Durham E-Theses Electoral politics in Berwick-Upon-Tweed, 1832 - 1885 Wickham, Michael John How to cite: Wickham, Michael John (2002) Electoral politics in Berwick-Upon-Tweed, 1832 - 1885, Durham theses, Durham University. Available at Durham E-Theses Online: http://etheses.dur.ac.uk/4098/ Use policy The full-text may be used and/or reproduced, and given to third parties in any format or medium, without prior permission or charge, for personal research or study, educational, or not-for-prot purposes provided that: • a full bibliographic reference is made to the original source • a link is made to the metadata record in Durham E-Theses • the full-text is not changed in any way The full-text must not be sold in any format or medium without the formal permission of the copyright holders. Please consult the full Durham E-Theses policy for further details. Academic Support Oce, Durham University, University Oce, Old Elvet, Durham DH1 3HP e-mail: [email protected] Tel: +44 0191 334 6107 http://etheses.dur.ac.uk ELECTORAL POLITICS IN BERWICK-UPON-TWEED, 1832 - 1885 MICHAEL JOHN WOCKHAR/9 Submitted to the University of Durham for the degree of M. Phil. History Department, 2002 The copyright of this thesis rests with the author. No quotation from it should be published without his prior written consent and information derived from it should be acknowledged. 1 h OCT M2 ABSTRACT Electoral Politics in Berwick-upon-Tweed, 1832 - 1885 Michael Wickham The aim of this study is to paint a comprehensive picture of electoral politics during a period of significant historical change. By focusing on a small, open, two- member borough, it is hoped that an evaluation can be made of the various developments which took place in the English electoral system between the Reform Act of 1832 and the Redistribution Act of 1885. In order to achieve this, it was decided to examine five different aspects of Berwick's parliamentary representation during these years, namely, the candidates, the electors, election procedure, election issues and electoral corruption. At the same time it was necessary to refer to other investigations into electoral politics, so that the Berwick experience could be placed in a national context. Chapter 1 takes account of recent work on electoral history and considers some of the methodological and conceptual problems involved in the study of nineteenth-century electoral politics. Chapter 2 traces the development of the political press in the Victorian era and suggests that, despite the problem of political bias, newspapers can provide the historian with valuable insights into the conduct of nineteenth-century electoral politics. Chapter 3 discusses the selection procedure for parliamentary candidates and examines the personal qualities that were considered desirable in a candidate. It then attempts to analyse the extent to which these qualities contributed to the electoral success of a candidate. Chapter 4 examines the nature and voting behaviour of the Berwick electorate between 1832 and 1874. With the help of poll books, which recorded the way in which individual electors voted, it is possible to discover useful information on such features as the size and occupational composition of the electorate, electoral participation, the voting behaviour of occupational categories, cross-party voting, voting consistency and the voting preferences of freemen and ten-pound householders. Chapter 5 examines the ceremonial aspects of elections, beginning with the registration of voters and ending with the post-election entertainments. Elections were a major event in the life of the community, involving electors and non-electors alike. However, by the end of the period electoral procedure had become less ritualistic, and the part played by the disfranchised had been severely restricted. The chapter discusses these changes and the legislation which brought them about. Chapter 6 explores election issues, such as parliamentary reform, free trade and religion, and assesses their role in determining the outcome of elections at Berwick. Chapter 7 discusses the nature of electoral corruption in the post-reform period and the principal steps taken to eliminate corrupt practices. It also examines Berwick's reputation for venality, paying particular attention to the report of the 1861 Royal Commission at Berwick, and evaluates the effect of corruption on voting behaviour in the borough. "The only true history of a country is to be found in its newspapers." Lord Macaulay. Copyright Declaration The copyright of this thesis rests with the author. No quotation from it should be published without his prior written consent, and information derived from it should be acknowledged. