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SOME NOTES ON THE LIVERPOOL ELECTION OF 1806. By Godfrey W. Mathews, F.S.A. Read March 4, 1926. HE Liverpool election of 1806 was one of much T interest, not only because of the issues at stake, of which the chief was the abolition of the Slave Trade, but also because one of tin: candidates was the man who has been, " taking him all in all," one of the city's greatest sons, viz. William Roscoe. On January 23rd 1806 Pitt died and Fox passed away on September I3th of the same year. Thus the two outstanding figures of English political life were removed from the arena within a few months of one another. The ministry was continued by Lord Grenvillc, who con­ sidered that his position would be strengthened by an appeal to the country. Parliament was accordingly dis­ solved in October of that year and the elections took place in November. Liverpool at that date returned two members and on this occasion there were three candidates : Isaac Gas- coyno, Sir Bannister Tarleton and William Roscoe. Isaac Gascoyne, born in 1770, was the third son of Bamber Gascoyne and grandson of Sir Crisp Gascoyne, who was the first Lord Mayor of London to occupy the Mansion House in 1752 and who also came into prom­ inence in connection with the famous Canning case. Isaac entered the army and was present with his regiment, the Guards, during most of the engagements in Flanders in 1793-1794. He was first returned to Parliament for Liverpool in 1796, and had been its member, therefore, for ten years at the date we are considering. He had a long Some Notes on the Liverpool Election of 1806. 75

Parliamentary life, being returned at the elections of 1806, 1807, 1812, 1818, 1820, 1826 and 1830 ; he lost his seat at the election of May 4th 1831 and retired from Parliamentary life. He died in London August 2(>th 1841. For some time he lived at Raby Hall. His niece, the daughter of his brother Bamber Gascoyne Junior, married the 2nd Marquis of Salisbury, who on his marriage took the name Gascoyne before that of Cecil, and it was through this marriage that the Salisbury family became possessed of their large estates in and around Liverpool. Sir Bannister Tarleton belonged to an old Liverpool family. He was the third son of John Tarleton, merchant and Mayor of Liverpool in 1764, and was born at his father's house in Water Street on August 2ist 1754. Educated at Liverpool and Oxford, he obtained a com­ mission as cornet in the King's Dragoons in 1775. He saw active service in the American War, in which he dis­ tinguished himself. Taken prisoner by Washington's forces at Gloucester, October igth 1781, he was released on parole and returned to England in 1782. Tarleton published in 1787 his History of The Campaigns of 1780 and 1781 in the Southern Provinces of North America. The book had a considerable vogue and certainly it has good points. Though in no sense of the word a scientific historian and perhaps not always thoroughly reliable, he had a good power of description and in some respects a keen sense of the relations and importance of historic events. It is said, though I have not discovered on what evidence, that he was probably assisted in this work by Mary Robinson, the celebrated Perdita, a lady who, like another celebrated lady in English history, seemed to possess all the virtues but one. Artists have made Perdita's features almost as familiar to us as those of Lady Hamilton. It is one of the greatest stains on Tar- leton's fame, that he did not treat her well; she proved a devoted mistress to him and earned something more 76 Some Notes on the Liverpool Election of 1806. than the neglect which, it has been asserted, may have been responsible for her death. He was unsuccessful in his first attempt to enter Par­ liament for his native city in 1784, but was returned head of the poll in the General Election of 1790. In the House of Commons he frequently sided with the Opposition, and consequently his party tried to prevent his election in 1796, their candidate being his brother, John Tarleton. Bannister was returned however. He was again suc­ cessful in 1802 and sat for Liverpool until 1806, when, as we shall see, lie was defeated by Roscoe. He was elected again in 1807 and held his scat until 1812, when he gave place to Canning. Sir Bannister Tarleton was a somewhat romantic figure, and a man of many good qualities, and if sometimes an opportunist, was frequently a loyal supporter of good causes. His full length portrait was painted by Sir Joshua Reynolds in 1782. He is represented in the uniform of the British Legion, in a half-stooping position adjusting his sword, with his charger and the smoke of battle in the background, a typical grandiose portrait of the period. It was engraved by J. R. Smith, and also by S. W. Rey­ nolds. A print hangs in the Athenaeum. Tarleton's biography occupies 8| columns in the Dictionary of National Biography. There is no need for me to give any notice of the life of William Roscoe. The facts of his life and the great position which he occupies in the annals of our city are known to all members of the Society. It was his interest in the abolition of the Slave Trade that induced Roscoe to stand. 1 When one considers the vested interest which the town had in this trade, it needed some courage to come forward as an abolitionist ; especially in the face

