BRITISH CONSERVATISM AND THE PRIMROSE LEAGUE ... - ideals

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266 CHAPTER SEVEN Local Studies We have a crude mass to instruct, and only simple tools should be put into their hands. ... An urban elec torate of 300,000 must be dominated by the mass or the poorest on the register. Divided into five--some one or more of the districts will be under the influence of the more intelligent, the various classes living in a great measure apart. A caucus to manipulate a 300,000 constituency and to handle four or five members, is a power that will be felt. Divide this by five each independent they are simply committees of the old sort, of no power beyond their own district and very jealous of interference from extraneous influences. With subdivision the caucus will be broken. A.B. Forwood to the Marquis of Salisbury, 20 October 1884 I This chapter examines a number of disparate themes characterizing the practices of the Primrose League at the local level. The first of the points considered is the uniformity of Habitation practices. Given the size and scale of operations, this was one of the most striking features of the organization. Another theme considered is the importance of the Corrupt Practices Act of 1883 in encouraging the development of the Primrose League as an extra-parliamentary organ serving the interests of the Conservative party. In order to demonstrate both the continuity of operations and the distinctive features of local organization, seven brief case studies have been provided, several of which are based on records obtained from County Record Offices. Among the Habitations examined
267 are Ladywood (Birmingham), Huddersfield (West Riding, Yorkshire), Whitehaven (Cumberland), Garstang (Lancashire), and two associations in Gloucestershire, Nailsworth and Horsley Habitation and Thornbury. The SGC has also been considered as a regional organization in order to explore issues relevant to Scotland in this chapter.1 With the 1 The Ladywood Primrose Magazine (March-December, 1887) renamed The Edgbaston, Harborne, and Ladywood Primrose Magazine by 1892 (vol. 3, no. 36) constitutes the key source available for Ladywood Habitation. A copy is kept at the Birmingham Public Library, L76.21. The library also provides a number of related materials including the Annual Report (1894) of the Birmingham Conservative Association, Ladywood Ward; Birmingham Institutions F/3. Aston Manor Habitation, Fine Arts Exhibition Catalogue of Exhibitions, Lp76.211. E. Lawrence Levy, The Midland Conservative Club (1909), L76.21. The records of Huddersfield Habitation include the Minutes (1886-1898); Cash Book (1887-1900); List of Knights 1 and Dames' Register (1896-1900); Cheque Book (1896-1900); and Receipt Book (1897 1900). Ramsden Estate Papers, Kirklees District Archives, DD/RE/160-5. The materials relating to Whitehaven Habitation include the Minutes (1888-1902); Cash Book (1889-1902); Bank Book (1897-1900); three Registers (1893-97, 1898-1901, 1902); and the 1897, 1899, and 1904 Roll of Habitations. Lowther Family Archives, Cumbria County Council Record Office, DL0NS. The Garstang Habitation records include the Minutes (1894 1911); the Registrar (1897-1909), and Cash Book (1894-1911). The Papers of Fitzherbert Brockholes, Lancashire Record Office, DDFZ. The Gloucestershire Record Office includes the documents of a number of Habitations, although the Nailsworth and Horsley and Thornbury Habitations are the only detailed minute records included in this collection. The Minutes of the Nailsworth and Horsley Habitation (1897-1899) were deposited by the Duke of Beaufort. Gloucestershire Record Office, DD219 618 4887. Thornbury Habitation Minutes (1887 1910), D1578. Materials pertaining to the Coin Valley Habitation include the minutes of three meetings (1885-86), a Register (1885-88), Accounts (1885-90), correspondence (1885-1893), and miscellaneous documents. The correspondence of Sir Gerald Codrington, Honorary Secretary of the Chipping Sodbury (Codrington) Habitation, are also housed in the Gloucestershire Record Office, D1610/X31. The Badminton Habitation Cash Book is also available, courtesy of the Duke of Beaufort, D2700/602.2.1. The Gloucester Public Library contains some relevant materials including Warrants, Diplomas, bylaws, as well as a Register for Hardwicke Habitation, and the 1899 Roll of Habitations. The Scottish Conservative and Unionist Association located in Edinburgh contains the records of the SGC. These include two minutes books covering the years 1885-1904 and 1904-1920; a Cash Ledger (1884 1895), a Ledger providing the income and expenditure accounts (1886
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BRITISH CONSERVATISM AND THE PRIMRO
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ABSTRACT BRITISH CONSERVATISM AND
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TABLE OF CONTENTS List of Tables Li
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LIST OF GRAPHS 1 Cumulative Distri
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PREFACE For a scholar embarking on
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Materials were also consulted at th
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INTRODUCTION The Primose League wa
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3 Conservative party leadership. Th
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5 government. It is, for him, a sys
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7 up in the early twentieth century
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9 Through an examination of a numbe
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11 . CHAPTER ONE Early Years, 1883
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country, albeit with the tacit supp
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15 districts to reflect the distrib
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17 marked most dramatically in the
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19 my allegiance to the Sovereign o
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21 leadership. 1 ? yhe Registrar wa
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23 at the meetings of .the Habitati
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25 Women in a sense had been active
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Although this was precisely the rol
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29 Ill As early as January, 1884 t
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The gains made in the recruitment o
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33 move intended to suggest the ass
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35 The Ruling Council enlarged its
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37 members charged with overseeing
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39 chairmanship of Gorst. 57 The P
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41 The political responsibilities o
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43 Conservative Cabinet. Balfour, A
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45 been taken, presumably at the in
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47 In many respects the formal adop
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49 existing institutions by means o
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Gains made in other spheres helped
