SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC HISTORY 



in 1843 a sum of ^100,000 was asked for, and towards this no less than 

 ;^ 1 2,000 was subscribed in an hour and a half at Manchester, Liverpool 

 following with ^4,600. With this capital behind it even the landlords had 

 to acknowledge the strength of the agitation, and in 1844 the marquis of 

 Westminster, one of the wealthiest among them, joined the league. The 

 funds of the league were applied largely to the purchase of freeholds for 

 registration purposes, and in this way a great hold was secured upon parlia- 

 mentary representation.*" 



It is a matter of history how, influenced by the distress in Ireland, 

 Sir Robert Peel completely changed his views, and took office in 1845 

 pledged to the policy of repeal of the Corn Laws, in which he had the 

 support of the Free Trade members. The bill promoting the gradual 

 abolition of the duties was read and passed through both Houses in the 

 spring of 1846. The operation of the tax was practically to cease after 

 I February, 1849. 



Meanwhile a strong agitation had been going on to promote the 

 curtailing of the hours of factory labour, and in July, 1847, the Ten Hours 

 Bill passed both Houses. 



Scarcely, however, had the Lancashire people emerged from one 

 disastrous period than they were called upon to meet another. The out- 

 break of Civil War in America in 1861 stopped the import of cotton into 

 Liverpool, and with the suspension of their staple employment ruin and 

 starvation stared the unhappy operatives in the face. Population had made 

 great strides by the sixties, and large families had been reared to feed the 

 demand for factory hands. The distress was consequently on an unprece- 

 dented scale, and became a matter of national concern. A Central Relief 

 Committee was formed to meet the deficiency in wages, the weekly loss of 

 which was estimated at ^Ti 68,000. In Manchester and the immediate neigh- 

 bourhood the destitution was terrible. Out of a population in 1862 of 

 357,604 persons 5,906 factory hands were out of work, 10,01 1 were partially 

 employed, and only 8,388 were on full work."^ The returns published at a 

 later date show 13,484 working short time, 21,317 full time, and 13,314 

 persons out of work. Out of 84 cotton mills in the city of Manchester, 22 

 were entirely stopped and 30 working short time. At Ashton-under-Lyne in 

 1862, among a population of 36,791 persons, 10,933 were employed in cotton. 

 Of these 3,395 were out of work, 6,370 partially employed, and 1,228 only 

 on full time.*'' The guardians give 9,000 as the number receiving relief, 

 * leaving a population of 10,000 entirely unrelieved and dependent on private 

 charity or their own resources.' *^* In Preston, referred to as the third town 

 of importance in Lancashire, there were by September 14,289 out of a 

 population of 83,000 receiving relief from the rates. In Blackburn, with a 

 population of 62,126, about 30,000 were receiving relief. In Bolton the 

 distress was not nearly so great, as this town did not entirely depend on 

 cotton, but had large iron foundries, machine shops, and bleach works. 



One of the most wonderful things about the situation was the calm 

 courage with which the people faced this calamity. Here was the fruit of 



'*' Hist, of the Anti-Corn Lam League. 



*'"' The Distress in Lanes.; a Fisit to the Cotton Districts (Lond. 1862), 8. •" Ibid. 



*" Ibid, quoted from The Times correspondent, 16 Sept. 1862. 



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