In the October 1900 'Khaki Election', Liberals Barely Improved on Their
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
In the October 1900 ‘khaki election’, Liberals barely improved on their disastrous 1895 ‘THE StraNGE CASE of MR Rigg’ performance. Facing the Unionists’ ruthless playing of the patriotic card,1 the party could not even find a candidate in 139 English constituencies and only in Wales did its share of the vote increase. A few formerly safe seats like Derby and Lancaster were regained in close fights, but the net gain was a mere six, and the party remained hopelessly outgunned in both Houses of Parliament. But through the gloom shone one utterly unexpected shaft of Liberal sunlight: the capture of North Westmorland, a rural fastness of valleys, fells, lakes and sheep, which had known only Tory n the old county town of Coming early among the MPs since Napoleonic Appleby the sitting Con- English county declarations, times. Yet the new servative3 suffered the what The Times deemed a ‘rather humiliation of seeing his remarkable victory’ caused ‘great MP did not behave as 17.4 per cent majority dis- excitement’.5 In remote Langdale Isolve into a losing margin of 11.4 the arrival of the result by tel- expected. Andrew per cent,4 a defeat all the more egraph from Appleby aroused Connell tells ‘the embarrassing for being at the ‘consternation and dismay, exor- hands of a youthful Liberal can- bitant joy and humiliating grief’, strange story of Mr didate selected barely a month the Conservative Westmorland Rigg’. 2 before polling day. Gazette reported, adding: ‘As a 14 Journal of Liberal History 60 Autumn 2008 ‘THE StraNGE CASE of MR Rigg’ political omen North Westmor- challenge of James Whitehead by and the circumstances of the land proves absolutely nothing.’6 just 10 votes in the new single- 1900 election might have been This assessment seemed amply member constituency of North expected further to boost his borne out both by the outcome Westmorland. A decade later the vote in a locality with a strong of the 1900 general election, seat looked much less marginal. military tradition, well repre- and by Westmorland’s rever- Gladstone’s commitment to Irish sented among the servicemen in sion within a decade to another home rule was a vote-loser in an South Africa. But ‘in vain did century of Toryism. But I shall area in which Roman Catholi- the Tory leaders invoke the aid argue that this was no mere freak cism was regarded as alien and of Khaki, claiming Bobs, Buller result; North Westmorland Lib- sinister, and owner-occupier and B.-P. as their own particu- erals had stumbled on the ideal farmers, who outnumbered lar possessions’;11 Sir Joseph was candidate who, but for a mys- tenants,9 were suspicious of the sensationally unseated. terious aberration, might have merest hint of compulsory land The explanation, the York- served as a role model for a type purchase. By 1895, with 5,023 shire Post lamented, lay in ‘petty, of Liberal MP equipped to resist votes cast in the usual high turn- personal and local questions’,12 the almost total annexation of out, the Conservative majority issues of probity no more than rural England by the Conserva- had swollen to 873. delicately alluded to on Liberal tives from 1910 onwards. The winner did not even bear platforms, but ‘discussed among the customary name. In 1891 farmers and tradesmen in the ~ William Lowther had surprised freer intercourse of the market his constituency party by telling or tavern’. Some looked askance For two centuries Westmorland them he would not stand again, at their MP’s involvement in elections were dominated by the and with no other family mem- two protracted court cases, county’s largest landowners, the ber available,10 the Conservatives one concerning a quarry near Lowther family; through them adopted Sir Joseph Savory, a car- Kirkby Stephen, the other the local Conservatism acquired its petbagger London goldsmith City Electric Light Company in distinctive pale yellow favours and former Lord Mayor. Rotund London; but the really damag- while Liberals wore blue. From and balding, a dull speaker ing allegation was that he was 1774 until 1892 the county seat with limited local connec- enriching himself by robbing was represented in every parlia- tions, Savory was an eminently local farmers. Near Appleby ment by at least one Lowther, and undistinguished figure whose Left: The lies Brackenber Moor, a large from 1832 to 1880 no election increased majorities in 1892 and bridegroom area of common upland pasture was even contested.7 But Non- 1895 demonstrated the extent and the bride: which was – and still is – used conformity was strong among to which Westmorland men of Richard and for military manoeuvres. Com- local voters newly enfranchised modest property were deserting Gertrude Rigg; pensation from the War Office by the 1884 Reform Act,8 and in Liberalism. He seemed destined