BRITISH CONSERVATISM AND THE PRIMROSE LEAGUE ... - ideals

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achievement is a significant one.
Cheshire, which had performed well
in 1888 with 53 Habitations and 3 percent of its 1891 census, actually
increased its Habitation count by two in 1899.
If we include the entire county of Wiltshire within Wessex, the
area managed to maintain a strong presence.
The exception to this
trend was Dorset which declined by 31 percent.
This poor performance
is explained to some extent by the county's extremely strong showing in
the previous Roll which measured 6.5 percent of its 1891 census
population.
Under these circumstances it would have been very
difficult for Dorset to measure up to its' past record. Nevertheless,
the decrease was a significant one, extending beyond mere readjustment.
Hampshire, a strong performer in 1888, retained 96 percent of its
original standing. Wiltshire actually managed to increase its number
of Habitations by one, bringing the total to 35 associations in 1899.
Two final
areas worthy of note are the North and West Midlands
known, respectively, for their Liberal and Liberal Unionist
representation.
The northern-most counties of England, Cumberland,
Durham, and Northumberland, declined somewhat, managing to hold within
10 percent of their earlier levels. However, given their extremely
poor showing in 1888, this can not be seen as a substantial
achievement.
The industrial West Midlands region, encompassing
Warwickshire, Worcestershire, and Staffordshire counties, declined
significantly by 1899, to 82, 74, and 53 percent, respectively, of
their 1888 totals.
This represents an especially significant decline
in the face of the area's poor standing nine years previously.