79-721: The Thames River Police was formed in 1800 to tackle theft and looting from ships anchored in the Pool of London and in the lower reaches and docks of the Thames . It replaced the Marine Police , a police force established in 1798 by magistrate Patrick Colquhoun and justice of the peace John Harriott that had been part funded by the West India Committee to protect trade between the West Indies and London . It
158-589: A Superintendent of Ship Constables with five surveyors to patrol the river, day and night. These surveyors were rowed in open galleys by police watermen . They also had four surveyors visiting ships being loaded and unloaded, with ship constables (who were appointed and controlled by the Marine Police Force but paid for by ship owners) supervising gangs of dockers. A Surveyor of Quays with two assistants and thirty police quay guards watched over cargoes on shore. The force policed 33,000 workers in
237-589: A rotten borough , Westbury , retaining his Cabinet position. He stood for Tamworth in the general election of 1830 , representing Tamworth until his death. Peel guided the Catholic Relief (Emancipation) bill through the House of Commons, Wellington through the House of Lords. With many Ultra-Tories vehemently opposed to emancipation, the bill could pass only with Whig support. Wellington threatened to resign if King George IV did not give Royal assent;
316-458: A chance to head a majority government following the election of July 1841. Peel came to office during an economic recession which had seen a slump in world trade and a budget deficit of £7.5 million run up by the Whigs . Confidence in banks and businesses was low, and a trade deficit existed. To raise revenue Peel's 1842 budget saw the re-introduction of the income tax , removed previously at
395-510: A fundamental principle to the English police system. His police were to be a deterrent to crime by their permanent presence on the Thames. He arrived at this conclusion by viewing crime fighting as a science, and in utilitarian fashion, attempted to press that science into the service of the national economy. He published two dozen treatises on a variety of social problems, but the most significant
474-527: A lack of confidence in Peel's government. This defeat underscored the government's inability to secure enough support to govern effectively. This loss led to Peel's resignation the following day, on 8 April 1835. The passing of the vote of no confidence highlighted the conditions in British politics at the time in a parliamentary system . After Peel's resignation, King William IV invited Lord Melbourne to form
553-616: A minority. This made Peel's position in the Commons precarious from the start. The immediate cause of Peel's downfall was a debate over the Church of Ireland . On 7 April 1835, Whig MP Ralph Bernal brought forward a report critical of Peel's administration of the Church of Ireland's revenues and proposed reforms. The report was passed in the House of Commons by a vote of 285 to 258, signifying
632-518: A new government, allowing the Whigs to return to power. Peel's party was bolstered by the adherence of a number of dissident Whigs associated with the Derby Dilly . These self-described 'moderate Whigs' were led by former cabinet ministers Edward Smith-Stanley, 14th Earl of Derby , and Sir James Graham, 2nd Baronet . In May 1839, Peel was offered another chance to form a government, this time by
711-527: A nine-point summary of the 1829 "Instructions". The middle and working classes in England at that time, however, were clamouring for reform, and Catholic Emancipation was only one of the ideas in the air. The Tory ministry refused to bend on other issues and were swept out of office in 1830 in favour of the Whigs . The following few years were extremely turbulent, but eventually enough reforms were passed that King William IV felt confident enough to invite
790-476: A police dedicated to crime prevention was "perfectly congenial to the principle of the British constitution". Moreover, he went so far as to praise the French system, which had reached "the greatest degree of perfection". As impressive as Colquhoun's ability to sell the idea of a publicly funded police force was, his main contribution is recognized as the introduction of crime prevention, or preventive policing , as
869-513: A salaried police as it existed in France was considered an affront to the English ruling class who favoured ad hoc justice, particularly during this century of economic change. Britain was industrialising and expanding its Empire . Cautious of being seen as autocratic, many politicians felt the existing often sporadic local justice system with severe penalties should not be nationalised. Colquhoun made an economic rather than political case to show that