1 Roscoe was only requested to stand in the Liberal interest two days before the election. FIG. 7.

TARLETON. (After a painting by Sir Joshua Reynolds; engraved by J. K. Smith.) (By permission of the Committee of the Liverpool Athetiaum.) I Some Notes on the Liverpool Election of 1806. 77 of two opponents like (iascoyne and Tarleton, and that he succeeded in unseating the latter is in my opinion one of the most amazing things in the history of elections. The main issue of the election in Liverpool was the Slave Trade, 1 but it is rather noticeable that all mention of it is absent from the election addresses of the can­ didates, with the exception perhaps of a paragraph in that of General Gascoyne which reads, " that should I again become the object of your choice the same solicitude for your interests, and a constant and unremitted atten­ tion to the trade of your port, shall be uniformly continued on my part," which perhaps refers to one of the chief trades of the port, viz. the Slave Trade. Opposition to the Slave Trade had been slowly growing for some years. As far back as 1783 the Quakers had petitioned against it, and in 1786 Clarkson began his crusade. Two Bills in favour of the abolition were carried by the Commons before the end of the eighteenth century, but were thrown out by the House of Lords. Wilberforce got a Bill through the Commons in 1804, but it also was rejected by the Lords. The next year a larger measure failed to pass through the Mouse of Commons. These movements show, however, that there was a con­ siderable body of opinion in favour of abolition, yet it must be confessed that at the time of this election, apparently the odds against it were very formidable, and in Liverpool, where so much vested interest was at stake, the opposition was particularly keen. The Act forbidding the importation of Slaves was passed by the Parliament returned at this election, on March 25th 1807, and it was while the Bill was before the House that Roscoe made his great speech. The Bill did not become operative until ist January 1808, and even

1 It is doubtful if this was realised by the bulk of the population. Had it been so it is probable that Roscoe would not have been returned. At the next election he polled only 12 per cent of the votes. 78 Some Notes on the Liverpool Election of 1806. then it was not felony to engage in the Trade until a further Act was carried by Lord Brougham in 1811. The election lasted eight clays, viz. from Saturday, November ist to Saturday, November 8th. Professor Ramsay Muir has written : 1

" The turbulence of Liverpool was perhaps most strikingly exhibited at the parliamentary elections, which were positive orgies of anarchy. And as a majority of the freemen in this period belonged to the poorer class, whose poverty made bribery hard to resist, Liverpool became notorious for its corruption. The estimated value of each vote early in the igth century was £20, and the most honest of the freemen regarded this payment as their right. Besides these payments in money, strong drink flowed like water during a contest and the candidates were expected to provide mammoth feasts for their supporters, at which misrule reigned .supreme." Now if the above is an attempt to make out that Liverpool was worse than other towns during elections, I am by no means sure that it is justified. Elections were always a time of anarchy in all towns at this period, and Liverpool bad enough I admit was probably no worse than the rest. A glance at the Freemen's Roll also shows that while there were very many of the poorer class among the Freemen, there were a great number who by no means came under that category, though the rich were not any less inclined to be paid for their vote. During this election there seems to have been com­ paratively little rowdyism. There was only one riot, and that not of a serious nature, caused by butchers, who were supposed to be mainly the friends of Tarleton. With regard to bribery, no doubt that flourished as usual. The expenses of the candidates and their sup­ porters give some idea of its extent. Gascoyne's bill came to £3,000, Tarlcton's to £4,000 and Roscoe's to £12,000. As Professor Ramsay Muir remarks, bribery

