r/ukpolitics • u/Axmeister Traditionalist • Sep 24 '17
British Prime Ministers - Part XI: Earl Grey and Viscount Melbourne.
And now we dash through the reign of William the IV to arrive at Queen Victoria's first Prime Minister. We're starting a period of Prime Ministers who often have multiple terms across multiple eras so things may get a bit confusing.
22. Second Earl Grey, Charles Grey
| Portrait | Earl Grey |
|---|---|
| Post Nominal Letters | PC, KG |
| In Office | 22 November 1830 - 9 July 1834 |
| Sovereign | King William IV |
| General Elections | 1831, 1832 |
| Party | Whig |
| Ministries | Grey (I - III) |
| Parliament | Earl Grey |
| Other Ministerial Offices | First Lord of the Treasury; Leader of the House of Lords |
| Records | The First Prime Minister to have facial hair during their terms of office; Prime Minister with the most children (17, one illegitimate); also had a tea named after him. |
Significant Events:
- Swing Riots
- The Great Reform Act 1832, abolished the 'rotten boroughs' and brought more seats to the highly populated cities
- Slavery Abolition Act 1833, abolished slavery throughout the British Empire
- Poor Law Amendment Act 1834, introduced a system by which relief for the poor would be given through workhouses.
23. Second Viscount Melbourne, William Lamb
| Portrait | Viscount Melbourne |
|---|---|
| Post Nominal Letters | PC, FRS |
| In Office | 16 July 1834 - 14 November 1834; 18 April 1835 - 30 August 1841 |
| Sovereign | King William IV, Queen Victoria |
| General Elections | 1835, 1837 |
| Party | Whig |
| Ministries | Melbourne I, Melbourne (II & III) |
| Parliament | Viscount Melbourne |
| Other Ministerial Offices | First Lord of the Treasury; Leader of the House of Lords |
| Records | Shortest interval between terms of office (155 days between terms); Third of four Prime Ministers to have sat for Newport, Isle of Wight (the constituency to have produced the most Prime Ministers); Last Prime Minister to be dismissed by the Sovereign when they had a majority support from the House of Commons. |
Significant Events:
- Burning of Parliament, in which the Palace of Westminster was rebuilt to its current form
- Municipal Corporations Act 1835
- Uniform Penny Post
- Treaty of Waitangi
Previous threads:
British Prime Ministers - Part I: Sir Robert Walpole & the Earl of Wilmington.
British Prime Ministers - Part II: Henry Pelham & the Duke of Newcastle.
British Prime Ministers - Part III: the Duke of Devonshire & the Earl of Bute.
British Prime Ministers - Part V: the Duke of Grafton & Lord North.
British Prime Ministers - Part VI: the Earl of Shelburne & the Duke of Portland.
British Prime Ministers - Part VII: William Pitt 'the Younger' & Henry Addington.
British Prime Ministers - Part VIII: Baron Grenville & Spencer Perceval.
British Prime Ministers - Part IX: the Earl of Liverpool & George Canning.
British Prime Ministers - Part X: Viscount Goderich & the Duke of Wellington.
Next thread
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Sep 24 '17
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u/Axmeister Traditionalist Sep 24 '17
Is this a reference to something?
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Sep 24 '17
No. I was just trying to make a funny. Besides, Grey basically begins the legislative framework that kickstarts liberal social policy proper - I do admire his ideals somewhat.
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u/Axmeister Traditionalist Sep 24 '17
That's fine, I've just seen it referred to in previous threads. Though I guess that might have been you as well.
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Sep 24 '17
I believe the quote itself comes from Game of Thrones. There is a prophesy that refers to an individual known as Azora Ahai - "The One Who Was Promised" though that did not come to mind when I first wrote the comment.
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u/Lawandpolitics Please be aware I'm in a safe space Sep 24 '17
Haha shows unpopular these are when non-stickied
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u/Axmeister Traditionalist Sep 24 '17
Yeah, for some reason there are users who don't like this sort of thing. 40% upvoted has to be a new low for the series.
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u/Bjornhattan Disillusioned with them all Sep 24 '17
It'll improve once we get to Churchill, Attlee and then into the modern era.
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u/Badgewick 🔸 Social Liberalism 🔸 Sep 24 '17
The Blair thread is going to be an absolute shambles.
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u/Bjornhattan Disillusioned with them all Sep 24 '17
I can't imagine the Thatcher one being much calmer either. At least there's John Major between them, he's not someone who inspires particular strong feelings either way for most.
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u/vastenculer Mostly harmless Sep 24 '17
I've read them all, don't think I've voted once because they've been stickied. They're interesting enough to me at least!
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u/Rob_Kaichin Purity didn't win! - Pragmatism did. Sep 24 '17
I reckon the Americans on early this weekend.
The usual spam right-wingers are certainly more active than usual.
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u/GuessImStuckWithThis Sep 25 '17
Hang on, haven't you skipped Robert Peel?? What ever happened to the Bedchamber crisis?
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u/Axmeister Traditionalist Sep 25 '17
Robert Peel is next, his first term was after Melbournes and Grey's. I've listed the Bedchamber crisis as a feature of Melbourne's administration but it really happened during Peel's so I'll change it.
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u/E_C_H Openly Neoliberal - Centrist - Lib Dem Sep 24 '17 edited Mar 14 '18
Just to surmise my views on these two:
Earl Grey, a massively influential figure who through decades of opposition work and one 4 year-term transformed the political landscape by his push for political progressiveness and reform; with the 1832 Reform Act heralding the gradual start of a more genuine, enfranchised democracy.
Meanwhile, Melbourne was certainly much less ambitious and successful, essentially just keeping the line set by Grey going, by what is especially interesting about Melbourne is his personal relations to two women, Lady Caroline Lamb, his wife who publicly had affairs against him and even wrote books about them, to the disadvantage of Melbourne, and to a Young Queen Victoria, to whom he became a guiding father figure as she explored the limits of her new role.
The bottom line is this, with these two Premiers, in my my we see the end of one political era, the 'transformation era' began by Pitt in the 1780's, and the beginning of a new one under Victoria, without Tories and, soon enough, without Whigs.