Charles Grey Facts & Worksheets

Reform Act 1832

• The French Revolution in 1789 caused a significant decline in support for legislative reform. Many English politicians developed a resolute opposition to any substantial political alteration. 
• Notwithstanding this response, numerous factions of the Radical Movement were formed to advocate for reform. 
• In 1792, an organisation promoting parliamentary reform was established by a faction of Whigs led by James Maitland, 8th Earl of Lauderdale, and Charles Grey. Their group was known as the Society of the Friends of the People and consisted of 28 Members of Parliament.
• The organisation released a document entitled Report on the Status of Representation. This contained the misconduct, graft, and overall insufficiency within the parliamentary electoral system.
• The report revealed that the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, known as the House of Commons, was chosen through the influence of small groups or individual patrons rather than by the general public, highlighting the urgent need for reform.
• Grey served as the Parliamentary spokesperson for the Society, and in 1793 and 1797, he advocated for change in the House of Commons. However, he was consistently defeated by significant majorities on both occasions.

Why did Grey support parliamentary reform?

There are two possible explanations that can be provided.

• • Firstly, as proposed by Grey himself, the purpose of the reform was to prevent the potential violence of a popular uprising.
  • Secondly, to redirect public enthusiasm towards a moderate plan. This plan aimed not to empower the people but to diminish the electoral influence of the Crown and the government, reinforcing the existing constitutional safeguards against royal tyranny.
• The primary objective was to diminish the monarchy’s authority by limiting its control of elections and electoral patrons. This reform aimed to enhance the representativeness of Parliament and reinstate the appropriate and traditional balance between the Crown and Parliament within the Constitution.
• Grey advocated reform to reinstate the previous Constitution rather than establish a novel, democratic one. Nevertheless, there exists an alternate, more pragmatic explanation.
• The reforms suggested by the Society of the Friends of the People would undoubtedly increase the participation of individuals in parliamentary elections. However, they would not liberate these individuals from the control exerted by their employers, landowners and other social superiors.
• Reforming the electoral system by diminishing the Crown’s control over parliamentary elections would amplify the upper classes’ sway over the voting population, augmenting their authority over the government. 

Why then was Grey able to pilot the Great Reform Bill through Parliament in 1831–1832?

• His motives remained unchanged. However, the chance in 1830 was novel. Public support for reform resurfaced in the late 1820s due to several factors.
  • Firstly, the affluent middle classes, experiencing increasing wealth and prosperity, now demanded a greater say in political matters.
  • Secondly, the emergence of industrial and commercial towns like Manchester, Sheffield and Birmingham, which needed more representation in Parliament, highlighted the outdated nature of the existing representative system.
  • Lastly, the more moderate revolution in Paris in 1830 ignited liberal enthusiasm for reform in England.

Grey and Slavery Reform

• The Slave Trade Act of 1807 prohibited the trading of enslaved people within the British Empire. However, it did not make slavery itself illegal. Slavery remained lawful until the enactment of the Slavery Abolition Act in 1833. 
• After a prolonged period of advocating, Wilberforce witnessed Grenville presenting the Abolition Bill to the House of Lords, the higher chamber of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.
• Following its approval by the House of Lords, the Whigs experienced a highly anticipated advancement and subsequently proposed a second reading in the House of Commons on 23 February 1807. In 1833, the Whig administration, headed by Grey, presented a Bill aiming to eliminate slavery.
• Wilberforce passed away on 29 July 1833, and within a month later, the House of Lords enacted the Slavery Abolition Act, thereby terminating slavery in the majority of the British empire starting from August 1834.

Catholic Emancipation

• The subject of Ireland was the catalyst for the termination of Grey’s premiership in 1834. Henry Paget, the 1st Marquess of Anglesey, the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, advocated for conciliatory reform. This included partially redistributing income from tithes to the Roman Catholic Church rather than the established Church of Ireland. This strategy is sometimes referred to as appropriation.
• Amid internal disagreement, the cabinet became divided. Lord John Russell highlighted these divisions regarding appropriation in the House of Commons, which led to the resignation of Stanley and other members.
• As a result of this event, Grey decided to withdraw from public life, allowing William Lamb, the 2nd Viscount Melbourne, to take over his position.
• In contrast to most politicians, he seemed to have truly favoured a private existence – his colleagues cynically said that he would threaten to retire after every failure.

LATER YEARS

• Grey enjoyed his final years in a state of contentment, albeit occasionally experiencing restlessness while residing in Howick with his collection of books and with his family. 
• In his later years, he had a significant personal tragedy when his beloved grandson, Charles, passed away at the tender age of 13. Grey saw a decline in physical strength during his latter years and passed away peacefully in his bed on 17 July 1845. He was interred at the Church of St Michael and All Angels on the 26th, in the company of his family, intimate acquaintances, and the workers on his property.