Robert Peel Flashcards
What was Peel’s anti-Catholic nickname?
Orange Peel
What year did Peel first become Home Secretary?
1822
Who’s governments did Peel serve under as Home Secretary?
Lord Liverpool and the Duke of Wellington
When was Peel appointed as Prime Minister during his first ministry?
1834
What caused Peel to resign as Prime Minister in 1835?
The Lichfield Pact
When did Peel issue the Tamworth Manifesto?
1834
Who’s work was Peel a supporter of?
Adam Smith and David Riccardo
How did Peel increase free trade?
Cut tariffs and lowered the corn law sliding scale in the 1842 budget. The repeal of the corn laws was also a huge step towards this
When did Peel introduce income tax?
1832
What were the terms of the 1842 Mines Act?
No women or boys under the age of 12 could work underground
What were the terms of the 1844 Factory Act?
Children 9-13 couldn’t work more than a 6.5 hour day. Women could not work for longer than a 12 hour day
In what ways did Peel weaken the Conservative Party?
The repeal of the Corn Laws and the defeated Irish Coercion Bill split the party. Peel’s changing stance on Catholic Emancipation and the 1832 Reform Bill, income tax hit the Tory supporters, Maynooth grant
When was the Maynooth Grant issued, and what was it?
1845- A grant to a college in Ireland which trained Catholic Priests, in an attempt to appease the Irish.
What was the Devon Commission and why was it ineffective?
1845- A commission looking into the issues of land tenure in Ireland. It was ineffective because Peel resigned before it was completed?
What was one of the only achievements of Peel’s first ministry of 1834-1835?
The setting up of the Ecclesiastical Commission
Why did Peel refuse to take the office as Prime Minister in 1839?
The queen refused to replace her Whig staff (ladies of waiting etc) with Conservative wives, so it appeared as though Victoria had little faith in a Conservative government
What were a few of the terms in the 1842 budget?
Introduction of income tax, cut tariffs and the lowering of the Corn Law Sliding scale
What and when was the Bank Charter Act?
1844- an attempt to maintain a stable currency, so therefore stabilise the economy. Only the Bank of England could issue new bank notes, and they had to be backed up by a gold supply, or up to a government debt of £14 million
Who supported Peel’s repeal of the Corn Laws?
Whigs and Radicals- not his own party
What pressures were placed on Peel’s government?
Chadwick’s report on the Sanitary Conditions of the labouring classes in 1842, the Anti-Corn Law League, Daniel O’Connell Young Ireland
When was there an attempt to issue 2 hours of compulsory education each day for children, and why was the bill defeated?
1843- arguments over which denomination would provide the education
When were Peel’s Gaol Acts?
1823
When was the Metropolitan Police Act?
1829
What were “Peel’s Principles”?
A series of ethics codes for the new police