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#1732772269410948-408: A scant 24 electors on the rolls, he was elected unopposed. His sponsor for the election (besides his father) was the chief secretary for Ireland , Sir Arthur Wellesley , the future Duke of Wellington, with whom Peel's political career would be entwined for the next 25 years. Peel made his maiden speech at the start of the 1810 session, when he was chosen by prime minister Spencer Perceval to second
1027-576: A traditional Tory position in opposition to a measure, then reversed his stance and became the leader in supporting liberal legislation. This happened with the Test Act, Catholic emancipation, the Reform Act, income tax and, most notably, the repeal of the Corn Laws. Historian A. J. P. Taylor wrote: "Peel was in the first rank of 19th-century statesmen. He carried Catholic Emancipation; he repealed
1106-721: Is claimed that the Marine Police was England's first ever police force. The Thames River Police merged with the Metropolitan Police Service in 1839 with that nascent force instigated by Robert Peel . Its base was (and remains) in Wapping High Street. It has gradually evolved into the Marine Policing Unit . Where a 'police force' extends beyond organised constables of a single borough or city corporation this constitutes
1185-750: Is his 1797 A Treatise on the Police of the Metropolis . The Metropolitan Police Service commemorated the founders with police vessel names including the supervision launches John Harriott (1947-1963) and Patrick Colquhoun (1963-2003), and Targa duty boats in use, the John Harriott and the Gabriel Franks . Pool of London The Pool of London is a stretch of the River Thames from London Bridge to below Limehouse . Part of
1264-509: Is such a tendency to exaggeration and inaccuracy in Irish reports that delay in acting on them is always desirable". His own party failed to support the bill, but it passed with Whig and Radical support. On the third reading of Peel's Bill of Repeal (Importation Act 1846) on 15 May, MPs voted 327 votes to 229 (a majority of 98) to repeal the Corn Laws. On 25 June the Duke of Wellington persuaded
1343-694: The 1841 general election . His second government ruled for five years. He cut tariffs to stimulate trade, replacing the lost revenue with a 3% income tax . He played a central role in making free trade a reality and set up a modern banking system. His government's major legislation included the Mines and Collieries Act 1842 , the Income Tax Act 1842 , the Factories Act 1844 and the Railway Regulation Act 1844 . Peel's government
1422-621: The Aubrey-Maturin series . 51°30′23″N 0°04′40″W / 51.5063°N 0.0778°W / 51.5063; -0.0778 Robert Peel [REDACTED] Sir Robert Peel, 2nd Baronet (5 February 1788 – 2 July 1850), was a British Conservative statesman who twice was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (1834–1835, 1841–1846), and simultaneously was Chancellor of the Exchequer (1834–1835). He previously
1501-772: The Depredations on the Thames Act 1800 ( 39 & 40 Geo. 3 . c. 87) on 28 July 1800 establishing the Thames River Police together with new laws including police powers. The force was responsible for offences committed on the River Thames, and in its vicinity, within the counties of Middlesex , Surrey , Kent , Essex , and the City and Liberty of Westminster and Liberties of the Tower of London . By 1829,
1580-710: The Duke of Wellington (1828–1830), also serving as Leader of the House of Commons . Initially, a supporter of continued legal discrimination against Catholics, Peel reversed himself and supported the Roman Catholic Relief Act 1829 and the 1828 repeal of the Test Act , claiming that "though emancipation was a great danger, civil strife was a greater danger". After being in opposition from 1830 to 1834, he became prime minister in November 1834. Peel issued
1659-517: The House of Commons in 1809 and became a rising star in the Tory Party . Peel entered the Cabinet as home secretary (1822–1827), where he reformed and liberalised the criminal law and created the modern police force, leading to a new type of officer known in tribute to him as " bobbies " and " peelers ". After a brief period out of office he returned as home secretary under his political mentor
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#17327722694101738-490: The House of Lords to pass it. On that same night Peel's Irish Coercion Bill was defeated in the Commons by 292 to 219 by "a combination of Whigs, Radicals , and Tory protectionists". Following this, on 29 June 1846, Peel resigned as prime minister. Though he knew repealing the laws would mean the end of his ministry, Peel decided to do so. It is possible that Peel merely used the Irish Famine as an excuse to repeal
