Religious Dissent and Political Modernization: Church, Chapel and Party in Nineteenth-Century England (Studies in Modern History)

This new research investigates the political controversies that swirled around a powerful and privileged state church and an aroused protestant and Catholic dissent demanding equality. Through close examination of dozens of electoral contests in several carefully chosen constituencies, the author demonstrates that the fundamental division separating the burgeoning liberal and conservative parties in England in the 1830s and 1840s was religion, and that this controversy was what created a perceptible two-party system in British politics. Contents......Page 8 Map and Tables......Page 12 Acknowledgements......Page 13 Abbreviations......Page 15 Part I......Page 18 1 Introduction: The Politics of Dissent at the Time of the Great Reform Bill......Page 20 2.1 Introduction......Page 28 2.2 Nominators, agents, friends and supporters: the alignment of dissent with liberalism and the church with conservatism......Page 29 2.3 The legacy of the repeal of the test and corporation acts and Catholic emancipation......Page 31 2.4 Parliamentary reform......Page 33 2.5 The campaigns to abolish colonial slavery and terminate West Indian apprenticeship......Page 34 2.6 Irish appropriation and Peel's first ministry......Page 36 2.7 Early demands for disestablishment in Ireland and England......Page 38 2.8 The church rate controversy......Page 40 2.9 Opposition to agricultural protection......Page 44 2.10 The Maynooth grant......Page 45 2.11 English politics and dissent, 1832–1847: summary and conclusion......Page 47 3.2 The 1832 general election in Durham......Page 48 3.3 The 1835 and 1837 general elections in Durham......Page 51 3.5 The April 1843 by-election in Durham......Page 56 3.6 The July 1843 by-election in Durham......Page 60 3.7 The 1847 general election in Durham......Page 63 3.8 Durham: conclusion......Page 65 4.1 Nottingham: Introduction......Page 66 4.2 The 1832 general election in Nottingham......Page 67 4.3 The July 1834 by-election in Nottingham......Page 70 4.5 The 1837 general election in Nottingham......Page 72 4.6 The April 1841 by-election in Nottingham......Page 74 4.8 Controversy following the general election......Page 77 4.9 The August 1842 by-election in Nottingham......Page 78 4.10 The April 1843 by-election in Nottingham......Page 79 4.12 The 1847 general election in Nottingham......Page 82 4.13 Nottingham: conclusion......Page 84 5.2 The 1832 general election in Ipswich......Page 85 5.3 The 1835 general election in Ipswich......Page 89 5.5 The 1837 general election in Ipswich......Page 92 5.6 The May 1839 by-election in Ipswich......Page 95 5.7 The 1841 general election in Ipswich......Page 97 5.8 The June and August 1842 by-elections in Ipswich......Page 98 5.9 The 1847 general election in Ipswich......Page 101 5.10 Ipswich, 1832–1847: summary and conclusion......Page 104 6.1 Bedford: Introduction......Page 106 6.2 The 1832 and 1835 general elections in Bedford......Page 107 6.3 The 1837 general election in Bedford......Page 111 6.4 The 1837 election in Bedford: remarks during the chairing......Page 114 6.6 The 1841 general election in Bedford......Page 116 6.7 The 1847 general election in Bedford......Page 117 6.9 Bedford: conclusion......Page 121 7.1 Exeter: Introduction......Page 123 7.2 The 1832 general election in Exeter......Page 124 7.3 The 1835 general election in Exeter......Page 127 7.4 The 1835 election in Exeter: the outcome and analysis of the poll......Page 132 7.5 The 1837 general election in Exeter: speeches before the poll......Page 133 7.6 The 1837 election in Exeter: public addresses after the poll......Page 135 7.7 The 1837 election in Exeter: private addresses after the poll......Page 138 7.8 The 1841 general election in Exeter......Page 139 7.9 The April 1844 and July 1845 by-elections in Exeter......Page 145 7.10 The 1847 general election in Exeter......Page 149 7.11 The 1847 election in Exeter: the remarks of the returned members......Page 152 Part II......Page 154 8.1 Introduction......Page 156 8.2 The criteria and lay-out of the present analyses......Page 157 8.3 The analyses: an overview of methods and findings......Page 158 8.4 Detailed analyses of divisions in parliament of 1837–1841......Page 165 8.5 The implications of varying levels of parliamentary participation......Page 166 8.6 The 1841 parliament: implication of the Maynooth and state-funded education......Page 168 8.7 Conclusions......Page 171 9.1 Introduction......Page 172 9.3 The model used in the present analyses......Page 173 9.4 The findings: overview and of elementary analyses......Page 175 9.5 Change over time and more sophisticated analyses......Page 177 9.6 Chi-square analysis......Page 181 9.7 Old v. new dissent: the place of Wesleyan Methodists......Page 183 9.8 Conclusions......Page 186 10 Conclusion: The Legacy of Dissent in English Politics in the Nineteenth Century......Page 187 Appendix A......Page 196 Appendix B......Page 205 Notes......Page 254 Bibliography......Page 296 C......Page 306 D......Page 307 F......Page 308 I......Page 309 N......Page 310 T......Page 311 W......Page 312 Through close examination of dozens of electoral contests in carefully chosen constituencies, the author demonstrates that the fundamental division separating the burgeoning liberal and conservative parties in England in the 1830s and 1840s was religion, and that this controversy was what created a perceptible two-party system in British politics. Religious Dissent and Political Modernization examines the role played by religious dissent in English political life in the years after the reform act of 1832. It argues that dissent was the chief mainstay of the burgeoning liberal party, and that the conflict between dissent and the Church of England was the fundamental element in the creation of a modern two-party political system. To shed light on this phenomenon, the work examines in detail dozens of electoral contests in several carefully chosen constituencies representing unique regional and economic interests and dominant local industries, as well as different prevailing religious practices. Through systematic analysis of the circumstances of these contests-and both quantitative and more traditional methods of investigation-the evidence demonstrates that what really energized the electorate, and candidates who sought their votes, was religion Introduction: The Politics Of Dissent At The Time Of The Great Reform Bill -- A Free Trade, A Free Vote, And A Free Religion... : The Politico-religious Landscape Of Reformed England, 1832-1847 -- Religion And Politics In A Northeastern Cathedral Town : The Case Of Durham -- Religion And Politics In An Industrial Midland City : The Case Of Nottingham -- Religion And Politics In An East Anglian Port City : The Case Of Ipswich -- Religion And Politics In A Southern Midland Agricultural Town : The Case Of Bedford -- Religion And Politics In A Southwestern City : The Case Of Exeter -- Evidence Of Partisan Alignment In Parliament, 1833-1847 -- Evidence Of Partisan Alignment At The Constituent Level, 1832-1847 -- Conclusion: The Legacy Of Dissent In English Politics In The Nineteenth Century. Richard D. Floyd. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 279-288) And Index. Richard Floyd investigates the political controversies that swirled around a powerful and privileged state church and an aroused protestant and Catholic dissent demanding equality