1 .1 History of Liverpool, by Ramsay .Muir (lyo?), p. 27.). Suine Notes vn tJie Liverpool Election of 1806. 79

consisted not only in the purchase of votes, but in free food and drink. The voting lists bring out some interesting features. The total number of Freemen polled was 2,345 an

a potter at a Pottery. His name does not appear in the Directory of 1805. An analysis of the occupations of the voters is of interest as showing the main trades in Liverpool at that time. Of course, it must be borne in mind that the poll Lists only contain the names of Freemen. The number of householders of the city according to Gore's Directory for 1805 1 was about 11,800. In order to obtain the numbers actually employed in each trade it would be necessary to analyse the directory, which I have not done. The Freemen were the responsible body of burghers, and as the lists show were representative of very different occupations, and may, therefore, be taken as indicating to a considerable degree the various trades of the borough. The first thing that strikes one is the large preponder­ ance of occupations connected directly or indirectly with the sea. Liverpool has never been a great manufacturing centre, and in 1806 outside of trade connected with the port and shipping, had little in the way of industries. True she had then two trades which have since declined, which have, in fact, become extinct, Potteries and Watchmaking. Taking first occupations directly connected with the sea, we have : Mariners ...... 77 Blockmakers ...... 76 Pilots ...... 24 Anchor Smiths . . . . 5 Shipwrights ...... 250 Ship Chandlers . . . . 4 Boatbuilders ...... 41 Cordwainers ...... 6 Sailmakers ...... 84 If we add to these trades which, though not entirely confined to seafaring products, were overwhelmingly employed in producing for ships or sailors, such as : Ropers ...... 147 Coopers ...... 184 we get a total of 898. In other words nearly 39 per cent

1 There was no issue for 1806. Some Notes on flic Liverpool Election of 1806. Si of the electorate polled were directly or indirectly occu­ pied with seafaring. There are a fair number of designations of gentleman and esquire. The professions are not well represented. There is only one lawyer a barrister, and he is an out­ voter from Wakefield. There are a few bankers and four medical men. One clergyman's name is recorded, that of the Rev. Wm. Shepherd, as an out-voter from Gateacre. Among the chief other occupations recorded are : Merchants (the kind of Barbers and Hairdressers 21 merchant is not denoted) i(>8 Tobacconists ...... 23 Watch Manufacturers .. 20 Potters ...... 19 Saddlers ...... 13 Nearly every walk of life is represented on the poll list ; from bricklayers, of which there are a fair number, to a rear admiral, R.N. Richard Smith, who resided in Seacombe. I have carefully analysed the lists to see if any one section of the community voted in a particular way, or if one of the candidates drew most of his votes from a particular class ; the results show that 110 such classi­ fication can be made, each of the three candidates drew his votes about equally from all sections of the electors. It was generally supposed, and was asserted at the time, that the butchers were the friends and supporters of Tarleton. The Freemen among the butchers by their voting do not bear the statement out however. Thirty- seven butchers polled as under : 18 Split Votes between Gascoyne and Tarleton 3 ,, ,, ,, Gascoyne and Roscoe i ,, ,, ,, Tarleton and Roscoe 6 Plumped for Tarleton 9 ,, ,, Roscoe The squibs and verses produced at this election are in merit about the average of such compositions, though one 82 Some Notes on the Liverpool Election of 1806. or two are exceedingly witty. The two chief writers of such verses at that date were, on the Tory side, Silvester Richmond, a Custom House Officer, and on the Whig side the Rev. Wm. Shepherd, Unitarian minister of Gateacre. Mr. Shepherd was quite a character, and a man of con­ siderable intellectual ability. I think one or two of the best verses are undoubtedly his, though Mr. A. Theodore Brown, who has devoted much time to the investigation of Shepherd's life, tells me that he is not able to trace definitely any of the reverend gentleman's political verses. One of the best, which on the ground of merit I should be inclined to attribute to Mr. Shepherd, is Gilpin the Second. It is a very clever parody on the famous ballad and pokes fun at General Tarleton in a very witty manner. I can only quote a few verses.

