Society introduction

This item is sold brand new. It is ordered on demand from our supplier and is usually dispatched within 7 - 12 working days Between 1832 and 1885 West Cornwall was highly unusual in the British electoral system. Throughout the period the division was never contested at a general election, and the Liberals maintained a stranglehold on both parliamentary seats. Yet this apparent stability disguised an often turbulent reality of party manoeuvring and personal rivalries. Dr Jaggard's book uncovers much that has been so far unknown about this phenomenon. The introduction surveys West Cornwall politics between the First and Third Reform Acts, suggesting how the Liberals' hegemony was established and maintained. Both the numerical strength of Methodism in the division, together with corrosive rivalries among the county's Conservatives, played a part, but the papers suggest other factors at work too. Prominent among them immediately after 1867 was the Liberal party's organisation, and the prominence within it of men of new wealth such as the miner-banker J M Williams. As a snapshot of the mid-Victorian electoral system in action the papers widen our understanding of local and national politics, particularly reasons for the electoral success of the Gladstonian Liberal party. Features Summary Between 1832 and 1885 West Cornwall was highly unusual in the British electoral system. Throughout the period the division was never contested at a general election... Author Edwin Jaggard Publisher Devon & Cornwall Record Society Release date 19990101 Pages 210 ISBN 0-901853-42-9 ISBN 13 978-0-901853-42-4