1817-597: The Port of London Authority . The docks thrived up until the 1950s, despite suffering extremely severe bomb damage during the Second World War. The abrupt collapse of commercial traffic in the Thames due to the introduction of shipping containers and coastal deep-water ports in the 1960s emptied the Pool and led to all of the wharves being closed down, and many being demolished. The area was extensively redeveloped in
1896-568: The Tamworth Manifesto (December 1834), laying down the principles upon which the modern British Conservative Party is based. His first ministry was a minority government, dependent on Whig support and with Peel serving as his own chancellor of the Exchequer. After only four months, his government collapsed and he was Leader of the Opposition during Melbourne's second government (1835–1841). Peel became prime minister again after
1975-579: The Tamworth Manifesto . This document was the basis on which the modern Conservative Party was founded. In it, Peel pledged that the Conservatives would endorse modest reform such as reforms concerning economic and financial affairs, free trade and factory workers' rights. The Whigs formed a compact with Daniel O'Connell 's Irish Radical members to repeatedly defeat the government on various bills. Eventually, after only about 100 days in government, Peel's ministry resigned out of frustration and
2054-680: The Tideway of the Thames, the Pool was navigable by tall-masted vessels bringing coastal and later overseas goods—the wharves there were the original part of the Port of London . The Pool of London is divided into two parts, the Upper Pool and Lower Pool . The Upper Pool consists of the section between London Bridge, which blocked tall-masts from continuing west, and the Cherry Garden Pier in Bermondsey . The Lower Pool runs from
2133-691: The Tower of London , Tower Hill Underground station and the Monument to the Great Fire of London . André Derain painted four works of the Thames, and his 1906 The Pool of London is in the UK Tate collection. Derain was a leading Fauvist and had been sent to London by his dealer to produce Thames views in the Fauvist style. A British film, Pool of London (1951), is a crime drama set within
2212-421: The national debt . A Board of Supervision was established, and two measures passed, under which county asylums were erected and prompt medical treatment was ensured. In addition, it was provided "that a certificate of insanity, signed by two disinterested doctors, had to be presented before any person was confined to an asylum." According to one study, "the whole treatment of lunacy was humanised and lifted out of
2291-410: The 18th and 19th centuries. By this time the river was lined with nearly-continuous walls of wharves running for miles along both banks, and hundreds of ships moored in the river or alongside the quays. The Pool of London saw a phenomenal increase in both overseas and coastal trade in the second half of the eighteenth century. Two-thirds of coastal vessels using it were colliers meeting an increase in
2370-435: The 1980s and 1990s to create new residential and commercial neighbourhoods. In 1996, an organisation - the Pool of London Partnership - was established to help promote urban renewal of the areas north and south of the river. It also extended its remit slightly further eastwards to include the docks and wharves of St Katharine Docks and Shad Thames . After a decade of regeneration and an investment of approximately £100m,
2449-541: The Anglican Church and penalised both nonconformists and Catholics. They were no longer enforced but were a matter of humiliation. Peel at first opposed the repeal, but reversed himself and led the repeal on behalf of the government, after consultation with Anglican Church leaders. The Sacramental Test Act 1828 passed into law in May 1828. In future religious issues he made it a point to consult with church leaders from
Thames River Police - Misplaced Pages Continue
2528-408: The Cherry Garden Pier to Limekiln Creek. Originally, the Pool of London was the stretch of the River Thames along Billingsgate on the south side of the City of London where all imported cargoes had to be delivered for inspection and assessment by Customs Officers, giving the area the name of "Legal Quays". Smuggling, theft and pilferage of cargoes were rife, both on the busy open wharves and in
2607-491: The Corn Laws as he had been an intellectual convert to free trade since the 1820s. Blake points out that if Peel had been convinced that total repeal was necessary to stave off the famine, he would have enacted a bill that brought about immediate temporary repeal, not permanent repeal over a three-year period of gradual tapering-off of duties. Peel's support for free trade could already be seen in his 1842 and 1845 budgets; in late 1842 Graham wrote to Peel that "the next change in