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53 PRIMROSE LEAGUE LOCAL ORGANIZATI
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55 day decisions to its Executive C
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57 Between the years 1886 and 1888
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59 By contrast, District. Agents we
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61 As the organization expanded, ne
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63 meetings should be conducted at
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65 While the move to shift registra
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67 League. Consequently in Janyary,
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69 The idea of a great loose body o
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71 the League's formation. 44 A mor
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The controversy, which assumed its
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75 Habitations. 55 The dispute bet
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77 The direct-mail solicitation suc
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Lord Salisbury, as Grand Master, li
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81 Agency, a Primrose Gazette Commi
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83 CHAPTER THREE Politics, 1885-18
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85 minimizing the irreversible gain
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87 implementation until January, 18
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89 a source of popular support. In
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anquet held just prior to the 1885
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93 Political Secretary. A decision
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self-imposed restraints exercised d
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97 practiced by Habitations. 26 By
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99 The exact extent of League compl
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101 Lady Churchill recalled that at
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103 charge 1,222,000 pamphlets, lea
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105 He was perfectly prepared to dr
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107 Increasingly the party made inr
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109 in promoting a voluntary extrap
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Ill activities brought about by th
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113 "representative" conservative o
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Churchill's prospects further dimin
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117 Despite the lapse of time since
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119 Maximum annual earnings for the
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121 The Rev. J.S. Beckwith, speakin
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123 the most jealous religious comm
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125 Between the years 1885 and 1888
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Honorary Secretaries. At the bottom
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129 the highest level by the operat
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131 promoting supporters of denomin
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The women were prime movers in the
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135 Women assumed a proportionately
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137 More typical, perhaps, is Nails
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agents, and even the Vice Chancello
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141 which the revenues of the Grand
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143 TABLE 2 Grand Council Revenue
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145 TABLE 3 SGC Ledger and Membersh
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147 A Grand Council Precept was iss
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149 become involved in party politi
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151 notable female initiatives incl
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153 Perhaps more than anything else
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period of several years and found i
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157 However, the declining membersh
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159 multi-page handouts to single f
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161 the 152 reported in 1890. 61 O
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163 years later they proposed the e
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165 On the political front the Gran
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concerning Britain's economy and ov
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169 feature of the later years was
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171 on all great and vital question
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It seems significant that at the ti
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A new generation of imperial associ
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177 the war was the extent to which
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170 concerns in which Ireland was p
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172 they failed in their result, bu
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estoration of British supremacy and
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176 Certainly, the Primrose League
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Certainly the League was capable of
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180 Their victory in 1868 brought g
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182 II The best means available fo
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184 Elections 3 which provides a de
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186 stage of Habitation growth on a
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188 Appendices A, B, C, D, and E pr
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League made early inroads, almost a
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192 If we examine other regions of
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194 V Four years later, the situat
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196 The representation of the Primr
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198 The use of the census as a meas
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Cheshire county, located in Fawcett
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Habitation influence in Wales as me
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204 Even allowing for varying regio
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206 Another prominent feature exhib
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egion it appears to have reached it
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210 achievement is a significant on
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316 or 8.3 percent of all officers.
