Parliamentary Reform -- Reform Crisis/ Great Reform Act 1830-32

Question 1

August 1830

Answer 1

Wellington returned as Prime minister in general election following the death of George IV.

Question 2

1 November 1830

Answer 2

Wellington’s ‘Iron Duke’ speech rules out any prospect of reform under his leadership. Intended to regain conservative credibility after Catholic emancipation but loses rather than gains support.

Question 3

15 November 1830

Answer 3

Wellington’s govt is defeated on a relatively trivial finance motion.

Question 4

16 November 1830

Answer 4

Wellington resigns.
Grey forms a cabinet mainly of aristocrats/ Whigs but elements of a coalition, incl Canningites, Goderich and a Tory ultra (Duke of Richmond)

Question 5

December 1830

Answer 5

Drafting committee formed with

- Lord Durham, Lord John Russell, Sir James Graham, Lord Duncannon.

Question 6

Aims of Drafting committee

Answer 6

• Large enough to satisfy public opinions (i.e. to pacify demands from meetings, petitions, demonstrations and the press.
• To afford sure ground for resistance to further innovation e.g. a reform bill to settle agitation.
• based on property e.g not universal suffrage
• based on existing franchises and territorial divisions
• run no risk of overthrowing existing form of gvt

Question 7

January 1831

Answer 7

The proposals of the Drafting committee are revealed to the cabinet-cabinet accepts proposals incl depriving 60 boroughs of both MPs.

Question 8

1 March 1831

Proposals

Answer 8

First reading of the Bill in the House of Commons
-measures were introduced by Lord John Russell

Proposals
1. boroughs with pop below 2000 lose both MP members
2. borough 2000-4000 pop lose 1 MP
3. unrepresented towns with pop of over 10,000 (10 borough to gain 2 MPs, 21 boroughs to gain 1 MP)
4. there should be 26 counties with 2 members each
5 the franchise extension
-counties: £10 copyholders and £50 long-leaseholders to join 40s freeholders
- boroughs- £10 household franchise

Question 9

1 March 1831

Reaction inside parliament

Answer 9

• Peel (Tory leaders in commons)= believed it would lead to calls of reform and MPs promising change for sake of popularity.
• Inglis (Ultra Tory)= claimed parliament already represented interests of the people known as ‘virtual representation’
• Macaulay (Whigs) stated most of working class would not qualify to vote under the £10 borough qualification and that support from middle-class would guarantee against revolution–spoke about dangers of universal suffrage and regarded bill as ‘measure of conservation’ on property and intelligence.

Question 10

1 March 1831

Outside parliament response

Answer 10

• proposals not submitted for public debate but there was relief in the country that substantial reform had been offered with working class leaders amazed by uniform voting franchise
• Hetherington, edited “Poor Man’s Guardian” aimed for universal suffrage and realised that £10 franchise would only give the vote to shop keepers and tradesmen not majority of working class.

Question 11

23 March 1831

Answer 11

Second reading took place- the government won by a single vote (302-301)

Question 12

20 April 1831

Answer 12

Committee vote= First reform bill was defeated by 299-291 the bill itself was picked apart and became clear that majority amendments would be made and it would be defeated.

Question 13

22 April 1831

Answer 13

Grey persuade King to dissolve parliament –Whigs angry at Tories for picking apart and helping defeat their Bill–hoped an election would help secure them a large majority once middle-class enfranchised the Whigs hoped to stay in power for years.

Question 14

april/ may 1831

Why did radicals want reform bill?

Answer 14

General election
National agitation in support for Whigs though they didn’t promise radical reform

this was the first major reform in parliament and with a reformed parliament radicals hoped to pass manhood suffrage

Whigs won with a majority of over 130 votes

Question 15

25 June 1831

Answer 15

Second reform Bill introduced

• given the acceptance of a Tory amendment ensured votes would be given to those renting land worth £50 pa. known as Chandos Clause
• Tories hoped this would extend the vote to tenant farmers who would be expected to vote the same way as their landlords. supported by Whigs as many were landowners.

Question 16

22 September 1831

Answer 16

Bill passed third reading with 345-236 votes with majority in favour for reform. Now would have to pass the Lord where Tories had a large majority.

Question 17

8 October 1831

Answer 17

The House of Lord decided to reject the reform bill by majority of 41–despite Prime Minister, Earl Grey warning them of the consequences

Question 18

8 October 1831

outside reaction

Answer 18

there was anger throughout the country

• Nottingham and Derby riots broke out
• Bristol- the palace of Bishop was burned down as was the House of the Bristol MP.
• the BPU organised a huge march in Birmingham under leadership of Attwood consisting of a wide section of society
• Henry Hunt he raised the point that the reform bill was designed to exclude the vast majority of the working class from voting.

-the importance of peaceful demonstration- Both the Tories and the Whigs were shocked by the commotion that took place= scared the govt into backing down and dropping the reform proposals and could strengthen the Tories accusations that reform would lead to revolution and civil war. For reformers it was essential to show that reform was organised and disciplined a it would be harder to defeat than a violent mob.

Question 19

12 December 1831

Answer 19

Whigs proposed a third version of the reform bill

• Redistribution changes to maintain same number of MPs.
• Some reprieves for smaller boroughs that been proposed to lose 1 or 2 members.
• More seats in industrial areas too.

The King created another 50-60 Whigs if needed to ensure this bill would pass through the House of Lords
But question of how long Whigs could court upon support of the monarch remained.

Question 20

24 March 1832

Answer 20

Bill passed through House of Commons with 2 to 1 majority (162)

Question 21

14 april 1832

Answer 21

Second reading in Lords

Bill was passed by 184 votes to 175 but it still had to be passed by Lord’s committee.

Question 22

7 May 1832

Answer 22

BPU meeting where Attwood made famous speech “i would rather die than see the great bill of reform reject or mutilated in any of it’s great parts…”

Grey and Whig leaders told King that if bill was not passed they would resign–they were forced to resign when Lyndhurst’s wrecking amendment meant lords rejected bill once again. King now looked to Tories to form new govt.

Question 23

9 May 1832

Answer 23

grey resign

Question 24

10-15 May 1832

Days of May

Answer 24

Wellington- realised some form of reform was needed to calm agitation yet lacked support due to him pushing through Catholic Emancipation in 1829

Peel- Support was needed to guide reform proposal through the commons, though he refused 1st and 2nd bill and refused to change his views

Protests- Political unions did all they could to block Tory administration such as talk to pay taxes and even armed resistance

Question 25

15 May 1832

Answer 25

William IV asks Grey to form a new ministry, given that few Tories were willing to serve in a wellington ministry so king had little choice.

Question 26

18 May 1832

Answer 26

Grey agrees on condition that William IV would create new peers if needed.

Question 27

4 June 1832

Answer 27

Third reading in Lords

• the bill passed without amendments
• Wellington and many other Tories abstained because they didn’t want to see Whig dominated House of Lords.

Question 28

7 June 1832

Answer 28

The Great Reform Act receives Royal Assent.

Question 29

The Final Bill

Answer 29

Redistribution

• 56 boroughs disenfranchised
• 30 boroughs lost one member
• 22 new two member borough and 19 new single boroughs created

Voting qualifications 
counties ;adult males who were
- 40s freeholders 
-£10 copyholders
-£10 and £50 long leaseholders
-£50 annual leaseholders.
-boroughs; adult makes owning or copying property rated £10

Voting procedures

• A register of voters was to be kept for county and borough sears
• counties were divided into districts
• polling across period of 2 days.

Outside of England

• wales gained 4 seats
• Scotland gained 8 seats
• Ireland gained 8 seats