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This work has been submitted to NECTAR, the Northampton Electronic Collection of Theses and Research. Thesis Title: How elites gain, maintain and propagate status 1770-2012: A social capital perspective Creator: Russell, B. R Example citation: Russell, B. (2014) How elites gain, maintain and propagate status 1770-2012: A social capital perspective. DoctoraAl thesis. The University of Northampton. Version: Accepted version T http://nectarC.northampton.ac.uk/7251/ NE How Elites Gain, Maintain and Propagate Status 1770-2012: A Social Capital Perspective Submitted for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy At the University of Northampton 2014 Barbara Russell © Barbara Russell June, 2014. This thesis is copyright material and no quotation from it may be published without proper acknowledgement. Abstract Recent studies on networking, social capital and elites have done much to expand academic knowledge in each of these topic areas. Elites are defined in several ways, including their attributes and their use of and access to power. However, far less research has been conducted on how those attributes and/or power are used by local political elites. A great deal of research has also been conducted on social capital, what it is and how it can benefit society, but less work has been done on the local politician’s individual production and use of social capital. Despite the important role that networks and networking play in producing social capital, local elite networks thus remain largely unexplored. We know little of how their networks are constructed and used in the pursuance of status and less on how the elite adapt the use of their networks in response to socio-economic change. In focusing on the construction and use of social capital networks by the Borough Aldermen and Councillors in Northampton over the longue durée, this work redresses those shortcomings. The research uses a large number and variety of sources which provide a wealth of qualitative and quantitative data with which to explore elite networking and social capital in the town. The work contributes towards furthering academic knowledge on how elites gain maintain and propagate status. The research reveals that the elite use two different constructs of networks, each of which provides different benefits for the user. It is the symbiosis of these networks which enables the political elite to respond to socio-economic and political events. The research also finds that overlapping networks produce the largest exchange of social capital, which is translated into gaining and maintaining status. It is clear that, over the longue durée, the importance of business networks in producing social capital has drastically reduced, and has been replaced by the growing importance of political association membership. It is also evident in the research that the expansion of formal institutions in the business and political arenas has led to individual Councillors and Aldermen making strategic choices. Using a market mentality of returns, they decide which networks give greater social capital and are thus more valuable and useful in gaining and maintaining elite status. i Acknowledgements I would like to thank The University of Northampton for the funding and support I received during this research project. In particular I would like to thank my supervisors, Professor Nada Kakabadse and Professor Jon Stobart. Their advice and guidance has been invaluable. They have remained very supportive and enthusiastic throughout this project. They have also demonstrated an endless patience with me for which I am eternally grateful. Thank you. I would also like to thank the staff at the Northamptonshire Records Office. Who have been extremely helpful and swiftly provided me with all the documents I requested. Last but not least I would like to thank the Northamptonshire Library Service. In particular my thanks go to two members of the Discovery – Local History Team – based in Northampton, Jon-Paul Carr and Clare Trend. Their knowledge of books and archives held by the library and their efficiency in providing material was indispensable. ii CONTENTS Page Abstract……………………………………………………………….. i Acknowledgements…………………………………………………… ii Contents……………………………………………………………….. iii List of Graphs…………………………………………………………. vi List of Figures………………………………………………………… vii List of Tables………………………………………………………….. viii Chapter 1: Introduction………………………………………………. 1 Chapter 2: Literature Review……………………………………….. 9 Introduction……………………………………………………………. 9 Section 1: Elites………………………………………………………… 10 Section 2: Social Capital………………………………………………… 21 Section: 3 Networks…………………………………………………….. 28 Conclusion………………………………………………………………. 41 Chapter3: Methodology………………………………………………... 44 Chapter 4: Urban Elite in Eighteenth-Century Northampton....... 