2686-461: The Corn Laws became more political than humanitarian. Peel did, however, retain a hard core of supporters, known as Peelites , and at one point in 1849 was actively courted by the Whig/Radical coalition. He continued to stand on his conservative principles, however, and refused. Nevertheless, he was influential on several important issues, including the furtherance of British free trade with
2765-471: The Corn Laws must be to an open trade" while arguing that the government should not tackle the issue. Speaking to the cabinet in 1844, Peel argued that the choice was the maintenance of the 1842 Corn Law or total repeal. The historian Boyd Hilton argued that Peel knew from 1844 he was going to be deposed as the Conservative leader. Many of his MPs had taken to voting against him, and the rupture within
2844-421: The Corn Laws; he created the modern Conservative Party on the ruins of the old Toryism." Peel was born at Chamber Hall, Bury, Lancashire , to the industrialist and parliamentarian Sir Robert Peel, 1st Baronet , and his wife Ellen Yates. His father was one of the richest textile manufacturers of the early Industrial Revolution . The family moved from Lancashire to Drayton Manor near Tamworth, Staffordshire ;
2923-601: The House of Commons appointed a Select Committee, the Bullion Committee , charged with stabilising British finances after the end of the Napoleonic Wars , and Peel was chosen as its chairman. Peel's Bill planned to return British currency to the gold standard , reversing the Bank Restriction Act 1797 , within four years (it was actually accomplished by 1821). Peel was considered one of
3002-1029: The King finally relented. The Roman Catholic Relief Act 1829 passed into law in April 1829. Peel's U-turn cost him the trust of many Tories: according to Norman Gash , Peel had been "the idolized champion of the Protestant party; that party now regarded him as an outcast". It was in 1829 that Peel established the Metropolitan Police Force for London based at Scotland Yard . The 1,000 constables employed were affectionately nicknamed 'bobbies' or, somewhat less affectionately, 'peelers'. Although unpopular at first, they proved very successful in cutting crime in London, and, by 1857, all cities in Britain were obliged to form their own police forces. Known as
3081-662: The Pool of London Partnership was due to dissolve in March 2007 with its work to be partially continued by three new organisations: Team London Bridge, the Potters Fields Park Management Trust and the Tower Hill Management Group. The 'core area' includes Borough Market , London Bridge , Guy's Hospital , London Bridge station , Hay's Galleria , HMS Belfast , City Hall , Shad Thames , Tower Bridge , St Katharine Docks ,
3160-456: The Pool. The film was directed by Basil Dearden , and features actors Earl Cameron , Susan Shaw , Joan Dowling , and Bonar Colleano , and comic actors Leslie Phillips , Alfie Bass and James Robertson Justice . The Pool has also featured as a location in various other films. Patrick O'Brian refers to the Pool of London in his novels The Commodore and Blue at the Mizzen , both in
3239-458: The Port of London. Shipping needed unrestricted access to the Pool of London which imposed constraints on the crossings that became increasingly necessary with the commercial development on both sides of the river. The Thames Tunnel from Rotherhithe to Wapping was constructed between 1825 and 1843. Tower Bridge opened in 1894 as a bascule bridge . In 1909 the Pool came under the jurisdiction of
Thames River Police - Misplaced Pages Continue
3318-474: The Thames River Police had expanded to occupy three stations at Wapping, Waterloo , and Blackwall . Ten years later, in 1839, it amalgamated with the Metropolitan Police Service , becoming the latter's Thames Division . Historians of policing credit Colquhoun's innovation as a critical development leading up to Robert Peel 's "new" police three decades later. Along with the Bow Street Runners ,
3397-539: The Thames River Police was eventually absorbed by the Metropolitan Police in the 19th century. Colquhoun's utilitarian approach to the problem – using a cost-benefit analysis to obtain support from businesses standing to benefit – allowed him to achieve what Henry and John Fielding failed for their Bow Street detectives. Unlike the stipendiary system at Bow Street, the river police were full-time, salaried officers prohibited from taking fees. The idea of
