BRITISH CONSERVATISM AND THE PRIMROSE LEAGUE ... - ideals

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include London, Middlesex, Surrey, Kent, Sussex, and Lancashire. The
great enthusiasm generated by the League in London, assisted in part by
the efforts of the LGC, helped generate activities in the South-East
region.
Herefordshire was the most active county in the area,
measuring 5.9 percent of its 1891 census (220,162).
Nevertheless, its
rural, agrarian character sets it apart from other counties in the
South-East.
the region.
Sussex, for instance, was the second strongest county in
It had more than double the population (550,446) and
obtained less than half (2.9 percent) Herefordshire's representation
while Surrey achieved only .7 percent of its census (1,731,343).
In the case of Lancashire in the North-West, it seems to have
developed a significant base for Habitations, despite a number of
obstacles.
These included the strength of working class organizations
in the urban constituencies of Liverpool and Manchester; a lack of
enthusiasm for the League in a number of smaller, but significant
industrial centers; and the rivalry with radical politics nurtured in
sections of the eastern portion of the county.
Wales, with 94 Habitations in 1888, and Scotland, with 85 in
1899, were less significantly developed relative to England in 1888
(1,573). 2 3 As Appendix H demonstrates, efforts were made to establish
associations throughout these regions.
Nevertheless, they formed
primarily in areas sympathetic to the Conservative party.
Centers of
23 No geographical/political interpretation has been provided
for Ireland because of its exceedingly poor Habitation representation.
The 1888 Roll lists 22 associations covering a radius of fifteen
counties, leaving fully 17 with no League organization. By 1899 the
representation had declined to 21 associations encompassing a ten
county region.