Page 235 and 236: undoubtedly highly esteemed in thei
Page 237 and 238: 216 Hanwell might best be character
Page 239 and 240: 218 a number of judgements. Individ
Page 241 and 242: Members of the military, none of wh
Page 243 and 244: 222 caused many to regard his achie
Page 245 and 246: area, although a cotton factory and
Page 247 and 248: were attracted by the unique opport
Page 249 and 250: 228 CHAPTER SIX Political Subcultu
Page 251 and 252: 230 urban and rural communities whi
Page 253 and 254: 232 II The "invention of tradition
Page 255 and 256: League, "the maintenance of religio
Page 257 and 258: 236 As late as 1886, Gladstone's pe
Page 259 and 260: following passage is quoted at leng
Page 261 and 262: material ran round the various balc
Page 263 and 264: Deference has fared somewhat better
Page 265 and 266: 244 Times are altered, and we have
Page 267 and 268: Periodic meetings were held to prom
Page 269 and 270: 248 offered differentiating the var
Page 271 and 272: 250 Bagehot exaggerated the extent
Page 273 and 274: 252 actually held positions as Knig
Page 275 and 276: 254 The social advantages conferred
Page 277 and 278: 256 existing order by appealing to
Page 279 and 280: 258 House of Lords, and the Church
Page 281 and 282: 260 Wish they were dead.57 A compa
Page 283 and 284: 262 Conservatives were urged to uni
Page 285: 265 Conservative M.P.s' thanking lo
Page 289 and 290: 269 and counterbalanced by the enti
Page 291 and 292: 271 both in addition to an Honorary
Page 293 and 294: 273 League. In large measure this w
Page 295 and 296: 275 Prior to 1885 the rural communi
Page 297 and 298: 277 that all qualified voters suppo
Page 299 and 300: 279 Liberal Unionist member.*6 Des
Page 301 and 302: independently of ordinary Conservat
Page 303 and 304: 283 Relations remained uneasy in Bi
Page 305 and 306: Woolen manufacturing was the primar
Page 307 and 308: 287 speaker retained by Grand Counc
Page 309 and 310: In the case of both Bain and Helder
Page 311 and 312: 291 Catholics favoring denomination
Page 313 and 314: 293 The efforts of members of the e
Page 315 and 316: later, members reminisced "over the
Page 317 and 318: 297 The increasingly cosmopolitan f
Page 319 and 320: 299 in South Africa" and a donation
Page 321 and 322: difficulties, we have at last succe
Page 323 and 324: While special rights and privileges
Page 325 and 326: 305 exclusively of Dames.79 The re
Page 327 and 328: dated 21 February 1890, Merrick com
Page 329 and 330: Begun in February of 1888, Whitehav
Page 331 and 332: 311 CHAPTER EIGHT Epilogue We [th
Page 333 and 334: 313 politics. Although it adopted t
Page 335 and 336: 315 the party like Walter Long, Leo
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317 The years 1900-1914 were marked
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319 London executive following the
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321 Financial and minute records in
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who were occupiers in their own rig
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In part this misconception has been
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327 century received a mixed respon
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329 social and political reforms. I
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331 BIBLIOGRAPHY I Primrose League
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333 Thornbury Habitation Minutes,,
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Cannadine, David. "The Context, Per
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Gwyn, William B. Democracy and the
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339 Mathias, Peter. The First Indus
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341 Rempel, Richard A. Unionists Di
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343 APPENDIX A London 1899 cumula
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345 APPENDIX C Dorset 1899 cumula
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347 APPENDIX E West Riding, Yorksh
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APPENDIX G County by County Analys
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APPENDIX H (Cont'd) Comparison of
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