3476-679: The Tories to form a ministry again in succession to those of Lord Grey and Lord Melbourne in December 1834. Peel was selected as prime minister but was in Italy at the time, so Wellington acted as a caretaker for three weeks until Peel's return. Following the resignation of former prime minister Charles Grey , because of an issue regarding Ireland's conciliatory reform and at the invitation of King William IV , Peel became prime minister in early December 1834. Peel formed his own government, though it
3555-459: The Whig party. Peel, therefore, asked that some of this entourage be dismissed and replaced with their Conservative counterparts, provoking the so-called Bedchamber Crisis . Victoria refused to change her household, and despite pleadings from the Duke of Wellington, relied on assurances of support from Whig leaders. Peel refused to form a government, and the Whigs returned to power. Peel finally had
3634-599: The Whigs under Lord Melbourne returned to power. The only real achievement of Peel's first administration was a commission to review the governance of the Church of England . This ecclesiastical commission was the forerunner of the Church Commissioners . Despite the January 1835 general election, from which Peel attempted to consolidate his party's majority in Parliament, the Conservatives still remained
3713-404: The atmosphere of profits into that of curative effort and civic responsibility." Peel's promise of modest reform was held to, and the second most famous bill of this ministry, while "reforming" in 21st-century eyes, was in fact aimed at the reformers themselves, with their constituency among the new industrial rich. The Factory Act 1844 acted more against these industrialists than it did against
3792-590: The colour of the Protestant Orange Order ). George Canning himself died less than four months later and, after the brief premiership of Lord Goderich , Peel returned to the post of home secretary under the premiership of his long-time ally the Duke of Wellington . During this time he was widely perceived as the number-two in the Tory Party, after Wellington himself. The Test and Corporation Acts required many officials to be communicants in
3871-454: The crowded warehouses. The term was later used more generally to refer to the stretch of the river from Rotherhithe upriver to London Bridge , with the venerable bridge being the farthest reach that could be navigated by a tall-masted vessel. The Pool of London was of vital importance to the capital for centuries – as early as the 7th century Bede wrote that it was the reason for London's existence – but it reached its peak in
3950-465: The demand for coal as the population of London rose. Coastal trade virtually doubled between 1750 and 1796 reaching 11,964 vessels in 1795. In overseas trade, in 1751 the Pool of London handled 1,682 ships and 234,639 tons of goods but by 1794 this had risen to 3,663 ships and 620,845 tons. The congestion was so extreme that it was said to be possible to walk across the Thames simply by stepping from ship to ship. London's Docklands had their origins in
4029-489: The end of the Napoleonic Wars . The rate was 7d in the pound, or just under 3 per cent. The money raised was more than expected and allowed for the removal and reduction of over 1,200 tariffs on imports including the controversial sugar duties . It was also in the 1842 budget that the repeal of the corn laws was first proposed. It was defeated in a Commons vote by a margin of 4:1. The economic historian Charles Read has analysed Peel's economic policies as: (i) Fixing
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#17327722694104108-414: The father of modern policing, Peel is thought to have contributed to the Metropolitan Police's first set of "Instructions to Police Officers", emphasising the importance of its civilian nature and policing by consent. However, what are now commonly known as the Peelian Principles were not written by him but were instead produced by Charles Reith in his 1948 book, A Short History of the British Police , as
4187-428: The first Oxford student to take a double first in Classics and Mathematics. Peel was a law student at Lincoln's Inn in 1809. He also held military commissions as a captain in the Manchester Regiment of Militia in 1808, and later as lieutenant in the Staffordshire Yeomanry Cavalry in 1820. Peel entered politics in 1809 at the age of 21, as MP for the Irish rotten borough of Cashel , County Tipperary . With
4266-410: The gaol system, introducing payment for gaolers and education for the inmates in the Gaols Act 1823 ( 4 Geo. 4 . c. 64). In 1827 the prime minister Lord Liverpool became incapacitated and was replaced by George Canning . Peel resigned as home secretary. Canning favoured Catholic emancipation , while Peel had been one of its most outspoken opponents (earning the nickname "Orange Peel", with Orange
