosphere of the protests like?

Answer 37

Most of the demonstrations were peaceful, and one were even attended by children.
Only a tiny minority of people supported revolutionary violence.

Question 38

What evidence was there that the government was moderate?

Answer 38

Most of the discontent was not the government’s fault, and the increasing population forced up bread prices. Industrial changes were bound to threaten jobs of traditional craftsmen.

Question 39

What happened with the suspension of Habeas Corpus?

Answer 39

It was only temporary and all of those arrested after Spa Fields were released after a year.