Church, chapel and party : religious dissent and political modernization in nineteenth-century England / Richard D. Floyd.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Floyd, Richard D.

Series:

Studies in modern history (Palgrave Macmillan (Firm))

Studies in modern history

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Church and state--England--History--19th century.

Church and state.

History.

England--Church history--19th century.

England.

Church history.

Great Britain--Politics and government--19th century.

Great Britain.

Politics and government.

Physical Description:

xvi, 295 pages : 1 map ; 23 cm.

Place of Publication:

Basingstoke ; New York, NY : Palgrave Macmillan, 2008.

Summary:

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.

Contents:

1 Introduction: The Politics of Dissent at the Time of the Great Reform Bill 3

2 'A Free Trade-a Free Vote-and a Free Religion...': The Politico-Religious Landscape of Reformed England, 1832-1847 11

2.2 Nominators, agents, friends and supporters: the alignment of dissent with liberalism and the church with conservatism 12

2.3 The legacy of the repeal of the test and corporation acts and Catholic emancipation 14

2.4 Parliamentary reform 16

2.5 The campaigns to abolish colonial slavery and terminate West Indian apprenticeship 17

2.6 Irish appropriation and Peel's first ministry 19

2.7 Early demands for disestablishment in Ireland and England 21

2.8 The church rate controversy 23

2.9 Opposition to agricultural protection 27

2.10 The Maynooth grant 28

2.11 English politics and dissent, 1832-1847: summary and conclusion 30

3 Religion and Politics in a Northeastern Cathedral Town: The Case of Durham 31

3.1 Durham: Introduction 31

3.2 The 1832 general election in Durham 31

3.3 The 1835 and 1837 general elections in Durham 34

3.4 The 1841 general election in Durham 39

3.5 The April 1843 by-election in Durham 39

3.6 The July 1843 by-election in Durham 43

3.7 The 1847 general election in Durham 46

3.8 Durham: conclusion 48

4 Religion and Politics in an Industrial Midland City: The Case of Nottingham 49

4.1 Nottingham: Introduction 49

4.2 The 1832 general election in Nottingham 50

4.3 The July 1834 by-election in Nottingham 53

4.4 The 1835 general election in Nottingham 55

4.5 The 1837 general election in Nottingham 55

4.6 The April 1841 by-election in Nottingham 57

4.7 The 1841 general election in Nottingham 60

4.8 Controversy following the general election 60

4.9 The August 1842 by-election in Nottingham 61

4.10 The April 1843 by-election in Nottingham 62

4.11 The July 1846 by-election in Nottingham 65

4.12 The 1847 general election in Nottingham 65

4.13 Nottingham: conclusion 67

5 Religion and Politics in an East Anglian Port City: The Case of Ipswich 68

5.1 Ipswich: Introduction 68

5.2 The 1832 general election in Ipswich 68

5.3 The 1835 general election in Ipswich 72

5.4 The June 1835 by-election in Ipswich 75

5.5 The 1837 general election in Ipswich 75

5.6 The May 1839 by-election in Ipswich 78

5.7 The 1841 general election in Ipswich 80

5.8 The June and August 1842 by-elections in Ipswich 81

5.9 The 1847 general election in Ipswich 84

5.10 Ipswich, 1832-1847: summary and conclusion 87

6 Religion and Politics in a Southern Midland Agricultural Town: The Case of Bedford 89

6.1 Bedford: Introduction 89

6.2 The 1832 and 1835 general elections in Bedford 90

6.3 The 1837 general election in Bedford 94

6.4 The 1837 election in Bedford: remarks during the chairing 97

6.5 The 1837 election in Bedford: controversy following the poll 99

6.6 The 1841 general election in Bedford 99

6.7 The 1847 general election in Bedford 100

6.8 The 1847 election in Bedford: the chairing of the members 104

6.9 Bedford: conclusion 104

7 Religion and Politics in a Southwestern City: The Case of Exeter 106

7.1 Exeter: Introduction 106

7.2 The 1832 general election in Exeter 107

7.3 The 1835 general election in Exeter 110

7.4 The 1835 election in Exeter: the outcome and analysis of the poll 115

7.5 The 1837 general election in Exeter: speeches before the poll 116

7.6 The 1837 election in Exeter: public addresses after the poll 118

7.7 The 1837 election in Exeter: private addresses after the poll 121

7.8 The 1841 general election in Exeter 122

7.9 The April 1844 and July 1845 by-elections in Exeter 128

7.10 The 1847 general election in Exeter 132

7.11 The 1847 election in Exeter: the remarks of the returned members 135

8 Evidence of Partisan Alignment in Parliament, 1833-1847 139

8.2 The criteria and lay-out of the present analyses 140

8.3 The analyses: an overview of methods and findings 141

8.4 Detailed analyses of divisions in parliament of 1837-1841 148

8.5 The implications of varying levels of parliamentary participation 149

8.6 The 1841 parliament: implication of the Maynooth and state-funded education 151

9 Evidence of Partisan Alignment at the Constituent Level, 1832-1847 155

9.2 Earlier attempts at quantifying religion and politics: the potentials and pitfalls 156

9.3 The model used in the present analyses 156

9.4 The findings: overview and of elementary analyses 158

9.5 Change over time and more sophisticated analyses 160

9.6 Chi-square analysis 164

9.7 Old v. new dissent: the place of Wesleyan Methodists 166

10 Conclusion: The Legacy of Dissent in English Politics in the Nineteenth Century 170.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 279-288) and index.

ISBN:

9780230525405

0230525407

OCLC:

153554092