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Lord Randolph Churchill and Tory Democracy, 1880–1885

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 February 2009

R. E. Quinault
R. E. Quinault
Affiliation:
Magdalen College, Oxford
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‘Lord Randolph Churchill and Tory democracy’ is a cliché topic of late-Victorian historiography. All the monographs on Lord Randolph emphasise his enthusiasm for tory democracy. This enthusiasm has been explained by recent historians of Victorian Conservatism in terms of personal ambition rather than commitment to specific policies. But both these schools of interpretation are based on mistaken assumptions and insufficient or misleading evidence. I believe that neither the ‘orthodox’ nor the ‘revisionist’ explanations of Churchill's involvement with tory democracy fit the facts of the case in most of their aspects. The following inquiry examines the various ways in which Churchill actually was, or has been alleged to have been, involved with that ambiguous concept, tory democracy. This necessitates an examination of the usage and meaning which Churchill gave to the phrase and of the extent to which he associated it with progressive social policies. It is also instructive to compare Churchill's outlook with that of Gorst, his Fourth Party colleague, who was also identified with tory democracy. In order to assess the role which ambition played in determining Churchill's support for tory democracy it is necessary to consider his relations with the official tory leaders and his own political expectations. Finally, it is relevant to examine his involvement in the activities of the National Union of Conservative Associations. On the one hand, it has been argued that his role in the National Union was indicative of his desire to launch progressive toryism on a recalcitrant party, while on the other, it has been viewed simply as part of his campaign to further his own position in the party.

Type
Articles
Information
The Historical Journal , Volume 22 , Issue 1 , March 1979 , pp. 141 - 165
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1979

References

1 The Times, 7 Nov. 1885 (Churchill's speech at Manchester).

2 Hatfield House (Salisbury papers): Churchill to Salisbury, 28 Apr. 1885.

3 Speeches of the Rt. Hon. Lord Randolph Churchill 1880–1888, ed. Jennings, Louis J. (London, 1889), I, xx–xxivGoogle Scholar; Escott, T. H. S., Randolph Spencer-Churchill as a portrait of his age, being a personal and political monograph (London, 1895), p. 3Google Scholar; Rosebery, Lord, Lord Randolph Churchill (London, 1906), pp. 149–54Google Scholar; Churchill, Winston S., Lord Randolph Churchill (London, 1907 edn), pp. 231–9Google Scholar; James, Robert Rhodes, Lord Randolph Churchill (London, 1969), p. 121Google Scholar.

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10 See, for example, The Times, 8 May 1884.

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15 Ibid.

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37 Ibid.

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44 P.D. 1884, CCLXXXVI, 241–2.

45 Salisbury papers: Wolff to Salisbury, 6 Nov. 1883.

46 P.D. 1884, CCLXXXVI, 243.

47 Ibid. 252.

48 Ibid. 245–6.

49 Ibid. 255.

50 Ibid. 244.

51 The Times, 20 Mar. 1884.

52 RCHL 1/2/325a: Churchill to J. Moore Bayley, 24 March, 1884.

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55 Ibid. pp. 16–17.

56 Churchill, Peregrine & Mitchell, Julian, Jennie, Lady Randolph Churchill (London, 1976), pp. 111–18Google Scholar: Randolph to Jennie, 1, 5 Jan. 1883.

57 The Times, 20 Dec. 1883.

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61 Ibid. 17 Apr. 1884.

62 Bodleian Library, Oxford (Sir W. V. Harcourt papers): Derby to Harcourt 17 Apr. 1884.

63 RCHL 1/3/364: Castletown to Churchill, 6 May 1884.

64 The Times, 17 Apr. 1884.

65 P.D. 1884, CCLXXXV, 1223.

66 RCHL 1/2/297: address dated 9 Feb. 1884.

67 RCHL 1/5/616: J. Dumphreys to Churchill, 25 May 1885.

68 The Times, 15 Oct. 1884: Churchill's speech at Birmingham.

69 Ibid. 17 Apr. 1884: Churchill's speech at Birmingham.

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72 Salisbury papers: Wolff to Salisbury, 18 Feb. 1880. RCHL 1/1/74: Bowyer to Churchill 4 July 1882.

73 The Times, 29 Mar. 1883. The letter may have been written by Churchill.

74 Ibid. 2 Apr. 1883.

75 Ibid. 9 Apr. 1883.

76 Punch, 14, 28 Apr. 1883 (Teniel's cartoons: ‘The bumptious boy’ & ‘A dream of the future’). Churchill, 's first letter was commented on by a Times leader (2 04, 1883)Google Scholar and by Edward Hamilton in his diary (Bahlman, D. W. R., The diary of Sir Edward Walter Hamilton 1880–1885 Oxford, 1972, 11, 417Google Scholar). Neither The Times nor Hamilton commented on Churchill's second letter.