55 Introduction…………………………………………………………… 55 Section 1: The Route to becoming an Urban Elite……………………. 58 Introduction……………………………………………………. 58 Education as a means of social capital……………………….. 58 Gaining and maintaining status in the political arena….……… 62 Gaining and maintaining status in the business arena………… 66 Gaining and maintaining status in the social arena…………… 72 Section 2: Personal Networks……………………………………………… 75 Guardianship Networks……………………………………….. 76 Established Networks………………………………………… 79 Conclusion…………………………………………………………… 84 iii Chapter 5: Urban Elite in Nineteenth-Century Northampton…… 89 Introduction…………………………………………………………… 89 Section 1: The Route to becoming an Urban Elite…………………… 92 Gaining and maintaining status in the political arena………… 92 Gaining and maintaining status in the social arena…………… 102 Gaining and maintaining status in the business arena ………... 106 Section 2: Personal Networks..………………………………………… 116 Established Networks………………………………………….. 116 Network - George Osborn……………………………………… 116 Network - Christopher Markham……………………………… 119 Conclusion…………………………………………………………….. 124 Chapter 6: Urban Elite in Twentieth-Century Northampton……. 126 Introduction…………………………………………………………… 126 Section 1: Old and New Route to becoming Urban Elite……………... 129 Education as a means of social capital………………………… 129 Social capital and the political arena………………………….. 131 Social capital and the business arena…………………..……... 139 Social capital and the social arena…………………..…...……. 145 Section 2: Personal Networks………………………………………… 150 Guardianship Networks……………………………………….. 150 Established Networks………………………………………….. 151 Conclusion……………………………………………..………………. 157 Chapter 7: Urban Elite in Twenty-First Century Northampton…. 160 Introduction……………………………………………………………. 160 Section 1: The Route to Elite Status……………...……………………. 162 Education as a means of social capital…………………………. 162 Social capital and the political arena…………………..……….. 163 Social capital and the business arena………………….……….. 172 Social capital and the social arena……………………………... 178 Section 2: Personal Networks………………………………………….. 182 Guardianship Networks………..……………………………….. 182 Established Networks……………………………………………. 183 iv Councillor Beardsworth’s Network…………………………… 190 Conclusion…………………………………………………………….. 195 Chapter 8: Conclusion………………………………………………… 197 Introduction…………………………………………………………….. 197 Social Capital…………………………………………………… 199 Networks……………………………………………………….. 204 Conclusions……………………………………………………... 213 Bibliography…………………………………………………………. 216 v LIST OF GRAPHS Page 4.1 The Registration of Freemen relating to Aldermen of the 1770s…………. 61 5.1 Occupations of the Northampton Improvement Commissioners 1843……. 99 5.2 Number of Northampton Businesses 1791-1847……………………………. 107 6.1 Percentages of Borough Councillors’ Occupations 1919-1930…………… 133 6.2 Election Results: Northampton Corporation 1919-1930…………………… 135 6.3 Political allegiances of the Northampton Borough Corporation Aldermen 1919-1930……………………………………………………. 136 6.4 Membership numbers of Councillors and Aldermen to other organisations… 155 7.1 Occupational Statuses of Northampton Councillors 2000-2012…………….. 167 7.2 Employment Status of Cabinet Members…………………………………….. 167 7.3 Northampton Borough Council Political Construct………………………….. 168 7.4 Committees per Councillor…………………………………………………… 171 7.5 Northampton Borough Councillors 2000-2012 Connected to Networking Web Sites………………………………………………………………… 186 7.6 Breakdown of Networking Sites by Political Party………………………….. 186 vi LIST OF FIGURES Page 4.1 Route to gaining political status in eighteenth-century Northampton……... 66 4.2 William Thompson’s Guardianship Network………………………………… 78 4.3 William Gibson’s Guardianship Network……………………………………. 79 4.4 Established Network - William Gibson……………………………………… 82 4.5 Established Network - William Thompson…………………………………… 83 4.6 Thompson and Gibson’s overlapping network connections………………… 85 5.1 Network Map - George Osborn junior, c1830-1850……………………….. 119 5.2 Markham Family - Social Capital Network c1820-50……………………….. 121 5.3 Network overlaps……………………………………………………………… 123 6.1 Network Map - Arthur William Lyne………………………………………… 138 6.2 Network Map - Alderman A. E. Marlow…………………………………….. 146 6.3 Network Map - Alderman James Peach, Mayor in 1926……………………. 153 6.4 Group and Organisation connections - Northampton Borough Corporation… 155 7.1 Route to political status 2000s……………………………………………….. 165 7.2 Network overlaps - David Mackintosh, Leader of Northampton Borough Council 2012……………………………………………………. 176 7.3 Network Map - Committee Memberships of Councillor Sally Beardsworth…. 192 7.4 Network Map - Councillor Sally Beardsworth, and Interconnected Groups…. 194 vii LIST OF TABLES Page Table 4.1 List of Aldermen 1770-1780………………………………………….

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