What caused the 1832 Great Reform Act?

• Tasks
• Background
• Teachers' notes
• External links
• Connection to Curriculum

In 1832, Parliament passed a law that changed the British electoral system. It was known as the Great Reform Act, which basically gave the vote to middle class men, leaving working men disappointed. 

The Reform Act became law in response to years of criticism of the electoral system from those outside and inside Parliament. Elections in Britain were neither fair nor representative. In order to vote, a person had to own property or pay certain taxes to qualify, which excluded most working class people. There were also constituencies with several voters that elected two MPs to Parliament, such as Old Sarum in Salisbury. In these ‘rotten boroughs’, with few voters and no secret ballot, it was easy for those standing for election to buy votes. Industrial towns like Manchester or Birmingham, which had grown during the previous 80 years, had no Members of Parliament to represent them. In 1831, the House of Commons passed a Reform Bill, but the House of Lords, dominated by the Tory party, defeated it. This was followed by riots and serious disturbances in London, Birmingham, Derby, Nottingham, Leicester, Yeovil, Sherborne, Exeter and Bristol. 

In this lesson use original documents from 1830-31 to explore demands for change in the voting system. 

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Tasks

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Background

The riots in Bristol were some of the worst seen in England in the 19th century. They began when Sir Charles Wetherall, who was opposed to the Reform Bill, came to open the Assize Court in his role as Recorder, or senior judge. Assize courts were held in the main county towns and presided over by visiting judges from the higher courts based in London. Public buildings and houses were set on fire, there was more than £300,000 of damage and twelve people died. Of 102 people arrested and tried, 31 were sentenced to death. Lieutenant-Colonel Brereton, the commander of the army in Bristol, was court-martialled. 

There was a fear in government that unless there was some reform there might be a revolution instead. They looked to the July 1830 revolution in France, which overthrew King Charles X and replaced him with the more moderate King Louis-Philippe who agreed to a constitutional monarchy. 

In Britain, King William IV lost popularity for standing in the way of reform. Eventually he agreed to create new Whig peers, and when the House of Lords heard this, they agreed to pass the Reform Act. As result, 57 ‘rotten and pocket boroughs’ were removed and the new towns like Birmingham, Bradford, Leeds, and Sheffield for example given the right to elect MPs, although constituencies were still of uneven size. However, only men in the boroughs who owned property worth at least £10 could vote. In the counties only adult men owning property worth £2 a year and adult males renting land worth more than £50 a year. Most working class men were excluded from the vote owing to these property qualifications – which varied across the country depending upon house prices and only men who could afford to pay to stand for election could be MPs. All women were excluded. In effect most middle class men gained the vote and some skilled craftsmen. This reform did not go far enough to silence all protest. 

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Teachers' notes

This lesson uses sources from The National Archives to explore some of the context to the passage of the Great Reform Act of 1832. Before starting, it would be useful to ensure that students are familiar with key political terms: suffrage; ballot; representation; franchise; legislature for example. 

The first source to be examined is a petition from South Shields in County Durham, 31 August 1830. The townspeople chose to petition Parliament to demand the right to elect their own MPs. They also give their reasons why they want to be part of the political process. The source demonstrates the demand for political reform in the country especially in growing industrial towns. It is also worth discussing with students the tone of the petition, which is highly respectful. This source is quite challenging in comparison to the others, teachers may wish to break it down into sections for discussion. Words are defined in square brackets and phrases explained at the end of the transcript to support.  

The second source is an advertisement for a dinner in Gateshead in August 1830 to celebrate the July 1830 revolution in France. This was part of wave of revolutions which swept across Europe. The July revolution in France was the second in France, since 1789. It marked the overthrow of Bourbon King Charles X who was replaced by Louise Philippe, Duke of Orleans as King. Louise Philippe was later forced to abdicate in the Revolution of 1848. It is important to explore with students why the government might have been concerned and gathered information about this meeting. How does it help to explain the growing demand for political reform in the 19th century? 