Bcin Tarleton was a General Of credit and renown, A member eke of Parliament In famous London town. Bold Tarleton's friends said to him, Ban ! Since Parliament's dissolv'd, We will support your Gen'ralship, We've said and are resolv'd. Then straightway bent to victory, The Gen'ral he set out, Back'd by his friends at Liverpool, Resolv'd to face it out. To those who knew Tarleton the italics must have been a subtle stroke. Later there is a smack at his reputation for turning his coat. Now do you not give credit to The rumour that's afloat, That there is any likelihood I e'er shall change my coat. Unless report did him injustice the gallant general was Some Notes on the Liverpool Election of 1806. 83 none too fond of spending his money, a fact which comes in for notice. Now one more forward than the rest Cries, " General ! we are dry ; " But now perceiving well the joke, Says Tarleton, " So am I." The last verse has a double meaning. Now let us sing, long live the King, And Tarleton long live he ; And when the hustings he doth mount, May I be there to see ! ! ! Another song called The Dunkirk Racer was aimed at Gascoyne. He was present at the unfortunate " Race of Dunkirk " as it was called, and the opportunity that fact gave was too good to be missed by his opponents.

I am a brave Gasconader as e'er drew a sword ! And once saw a battle, but never did slay ! The cannons were roaring, the bullets were flying. I was there all the while, but kept running away ! 'Tis safer to run than to fight, my boys, 'Tis safer to run than to fight, my boys, In Parliament I may keep up an alarm, But far from the foe I shall meet with no harm. O 'tis safer to run than to fight. 'Twas at Dunkirk 1 prov'd the high mettled racer, The guns they did roar, and I ran with good will ; I was hotly pursued, but I beat every chaser, And cover'd with glory, lost only a heel ! 'Tis safer to run than to light, etc. For my feats in that war, and my votes in the House, Your support I entreat upon Saturday next: Let Liverpool honour be mute as a mouse, And you'll find I shall ever stick close to the text. 'Tis safer to run than to fight, etc. Roscoe's humble birth and parentage were not likely to escape the shafts of the other side, and in a clever 84 Some Notes on the Liverpool Election of 1806. squib, composed I suspect by Silvester Richmond, it is made good use of.

To a man that's self-taught cv'ry merit is due, But is he a man fit to represent you ? When a boy he with scarce shoe or stockings would hop, A runner and sweeper in a stationer's shop. The next an attorney, then poet became, His translations then gain'd him the laurel of fame. In a Bank for a while were his talents display'd ; In short you may call him a jack of all trade.

Shall he who no family ever could trace, Supply our defender's, our dear Tarleton's place ? Oh, Liverpool ! surely it never can be That an ale-seller's son should represent Thee !

In Tarleton's lov'd seat the man would go pop, Whose father-in-law kept a poor barber's shop ? Would ye send up a turn-trade, attorney, or poet ? Ye would not : Thank God ! and your actions all show it !

Unfortunately for Tarleton their actions did not show it, and he lost his seat to the ale-seller's son, whom to­ day Liverpool counts amongst her most famous sons. There were many more squibs both in prose and verse, but the above must suffice as examples of the best. Some of them are by no means refined ; mud was freely used in those days, nor were manners always too nice when George III was king. It was customary for the candidates to entertain their friends and supporters at an hotel some time subsequent to the elections. The first of these celebrations was that held by Mr. Roscoe on Tuesday November 25th in the " Great Room at the Golden Lion in Dale Street " at 5 o'clock in the afternoon. The site of the Golden Lion is now occupied by the Queen's Insurance Buildings. In connection with this event an interesting letter appeared in the Liverpool Advertiser, as under : Some Notes on flic Liverpool Election of 1806. 85

To the Editor of the Liverpool Advertiser. Sir, A hand-bill having been very industriously circulated and posted in different parts of the town stating that Tuesday next the 25th inst., being the day fixed upon for the celebrations of Mr. Roscoe's election, is the anniversary of Bonaparte being proclaimed First Consul of the French Republic, I beg leave to correct the chronology of this ignorant libeller, and to inform him that the day on which Bonaparte was proclaimed First Consul of the French Republic was Christmas Day 1799. Veritas. General Gascoyne followed with his celebration on Tuesday December 2nd at the same place and time ; while General Tarleton, the defeated candidate, held his on Tuesday December gth, also at the Golden Lion, and at 5 o'clock. Tuesday apparently was a free night at the Golden Lion as the meetings were all held on that evening. From several notices it would appear that the defeated candidate had the jolliest gathering, and in the light of Female Suffrage one song rolled off on that occasion is interesting. One Toast yet remains to the Patriot Fair Who so nobly engag'd on our side of the War. To the Ladies we'll drink then, to sum up the whole. For cou'd they have voted, we'd have headed the Poll.