1975/01/01 by James J. Sack · 1 citation
Arts and Humanities · Economics, Econometrics and Finance · Social Sciences · #Scottish History and National Identity #Historical Economic and Social Studies #Irish and British Studies #Buckingham #House of Commons #Politics #Borough #History #Economic history #Political economy #Political science #Sociology #Law #Public administration #Art history #Parliament
paper · doi:10.1086/385681
openalex publication_date 1975/01/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/05/21
The Grenvillites were one of the more durable and long lasting of the political groups or factions which functioned within the Westminster scene during the first three decades of the nineteenth century. Yet several years before the Reform Bill of 1832 substantially reduced their borough strength in the House of Commons, the Grenvillites as a group had ceased playing even a peripherally important role in the political nation. The decline of this faction illustrates one of the problems implicit in a system which places emphasis upon a great peer or wealthy Commoner acting as paterfamilias of a political clique. It is all very well when there exists an individual of some talent or even a moderate degree of gravitas to lead the group, but what will follow when an internal shift within the faction throws up a total incompetent, who neither properly prunes nor tends his preserve, to run the corporate affairs? This article will examine how such an occurrence overtook the Grenvillites during the years after 1817.