The Great Reform Act (1832)
Abolished rotten boroughs such as Old Sarum and gave seats to towns like Manchester and Birmingham
Prime Ministers · 19th century
Earl Grey
1764–1845 · British
Whig
In office: 1830–1834
Charles Grey, 2nd Earl Grey, was a Foxite Whig who spent most of his long career in opposition before becoming Prime Minister in 1830. His government passed the Great Reform Act of 1832, sweeping away rotten boroughs and enfranchising the new industrial towns, after he persuaded William IV to threaten to create enough peers to overcome the Lords. It also abolished slavery throughout most of the British Empire in 1833. Earl Grey tea is named after him.
How to spot them
- ▸The Great Reform Act 1832 and the 'Days of May'
- ▸Slavery Abolition Act 1833; Factory Act 1833; Poor Law Amendment Act 1834
- ▸Earl Grey tea, flavoured with bergamot
- ▸Grey's Monument in Newcastle upon Tyne; Howick Hall, Northumberland
In office
The 'Days of May' crisis and the threat to create new peers (1832)
William IV agreed to create peers if needed; the Lords gave way
Slavery Abolition Act (1833)
Abolished slavery in most of the British Empire, with compensation to owners
Factory Act limiting child labour in textile mills (1833)
Set up the first factory inspectors
The New Poor Law (Poor Law Amendment Act) (1834)
Introduced the union workhouse system
Quick-fire facts
- •Earl Grey tea, a black tea scented with bergamot, is named after him
- •Grey's Monument, a column topped by his statue, stands in the centre of Newcastle upon Tyne
- •As a young man he had an affair with Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire, who bore his daughter
- •As Lord Howick he led the Commons in 1807 when the abolition of the slave trade was carried
- •Resigned in 1834 over Irish policy
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Sources
- GOV.UK History of Government — Charles Grey, 2nd Earl Grey
- Oxford University Press — Oxford Dictionary of National Biography