4345-427: The lack of capacity in the Pool of London which particularly affected the West India trade. The West India Dock Act 1799 allowed a new off-river dock to be built for produce from the West Indies and the rest of Docklands followed as landowners built enclosed docks with better security and facilities than the Pool's wharves. Even after the construction of off-river docks, the Pool of London remained an important part of
4424-416: The major denominations. The 1828 Clare by-election returned the Catholic Irish nationalist leader Daniel O'Connell . By autumn 1828, the Chief Secretary for Ireland was alarmed by the extent of civil disorder and the prospect of a rebellion if O'Connell were barred from Parliament. Wellington and Peel now conceded the necessity of Catholic emancipation, Peel writing to Wellington that "though emancipation
4503-419: The manor house has since been demolished, and the site occupied by Drayton Manor Theme Park . Peel received his early education from a clergyman tutor in Bury and at a clergyman's local school in Tamworth. He may also have attended Bury Grammar School or Hipperholme Grammar School , though evidence for either is anecdotal rather than textual. He started at Harrow School in February 1800. At Harrow, he
4582-434: The new monarch, Queen Victoria . However, this too would have been a minority government, and Peel felt he needed a further sign of confidence from his Queen. Lord Melbourne had been Victoria's confidant since her accession in 1837, and many of the higher posts in Victoria's household were held by the wives and female relatives of Whigs; there was some feeling that Victoria had allowed herself to be too closely associated with
4661-477: The oldest force in England. Merchants were losing an estimated £500,000 (equivalent to £65.4 million in 2024) of stolen cargo annually from the Pool of London on the River Thames by the late 1790s. A plan was devised to curb the problem in 1797 by an Essex justice of the peace and master mariner, John Harriot, who joined forces with Patrick Colquhoun and utilitarian philosopher, Jeremy Bentham . Armed with Harriot's proposal and Bentham's insights, Colquhoun
4740-609: The party between liberals and paternalists, which had been so damaging in the 1820s but masked by the issue of parliamentary reform in the 1830s, was brought to the surface over the Corn Laws. Hilton's hypothesis is that Peel wished to be deposed on a liberal issue so that he might later lead a Peelite/Whig/Liberal alliance. Peel was magnanimous towards Irish famine and permitted quick settlements of disputes at frontiers in India and America ( Treaty of Amritsar (1846) on 16 March 1846 and Oregon Treaty on 15 June 1846) in order to repeal Corn Laws on 29 June 1846. As an aside in reference to
4819-430: The repeal of the Navigation Acts . Peel was a member of the committee which controlled the House of Commons Library , and on 16 April 1850 was responsible for passing the motion that controlled its scope and collection policy for the rest of the century. Peel was thrown from his horse while riding on Constitution Hill in London on 29 June 1850. The horse stumbled on top of him, and he died three days later on 2 July at
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#17327722694104898-404: The repeal of the Corn Laws, Peel managed to keep minimum casualties of Irish Famine in its first year, Peel did make some moves to subsidise the purchase of food for the Irish, but this attempt was small and had little tangible effect. In the age of laissez-faire , government taxes were small, and subsidies or direct economic interference was almost nonexistent. That subsidies were actually given
4977-433: The reply to the king's speech . His speech was a sensation, famously described by the Speaker , Charles Abbot , as "the best first speech since that of William Pitt ". Peel changed constituency twice, becoming one of the two Members for Chippenham in 1812, and then one of those for Oxford University in 1817. In 1810, Peel was appointed an Under-Secretary of State for War and the Colonies ; his secretary of state
5056-423: The rising stars of the Tory party, first entering the cabinet in 1822 as home secretary . As home secretary, he introduced a large number of important reforms to British criminal law. In one of his policies, he reduced the number of crimes punishable by death, and simplified the law by repealing a large number of criminal statutes and consolidating their provisions into what are known as Peel's Acts . He reformed
5135-482: The river trades, of whom Colquhoun claimed 11,000 were known criminals and "on the game". The river police first received a hostile reception by those dockyard and wharf workers not wishing to lose an illicit income. A mob of 2,000 attempted to burn down the police office with the police inside. The skirmish that followed resulted in the first line of duty death for the new force with the killing of Gabriel Franks. Nevertheless, Colquhoun reported to his backers that his force
