BRITISH CONSERVATISM AND THE PRIMROSE LEAGUE ... - ideals

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There were two primary causes for this concentration.
The 1885
Reform Act necessitated the creation of an organization which would
gain the support of the newly enfranchised electorate in the counties.
Secondly, the longstanding patterns of deference in these communities,
although on the decline, made them more receptive to the methods of the
League.
The Primrose League could fill a function not met by either
the working class clubs or local Conservative Associations in appealing
to newly enfranchised voters residing in the countryside.
At the regional and local level the operations of the Primrose
League were managed by the officers representing Divisional Councils
and Habitations.
They were drawn overwhelmingly from the noble,
professional, and commercial ranks of the community.
The rank and file
membership, on the other hand, appeared to more diverse, consisting of
local notables, military, religious, and professional members of the
community as well as labor, agricultural, and domestic workers. Thus,
the Primrose League was able to legitimately claim a multi-class
representation, although its following fell short of a proportionate
distribution of all
social classes.