BRITISH CONSERVATISM AND THE PRIMROSE LEAGUE ... - ideals

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The use of the census as a measure of League development is
most appropriate in counties where membership figures exceed at least
5,000 but preferably 10,000. Looking at these categories, we find that
the League figured most prominently in the rural constituencies of
England.
This coincides with the general Primrose League emphasis in
recruiting agricultural communities as the principal, though by no
means the exclusive, base of support.
Looking at those counties exceeding 5,000 Primrose members and
representing 3 percent or more of the population, we find the League
grew in areas not ordinarily associated with the Conservative party.
This was particularly the case in the East Midlands and East Anglia
regions where Liberalism and Nonconformity dominated.
Most striking is
the development of Lincolnshire county with over 26,000 members
representing a generous 5.5 percent of its population. Similarly,
Derbyshire with 17,223 members or 3.2 percent of the county census and
Leicestershire whose 12,040 members made up 3.2 percent of the
population, were also active constituencies.
In East Anglia, Norfolk
and Suffolk counties were well
supported, the former with 15,104
members constituting 3.3 percent of its census, the latter,
respectively, 11,375 and 3 percent.
The League also prospered in the Central region, achieving 5
percent representation in Buckinghamshire, a somewhat more modest 2.9
percent in Berkshire and 3.4 percent in Oxfordshire.
All of the
aforementioned counties had a Primrose membership of between five and
ten thousand.
In the Bristol region, the League flourished in
Somerset, registering 3.5 percent of the population with 17,333