A HISTORY OF YORKSHIRE 



The beginnings of the agitation for constitutional reform can perhaps be traced in Yorkshire 

 to the petition signed hy over 10,000 freeholders of the county against the rejection by the House 

 of Commons of John Wilkes as M.P. for Middlesex/^ This was but one of many similar petitions 

 from various parts of the country. The frequency with which petitions concerning constitutional 

 grievances are henceforward presented is an indication of the growing political self-consciousness 

 of the people, particularly in the rapidly rising towns of the new industrial districts, where the 

 increase of w^th was giving rise to new ideas and ambitions. There is a close connexion between 

 the increasing political agitation that we can trace at work in Yorkshire, particularly in the West 

 Riding, and the prosperity of the manufecturing industries, as noted in a report inserted in the 

 Home OflEce Papers for 1775." 



The agitation seems to have been extremely active during the years 1779-81. On 

 30 December 1779 a great meeting at York agreed to present a petition to the House of Commons 

 in favour of ' retrenchment and reform of the administration,' for the burden of the war was 

 greatly felt, and there was much jealousy of the increased interference of the king in government, 

 as expressed in Dunning's famous motion in the House of Commons in 1780. Committees were 

 formed to push the petition and to form an association for promoting the objects thereof.'* On 

 2 August 1780 the Yorkshire committee of the association passed resolutions against the undue 

 interference of the military in riots.'^ The objects of the petitioners seemed to be realized when, on 

 20 March 1782, the Marquess of Rockingham became the head of a new administration on condition 

 that : {a) peace was made with the Americans ; (h) substantial reforms were eflFected in the civil list 

 expenditure ; and (c) the Crown influence in Parliament should be restricted.** But on i July the 

 marquess died. His funeral at York was made the occasion of a great demonstration of public 

 regret.*^ 



The prevalent fear of a foreign invasion was met by the formation of an armed association to 

 defend the county, to support which the corporation of York voted a sum of money.*' 



Still the constitutional agitation did not die out but rather went forward in its aims, for in 

 1783 petitions came from the county and city of York and from Scarborough in favour of 

 ' remedying the present state of the representation qf the people in Parliament.*' 



The revolutionary ideas, stimulated by the tragic events in France, fell into congenial soil in 

 the industrial districts of Yorkshire. Charles James Fox received a tremendous welcome at York 

 in 1791,*^ and next year in SheflSeld the retreat of the Duke of Brunswick was made the occasion 

 of a great celebration, when flags were displayed bearing republican mottoes.** Next year petitions 

 poured into the House of Commons praying for Parliamentary reform. The Sheffield petition 

 boldly asked for ' a representation from population alone,' and the House refused to receive it.*' 

 In 1795 a Bill was brought in for 'more effectually preventing seditious meetings and assemblies.' 

 Petitions supporting it came from Leeds and from the gentlemen of Yorkshire, and against it from 

 Sheffield, York, and the freeholders of the county.*' Another petition was also presented praying 

 that peace might be made.** The state of the county may be gauged from these facts, and from 

 the further fact that in 1794, owing to the unsettled condition of affairs, a great meeting of the 

 inhabitants of York was convened and it was resolved that the most respectable inhabitants should 

 be enrolled in different corps of infantry.*' 



The year 18 17 was remarkable for outbreaks of disaffection in the commercial districts, 

 primarily due to the distress consequent upon the great Napoleonic wars and to the apathy of the 

 government towards the state of the people. Parliamentary reform was regarded as a remedy by 

 a large proportion of the labouring classes, and advantage was taken of their discontent by political 

 emissaries pretending to be reformers, who were in reality spies and instigators. 



The most notorious of these was one Oliver who concentrated his efforts in south-west 

 Yorkshire, where he inculcated the belief that the people in London and other parts were only 

 waiting to be joined by the reformers in the north in order to rise and overturn the government. 

 Several meetings were held, notably one at Thornhill Lees, where the few persons who came 

 together were surrounded by a strong military detachment and carried off to Wakefield, Oliver, the 

 prime mover, being suffered to escape. The whole system of espionage thus came to light. None 

 of the prisoners, however, were punished. 



Two days after the Thornhill meeting some hundreds of persons assembled near Huddersficld 



" Armtuil Reg. 1769, p. 205. 



" Ca/. Home Office Papers, \T]l-f„ p. 416. " Annual Reg. xxii (1779), 85 ; App. 338. 



" Ibid, riiv (1781), 140. " Ibid, ziv (1782), 177. 



^ Ibid. 182 ; Allen, op. cit. i, 197. " Allen, op. cit. i, 196. 



" Commons' J ourn. zxziz, 251 ; Jnnual Reg. xxvi (1783), 197, 204 ; App. 307. 



" Allen, op. ciL i, 200. " Annual Reg. xniv (2), 42. 



" Ibid, ixiv, 148. " Commons' "J ourn. li. 



" Ibid. 1, 390. «» Allen, op. cit. i, 201. 



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