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I should like to express my gratitude to the following people for their advice and assistance during the course of this research: Mr. Alan Heesom, my supervisor, whose wise counsel and extensive knowledge in the field of electoral politics has been essential to the completion of this thesis; the staff of the Northumberland Record Office, in particular Mrs. Linda Bankier at Berwick and Mr. Keith Gilroy at Gosforth; Mr. David Brenchley, who kindly allowed me access to his draft chapter on Berwick politics in the eighteenth century prior to the publication of his book, A Place By Itself, the staff of the British Newspaper Library at Colindale; and, finally, to my family and friends for their encouragement and perseverance throughout the period of my research. THE PARLIAMENTARY BOROUGH OF BERWICK-UPON-TWEED ( Imthsr H • 1 G IE K M A- » 1 I,if L.s s I H 1 O C B A I* 7T— W ! Sat 1 JIM i n frjrj a r p A, r I S H I /// /,<• ///// ^ V /A t/rtt fir,/ ft to W H D v M U • \ E ll 1,'ittfiunk i ELECTORAL POLITICS IN BERWICK-UPON-TWEED, 1832 - 1885 MICHAEL JOHN WICK HAM Submitted to the University of Durham for the degree of M. Phil. History Department, 2002 TABLE OF CONTENTS Page LIST OF TABLES iv INTRODUCTION 1 THE BERWICK ECONOMY 4 AN INTRODUCTION TO THE ELECTORAL HISTORY OF BERWICK 5 CHAPTER 1: ELECTORAL POLITICS IN ENGLAND BETWEEN THE FIRST REFORM ACT AND THE REDISTRIBUTION ACT: THE STATE OF THE INTERPRETATIVE DEBATE 11 CHAPTER 2: THE PRESS Introduction: A Justification of Historical Sources 27 The Diversification of the Berwick Press 29 Literacy and Readership 30 The Political Importance of Newspapers 32 CHAPTER 3: THE CANDIDATES 38 CHAPTER 4: THE ELECTORATE Introduction 80 The Nature of the Electorate 83 Voting Behaviour of the Electorate 102 Conclusion 132 CHAPTER 5: ELECTION PROCEDURE 135 CHAPTER 6: ELECTION ISSUES AND THEIR IMPACT ON ELECTORAL BEHAVIOUR Introduction 177 Parliamentary Reform 178 Free Trade 196 Religious Issues 205 Conclusion 230 iii TABLE OF CONTENTS (Cont) Page CHAPTER 7: ELECTORAL CORRUPTION Introduction 233 Berwick's Reputation for Corruption 235 Bribery 238 Treating 248 Intimidation 252 Attempts to Eradicate Corruption 264 Conclusion 275 CONCLUSION 289 APPENDICES: i) Election Results 297 ii) Candidates 300 iii) Contents of Occupational Categories 306 BIBLIOGRAPHY 309 LIST OF TABLES Table Frontispiece 2.1: Circulation Figures for Two Berwick Newspapers, 1837 - 43 2.2: Circulation Figures for Two Berwick Newspapers, 1844 - 50 3.1: Analysis of the Backgrounds of Berwick's Parliamentary Candidates, 1832 - 81 4.1: Size of the Berwick Electorate, 1832 - 1881 4.2: Decrease in the Size of the Electorate at Six Berwick Elections after Adjustments for Deaths, Double Qualifications and Removals 4.3: Percentage of Increase/Decrease in the Size of the Electorate in the Mid-Nineteenth Century 4.4: The Berwick Electorate as a Percentage of the Population 4.5: The Berwick Electorate as a Percentage of the Adult Male Population Aged Over 20 4.6: The Electorate as a Percentage of the Adult Male Population Over 20 in Lancaster, Oldham and Rochdale, 1852 4.7: Occupational Structure of the Berwick Electorate, 1832-1865 4.8: Average Occupational Structure of Thirty-Two Two-Member English Borough Electorates, 1832-1866 4.9: Percentage Turnout at Berwick Elections, 1832-1881 4.10: Average Percentage Turnout for Two-Member Boroughs in the Six Northern Counties, 1832-1880 LIST OF TABLES (Cont.) Table Page 4.11: Percentage Turnout at Berwick Elections, 1832-1874 101 4.12: Voting by Occupational Groups at the Berwick Election, 1832 103 4.13: Voting by Occupational Groups at the Berwick Election, 1835 104 4.14: Voting by Occupational Groups at the Berwick Election, May, 1859 107 4.15: Voting by Occupational Groups at the Berwick By-Election, August 1859 108 4.16: Voting by Occupational Groups at the Berwick Election, 1865 108 4.17: Extent of Cross-Party Voting at Berwick Elections, 1832 -1868 110 4.18: Extent of Split Voting in Twenty-Five Boroughs in the Six Northern Counties, 1832 - 1868 111 4.19: Analysis of the Votes Cast in 1832 and 1835 by the 465 Electors Who Voted in Both Elections 115 4.20: Analysis of the Votes Cast in May and August 1859 by the 597 Electors Who Voted in Both Elections 116 4.21: Analysis of the Votes Cast in August 1859 and 1863 by the 459 Electors Who Voted in Both Elections 117 4.22: Analysis of the Votes Cast in 1863 and 1865 by the 541 Electors Who Voted in Both Elections 118 4.23: Analysis of the Votes Cast in 1865 and 1868 by the 423 Electors Who Voted in Both Elections 119 4.24: Freemen as a Percentage of the Berwick Electorate, 1832-1868 1 22 VI LIST OF TABLES (Cont.) Table Page 4.25: Householders as a Percentage of the Berwick Electorate, 1832 -1868 122 4.26: Voting Behaviour of Freemen by Party 123 4.27: Voting Behaviour of Householders