Finally, students look at a series extracts from an article in the ‘The Bristol Gazette’ on a riot in Bristol, 3 November 1831. According the newspaper, there were 8 inquests into why people died during the riot ‘of which two died by excessive drinking, four were burnt in the Square, and two were shot. A very great number must have lost their lives, of which we can obtain no account’. Here students can look at the response of the authorities to events and determine if these events were linked to the demand for political reform and changes to voting system. Why was Sir Charles Wetherell so disliked? What other factors caused discontent? The source could also provide the opportunity to discuss the role of the press and how these events are reported. 

Starter Activity

Teachers could use the illustration image, a lithograph entitled: ‘Conjugation of the verb to Reform: ‘The School of Reform’, printed in May 1831 for a starter activity. Define the term: ‘Conjugation’ as the change that takes place in a verb to express person e.g. you, I, we, they. 

• Ask the students to describe what is shown in the picture 
• Use the source and caption notes at the end lesson to identify the characters 
• What does the title of the image suggest? 
• What impression does the image infer about the government’s attitude towards reform? 
• Why do you think this cartoon image was produced? 
• What does it infer about agitation for reform of the electoral system? 
• Where or how would people have seen this image? 
• What are the advantages and disadvantages of using visual evidence? 

You may want to split the lesson for students working individually or use the document sources in paired/group work. Students should be encouraged to think about the limitations of looking at this evidence to evaluate any understanding of the demand for reform to electoral system. 

All sources are transcribed and difficult language defined in square brackets. Source one also has some asterisked notes. 

Sources 

Illustration image: 

Lithograph entitled ‘The School of Reform’ printed by W. & J. O. Clerk, Published by S. Gans, May 1831 © The Trustees of the British Museum. 

Earl Charles Grey, Liberal/Whig Prime Minister is shown holding a blank book, he is standing behind a high stool. Nine of the thirteen members of Grey’s cabinet were members of the House of Lords when he was made Prime Minister in November 1830, determined to produce a reform bill that aimed to give more people a voice and representation in Parliament. 

Shown from (right to left) boys to represent the Dukes of Cumberland and Gloucester, Lord Eldon and Ellenborough (partly hidden by Grey’s desk), with Lord Londonderry on his left. In the second row are seven boys including Lord Wetherell, sitting next Sir Robert Peel and thumbing his nose. On the right are Aberdeen and Newcastle. The boys do not look at their books. The Duke of Wellington (he is a strong Tory) weeps with the fingers of both hands in his mouth and his cap resembles a fool’s cap. The boys are drawn in caricature with small bodies and large heads. 

Source 1: A petition from South Shields in County Durham, 31 August 1830, Catalogue ref: HO 44/24. 

Source 2: Advertisement for a dinner in Gateshead in August 1830 to celebrate the July 1830 revolution in France, Catalogue ref: HO 44/21. 

Sources 3a-g: Extracts from ‘The Bristol Gazette’ on a riot in Bristol, 3 November 1831, Catalogue ref: HO 40/28. 

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External links

Short video: What was the Great Reform Act 1832? Created by the Parliamentary Archives & Royal Holloway, University of London: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7geGIkPy5q0 

Discover more sources from Bristol Museum on the Reform Riots in the city in 1831: https://museums.bristol.gov.uk/narratives.php?irn=3064 

Find out how the Great Reform Act became linked to Magna Carta from the British Library: https://www.bl.uk/collection-items/the-great-charter-of-1832#:~:text=The%20Great%20Reform%20Act%20was,it%20as%20another%20Magna%20Carta

Connection to Curriculum

Key stage 4 

AQA GCSE History: Britain: Power and the people: c1170 to the present day:  

Key stage 5 

AQA GCE History: The Age of Reform: Britain 1832-1885 

Edexcel GCE History: Protest, agitation and parliamentary reform in Britain, c1780–1928  

OCR GCE History: From Pitt to Peel: Britain 1783–1853  

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