View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by Illinois Digital Environment for Access to Learning and Scholarship Repository BRITISH CONSERVATISM AND THE PRIMROSE LEAGUE: THE CHANGING CHARACTER OF POPULAR POLITICS, 1883-1901 Diana Elaine Sheets Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Columbia University 1986 (?) 1988 DIANA ELAINE SHEETS ALL RIGHTS RESERVED ABSTRACT BRITISH CONSERVATISM AND THE PRIMROSE LEAGUE: THE CHANGING CHARACTER OF POPULAR POLITICS, 1883-1901 Diana Elaine Sheets This thesis has two principal objectives: to trace the organizational development of the Primrose League between 1883 and 1901 and to examine its role in creating a popular basis of support for Conservatism, thereby minimizing any losses incurred to the party by the enactment of the Corrupt Practices Act of 1883 and the 1885 Reform Act. A major reassessment is also provided of the Marquis of Salisbury, the leader of the Tories during the years under review. It is argued that Salisbury played a fundamental role in formulating the tactics and strategy of the modern Conservative party, the predominance of which is unchallenged to this day. Existing works by Ostrogorski and Robb provide only a general overview of the development of the Primrose League, omitting a detailed examination of the Minutes, the papers of Conservative party leaders, newspapers, and many primary and secondary sources. Here the first systematic study of the origins and development of the Primrose League between 1883 and 1901 is given. The first detailed examination of the demographics of the membership is also provided, based on the 1888 and 1899 Rolls of Habitations and selective membership rosters maintained by local associations. These sources suggest that the Primrose League achieved its greatest level of participation in 1883, when it claimed over a half million active members. In general the Primrose League was best represented in regions where the Conservative party was active, although its strength in the East Midlands testified to its ability to flourish in areas noted for their Liberal, Nonconformist character. The rank and file membership comprised predominantly members of the lower middle and middle classes, whereas the leadership was drawn largely from influential local notables. The thesis concludes with an examination of the political subculture nurtured by the League, an illustration of some local studies, and a summary of the League's performance prior to the First World War. TABLE OF CONTENTS List of Tables ii List of Graphs iii List of Illustrations iv Preface v Introduction 1 PART ONE: CHRONOLOGY 1 Early Years, 1883-1884 11 2 Development, 1885-1888 46 3 Politics, 1885-1888 83 4 Maturity and Stagnation, 1889-1901 126 PART TWO: ANALYSIS 5 The Structure of the League 179 6 Political Subculture 228 7 Local Studies 266 8 Epilogue 311 BIBLIOGRAPHY 331 APPENDICES A Cumulative Distribution of Habitation Formation Times for London Distribution of Habitation Formation Times for London 343 B Cumulative Distribution of Habitation Formation Times for Lancashire Distribution of Habitation Formation Times for Lancashire . 344 C Cumulative Distribution of Habitation Formation Times for Dorset Distribution of Habitation Formation Times for Dorset 345 D Cumulative Distribution of Habitation Formation Times for North and East Ridings, Yorkshire Distribution of Habitation Formation Times for North and East Ridings, Yorkshire 346 E Cumulative Distribution of Habitation Formation Times for West Riding, Yorkshire Distribution of Habitation Formation Times for West Riding, Yorkshire 347 F Analysis of Primrose League Membership by County for 1888. 348 G County by County Analysis of the 1888 Primrose League Membership as a Percentage of the 1891 Census 349 H Comparison of Numbers of Habitations by County Based on the 1888 and 1899 Rolls of Habitations 350 I Percentage Decline in Numbers of Habitations by County Based on the 1888 and 1899 Rolls of Habitations 352 i LIST OF TABLES 1 Finances and Membership of the LGC, 1885-1901 142 2 Grand Council Revenue, 1887-1901 143 3 SGC Ledger and Membership Summary, 1886-1901 145 4 Primrose League Membership and Habitation Rolls, 1884-1901. 154 ii LIST OF GRAPHS 1 Cumulative Distribution of Habitation Formation Times 1884-1899 . 186 2 Distribution of Habitation Formation Times, 1884-1899 .... 