77 The Times, 9 Apr. 1883.

78 Salisbury thought that ‘A golden opportunity for breaking Gladstone's dictatorship has been lost’ when the tories surrendered over the Arrears Bill (B. L. Cross papers Add. MSS 51263: Salisbury to Cross, 10 Aug. 1882).

79 Hamilton's Diary, II, 417.

80 The Times, 30 March, 1883.

81 But Salisbury did not publicly defend Northcote after Churchill's attack, believing that ‘All this fuss is so much grist to R.C.'s mill’ (British Library, Balfour papers Add. MSS 49688: Salisbury to Balfour, 3 Apr. 1883).

82 MrsCornwallis-West, , The reminiscences of Lady Randolph Churchill (London, 1908), p. 103Google Scholar. British Library, Iddesleigh papers, Add. MSS 50020: Salisbury to Northcote, 11 Mar. 1883.

83 RCHL 1/1/164: Wolff to Churchill, 28 Aug. 1883.

84 RCHL 1/2/277: Salisbury to Churchill, 28 Jan. 1884.

85 Salisbury papers: Churchill to Salisbury, 30 Jan. 1884.

86 See, The Times, 6 May 1884.

87 Salisbury papers: Wolff to Salisbury, 8 Dec. 1884.

88 Add. MSS 50020: Salisbury to Northcote, 2 Apr. 1884.

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91 RCHL 1/5/600.

92 See, R. E. Quinault, op. cit. pp. 331–2.

93 Salisbury papers: Northcote to Salisbury, 9 Mar. 1883.

94 The Times, 9 Apr. 1883.

95 Ibid. 2 Apr. 1883.

96 Ibid.

97 Salisbury papers: Wolff to Churchill, 31 Aug. 1883.

98 Add. MSS 50021: Churchill to Northcote, 6 July 1883.

99 Blenheim Palace papers: Northcote to Churchill, 21 July 1883.

100 The Times, 2 Nov. 1883: Churchill to W. R. Brodie, 31 Oct. 1883.

101 RCHL 1/2/231 Northcote to Churchill, 22 Dec. 1883 & 1/2/235: Churchill to Northcote, 25 Dec. 1883.

102 Salisbury papers: Northcote to Salisbury, 3 June 1884.

103 RCHL 1/3/441: Northcote to Churchill, 10 July 1884 & 1/3/442: Churchill to Northcote, 10 July 1884 (printed in Winston Churchill, pp. 286–7).

104 Salisbury papers: Northcote to Salisbury, 14 Oct. 1884.

105 Ibid., Churchill to Salisbury, 28 Apr. 1885 (printed in Winston Churchill, pp. 310–13).

106 RCHL 1/5/600.

107 Balfour, p. 152.

108 SirMowbray, John Bt., M.P., Seventy years at Westminster (London, 1900), p. 295Google Scholar. See also: Add. MSS 50041: Winn to Northcote, 3 Apr. 1883.

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110 The Times, 16 Apr. 1884.

111 Ibid., 18 Apr. 1884.

112 RCHL 1/9/1043: Churchill to Satchell Hopkins, resigning Birmingham candidature (unsent and undated draft c. 3 May 1884: published in Winston Churchill, Appendix 11, pp. 840–3).

113 RCHL 1/3/360: Henry Lucy to Churchill, 4 May 1884.

114 Winston Churchill, pp. 300–1: Churchill to Chamberlain, 27 Nov. 1884.

115 Ibid. pp. 855–6: Churchill to his mother, 17 Feb. 1885.

116 Salisbury papers: Churchill to Salisbury, 28 Apr. 1885.

117 Salisbury papers: Churchill to Salisbury, 15 Aug. 1885.

118 Ibid. 29 Nov. 1885.

119 Jones, p. 71.

120 Add. MSS 50032: H. S. Northcote to his father, Stafford Northcote, 30 Apr. 1881 (printed in Feuchtwanger, pp. 167–8).