Kendal Mercury, was due to all with common 16 September October 1885 the Hon. William to remain backbench lobby rights, but rumour persisted that 1904 Lowther beat off the Liberal fodder for as long as he chose, Sir Joseph, who had sought to Journal of Liberal History 60 Autumn 2008 15 ‘thE StraNGE caSE of mr rigg’ boost his local standing by buy- The Lib- member, his niece recorded, dark-moustached young hero ing up land and manorial lord- the Rigg family were ‘pillars charmed meeting after meeting ships, had pocketed most of it. eral press of Conservatism’;16 certainly in with his ‘courtesy, amiability His protestations that this was exulted as 1892 the Misses Rigg of Winder- and effective speeches … His ‘absolutely false’, that the money mere adorned a Primrose League very youth, coupled with his had all gone to a committee of their hand- gathering,17 and in the 1895 elec- marvellous grasp of political commoners, and ‘not one penny tion John Rigg supplied coaches principles and facility for their has passed through my hands’,13 some, dark- to convey Conservative voters eloquent and popular expres- were greeted with scepticism. on polling day.18 The timing of sion, render him infinitely more North Westmorland Conserva- moustached and reasons for his son’s conver- qualified to represent the needs tives braced themselves for a young hero sion to Liberalism, apparently of a constituency like North reduced majority; but in the with parental blessing, remain Westmorland than a goody- prevailing patriotic climate it charmed obscure. Lady Carlisle would goody and fossilised antedilu- was inconceivable that the seat subsequently tell her biographer vian like Sir Joseph Savory.’25 would fall to an inexperienced meeting son-in-law that Richard saw the From the platform Rigg, who opponent with threadbare Lib- light while up at Oxford;19 but had volunteered for service in eral credentials. after meet- in fact he went to Gonville & South Africa but was not called The shock victor, Richard ing with his Caius, a Cambridge college not up because of his parliamen- Rigg, thirty-four years younger renowned for radicalism. And tary candidacy, denounced not than Savory, was a native of ‘courtesy, although local press reports in the war itself but the way it was Windermere, where the family September 1900 stated he had being managed. Patricia Lynch had a coaching business and his amiability left university in 1898, Caius’ has suggested that Liberals in father John owned the handsome records show that he matricu- 1900 ‘who adopted a moder- hotel that overlooks the railway and effective lated in 1897, passed two parts of ate imperialist stance … ran station. Educated across the lake speeches …’ the Law tripos in 1898 and 1899 the risk of appearing to neglect at Hawkshead Grammar School, and took his degree the follow- the party’s traditions of social he passed his Cambridge Locals ing year.20 reform’, these being ‘mutually before he was fourteen14 and in By 1900 he had been called exclusive alternatives’.26 Not January 1892 transferred to the to the Bar of the Inner Tem- so for Rigg, whose ‘vigorous nearest public school, Sedbergh, ple, though he was never to exposition of advanced Lib- but stayed only one term. The practise,21 and was an instruc- eral views’ The Times remarked school register, generally explicit tor in musketry in the Volun- on;27 he supported state pensions, about departures under a cloud, teers, with the rank of captain. Lords reform, one man one vote, simply records Rigg as hav- Like other socially conscien- and greater public control over ing been ‘withdrawn’; plausible tious middle-class men, he pat- voluntary schools. The simple explanations are the outbreak ronised Friendly Societies, his message of his posters was: ‘Vote of scarlet fever in the school most durable connection being for Rigg, the local candidate: and the coincidental prolonged with the Oddfellows, for whom Unity of Empire and Old Age absence through ill-health of the he acted as treasurer.22 With an Pensions.’ celebrated headmaster Henry evident predilection for com- ‘To say that Mr Rigg has Hart, whose muscular Chris- mittees, he was also president taken the electorate by storm tianity had transformed Sed- of a cycling club, captain of a is to put it mildly’, remarked bergh’s reputation, though not Boys’ Brigade battalion, mem- the normally apolitical Lakes its sanitary arrangements.15 How ber of the Westmorland Foot- Herald on polling day. The Rigg spent the next five years, ball Association, Conservator of Westmorland Gazette published other than in part-time soldiery the River Kent Fishery District, an anxious appeal to its Con- as a commissioned officer in the an enthusiastic freemason23 and servative readers. The Liberals Second Volunteer Battalion of churchwarden in his home par- were a divided party, not to be the Border Regiment, which he ish of St Mary’s Applethwaite.