187 i i i LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 1 Primrose League Organization Chart 50 2 Primrose League Local Organization Chart 53 IV PREFACE For a scholar embarking on her first sustained endeavor in historical research, the challenge of undertaking a detailed analysis of the Primrose League is unmistakable. It offers the opportunity to address some of the central issues in late nineteenth and twentieth century political history. Prominent among these are the social, political, and geographical foundations of popular conservatism, extra­ parliamentary factors responsible for the transformation of the Conservative party to the preeminent ruling power in government, and the role of the Marquis of Salisbury, the Prime Minister throughout most of the years under study. The first two themes are exemplified in the evolution of the League while the third is the subject of a major reassessment. An investigation of the Primrose League also offers an increasingly rare chance to students of modern British political history, the absence of an existing systematic study. I have attempted to fill that void by providing both a qualitative and quantitative account of the growth and development of the Primrose League. In the course of my research I had an opportunity seldom conferred upon a doctoral candidate, the chance to assist in the transfer of a privately held collection of documents to a public archive. In this case, the papers of the Primrose League, the most extensive collection of late nineteenth century manuscripts available relating to the Conservative party, were conveyed from a storage v facility in London's East End to the Conservative Party Archives of the Bodleian Library in Oxford. A special debt of gratitude is owed to Lord Blake, Provost of The Queen's College, Oxford as well as Lord Home and Lord Mowbray and Stourton for having generously contributed their time and effort to ensure the timely acquisition of these papers. Particular thanks are owed to D.G. Vaisey, Keeper of Western Manuscripts at the Bodleian, Stephen Stacey, Archivist of the Conservative Party Archives, and various members of the staff for their kindness in making the documents available to me immediately upon their arrival at Oxford, a courtesy indispensable to the completion of this thesis. My appreciation also extends to the executive of the Primrose League for their efforts which enabled me to examine the papers. In obtaining archival materials necessary to the completion of the dissertation, I was fortunate to be able to enlist the assistance of a number of individuals and institutions including Joan West, the librarian for the Conservative Party Research Department, and Miss Ann Hay, Secretary to the Scottish Conservative and Unionist Association. Miss Hay generously made available, not only the collection of Scottish Grand Council records, but, for a good portion of my stay in Edinburgh, the use of her office as well. A number of archivists rendered valuable assistance including Miss M.M. Stewart at Churchill College, R.H. Harcourt Williams of Hatfield House, and Dr. B.S. Benedikz of Birmingham University Library. I am also grateful for the opportunity to examine papers from the estates of Lord Balfour and the late Duke of Beaufort. VI Materials were also consulted at the British Library, the London School of Economics, the Public Record Office, the House of Lords Records Office, the National Register of Archives for England and Scotland, and the Institute for Historical Research at the University of London. Reference sources were examined at the Victoria Library in London, the Navy League, the League for the Exchange of Commonwealth Teachers, and Rhodes House. Librarians at both the Gloucester Public Library and the Birmingham Reference Library provided generous assistance as did the archivists and their assistants at the Dorset, Hertfordshire, Lancashire, Gloucestershire, and Cumbria Records Offices. I am indebted to a number of scholars for their advice regarding my thesis, particularly during its early stage of formation. Arno J. Mayer originally proposed the Primrose League to me as a topic worthy of a dissertation and provided great encouragement during the preliminary phase of my graduate studies. Michael Wills, a television news reporter for I.T.V., generously provided me with material on various aspects of the Primrose League. Martin Pugh, Henry Pelling, R.F. Foster, Bernard Porter, Jonathan Steinberg, Peter Clarke, Graham Howes, and R.K. Webb also offered valuable advice. It is my great misfortune that the untimely death of S.E. Koss, who began the supervision of thesis, prevented him from overseeing its completion. I am, however, fortunate in having had the assistance of four individuals who donated generously of their time, helping to shape and improve the contours of the final draft of the dissertation. In vii this regard, I acknowledge my sponsor, J.M. Bean; my Second Reader, Allan Silver; and members of my committee, Dr. David Cannadine and Professor Michael Hanagan. Any errors in historical fact or judgment which remain are mine alone. Financial support was provided in the form of a "Pre- Dissertation Grant" from the Council of European Studies at Columbia University. A number of British friends contributed to making my stay in the United Kingdom memorable. Charlotte Caplan generously took me in as a guest in her house in London for more than three months, an intrusion met with repeated acts of kindness. Professor Frank Fallside and his wife Maureen greatly enhanced my stay in Cambridge through their many cordial invitations and the thoughtful gesture of obtaining dining privileges on my behalf at Trinity Hall.