121 Ibid.

122 RCHL 1/1/157: Gorst to Churchill, 15 Aug. 1883.

123 The Times, 2 Apr. 1883.

124 Ibid. 9 Apr. 1883.

125 RCHL 1/1/146: Gorst to Churchill, 2 Aug. 1883.

126 Winston Churchill, p. 252: Churchill to Wolff, 3 Oct. 1883.

127 Add. MSS 50041: Ashmead Bartlett to Northcote, 2 Oct. 1883.

128 Ibid. 20 Sept. 1883 (printed in Feuchtwanger, p. 174).

129 Maclean, J. M., Recollections of Westminster and India (Manchester, 1902), pp. 68–9Google Scholar.

130 The Times, 16, 18 February, 1884.

131 Winston Churchill, p. 249: Churchill to Wolff, 28 Sept. 1883.

132 See, for example: the report of the National Unio n Committee 18 Mar. 1884 (Salisbury papers).

133 Rhodes James, p. 125.

134 RCHL 1/1/101: Wolff to Churchill, 24 Jan. 1883.

135 The Times, 19 Apr. 1883.

136 Salisbury papers: Balfour to Salisbury, 14 Jan. 1884.

137 Add. MSS 49688: Salisbury to Balfour, 1 May 1884 (printed in Balfour, pp. 165–6).

138 Salisbury papers: Churchill to Salisbury, 9 Dec. 1883.

139 RCHL 1/2/222: Salisbury to Churchill, 11 Dec. 1883.

140 Salisbury papers: memo, dated 9 Jan. 1884.

141 RCHL 1/2/304: Salisbury to Churchill, 29 Feb. 1884 (printed in Winston Churchill, pp. 254–5).

142 Salisbury papers: Report of Nat. Union Organization Committee, n.d.

143 Ibid. Salisbury to Churchill (copy) 1 Mar. 1884.

144 RCHL 1/3/338: undated memo, concerning the notice to quit. See also: Salisbury papers: Northcote to Salisbury, 18 Mar. 1884.

145 Salisbury papers: Churchill to Salisbury, 3 Apr. 1884 (printed in Winston Churchill, pp. 836–7).

146 The Times, 30 03 1883: Salisbury, 'sGoogle Scholar speech at Birmingham.

147 Jackson's Oxford Journal, 2 02 1884: Churchill, 'sGoogle Scholar speech at Woodstock.

148 The Times, 17 04 1884: Churchill, 'sGoogle Scholar speech at Birmingham.

149 Salisbury papers: report of Nat. Union Organization Committee, 18 Mar. 1884. The Times, 17 Apr. 1884.

150 The Times, 1 Feb., 18 Apr. 1884.

151 Salisbury papers: Churchill to Salisbury, 6 Mar. 1884.

152 Ibid., Northcote to Salisbury, 24 Feb. 1884.

153 The Times, 29 May 1884: Henry Howorth to the editor.

154 See Feuchtwanger, pp. 160–1.

155 The Times, 19 Apr. 1883.

156 Winston Churchill, pp. 249–51.

157 RCHL 1/9/1043: Churchill to Hopkins c. 3 May 1884.

158 The Times, 14 06 1883: Salisbury, 'sGoogle Scholar speech at Kingston.

159 Feuchtwanger, p. 171.

160 Salisbury papers: Hopkins to Salisbury, 16 Mar. 1884; and RCHL 1/3/433: Forwood to Churchill, 6 July 1884.

161 RCHL 1/3/443: Churchill to Forwood, 10 July 1884.

162 Blake, p. 155.

163 RCHL 1/4/455: Gorst to Churchill, 27 July 1884. For another favourable comment on Churchill's settlement see: RCHL 1/4/458: M. W. Mattinson to Churchill, 29 July 1884.

164 Cf. Feuchtwanger, p. 187.

165 Cf. Blake, p. 155.

166 Add. MSS 50020: Salisbury to Northcote, 26 July 1884.

167 The Times, 1 Aug. 1884.

168 Salisbury papers: Churchill to Salisbury, 26 July 1884.

169 Add. MSS 50020: Salisbury to Northcote, 26 July 1884.

170 RCHL 1/4/457: Forwood to Churchill, 28 July 1884.

171 The Times, 9 Apr. 1883.

172 ‘Elijah's mantle’, p. 620.

173 Ibid. pp. 617–18.

174 See above, p. 148.

175 The Times, 9 Dec. 1882.

176 RCHL 1/1/98: Wolff to Churchill, 14 Jan. 1883. See also: RCHL 1/1/87: Chenery to Churchill, 7 Dec. 1882; and The Times 14 Feb. 1884 (leader on tory leaders).

177 The Times, 16, 17 Apr. 1884.

178 Ibid. 8 May 1884.

179 Ibid. 7 May 1885.

180 Ibid. 7 Nov. 1885.

181 Ibid.

182 Ibid. 23 Nov. 1885: Churchill at Birmingham.

183 Salisbury papers: Forwood to Salisbury, 9 June 1885.

184 Forwood papers: Salisbury to Forwood, 10 June 1885.