5214-400: The traditional stronghold of the Conservatives, the landed gentry , by restricting the number of hours that children and women could work in a factory and setting rudimentary safety standards for machinery. This was a continuation of his own father's work as an MP, as the elder Robert Peel was most noted for the reform of working conditions during the first part of the 19th century. Helping him
5293-429: The value of British currency to a gold standard , with the paper pound currency freely convertible to gold. (ii) A limited banknote supply based on a fixed relationship to the gold reserve . (iii) Free movement of bullion flows from 1819 and lower import tariffs on food and raw materials from 1842 (often loosely referred to as free trade ). (iv) Control of interest rates and a balanced budget in order to reduce
5372-484: Was Home Secretary twice (1822–1827, 1828–1830). He is regarded as the father of modern British policing , owing to his founding of the Metropolitan Police while he was Home Secretary. Peel was one of the founders of the modern Conservative Party . The son of a wealthy textile manufacturer and politician, Peel was the first prime minister from an industrial business background. He earned a double first in classics and mathematics from Christ Church, Oxford . He entered
5451-422: Was Lord Liverpool . When Lord Liverpool formed a government in 1812, Peel was appointed chief secretary for Ireland . The Peace Preservation Act of 1814 authorised the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland to appoint additional magistrates in a county in a state of disturbance, who were authorised to appoint paid special constables (later called "peelers" ). Peel thus laid the basis for the Royal Irish Constabulary . Peel
5530-476: Was Lord Shaftesbury , a British MP who also established the coal mines act . In 1843 Peel was the target of a failed assassination attempt; a criminally insane Scottish woodturner named Daniel M'Naghten stalked him for several days before, on 20 January, killing Peel's personal secretary Edward Drummond thinking he was Peel, which led to the formation of the controversial criminal defence of insanity . The most notable act of Peel's second ministry, however,
5609-420: Was a Tory government that was a minority government and depended on Whig goodwill for its continued existence. Parliament was dissolved in late December 1834 and a general election was called. Voting took place in January and February 1835, and Peel's supporters gained around 100 seats, but this was not enough to give them a majority. As his statement of policy at the general election of January 1835, Peel issued
5688-477: Was a contemporary of Lord Byron , who recalled of Peel that "we were on good terms" and that "I was always in scrapes, and he never". On Harrow's Speech Day in 1804, Peel and Byron acted part of Virgil 's Aeneid , Peel playing Turnus and Byron playing Latinus . In 1805, Peel matriculated at Christ Church, Oxford . His tutor was Charles Lloyd , later Regius Professor of Divinity , on Peel's recommendation appointed bishop of Oxford . In 1808 Peel became
5767-572: Was a great danger, civil strife was a greater danger". Peel drew up the Catholic Relief bill. He felt compelled to stand for re-election to his seat in Oxford, as he was representing the graduates of Oxford University (many of whom were Anglican clergymen), and had previously stood on a platform of opposition to Catholic Emancipation. Peel lost his seat in a by-election in February 1829 to Ultra-Tory Robert Inglis , but soon found another by moving to
5846-458: Was a success after its first year, and his men had "established their worth by saving £122,000 worth of cargo and by the rescuing of several lives." Word of the success of the Marine Police spread quickly. Colquhoun published a book on the Marine Police, Treatise on the Commerce and Police of the River Thames recommending a legislated fully government funded police force. The government passed
5925-509: Was able to persuade the West India planters committees and the West India merchants to fund the new force. They agreed to a one-year trial and on 2 July 1798, after receiving government permission, the Thames River Police began operating with Colquhoun as superintending magistrate and Harriot the resident magistrate. With the initial investment of £4,200, they took a lease of premises on the current site of Wapping Police Station and appointed
6004-559: Was firmly opposed to Catholic emancipation , believing that Catholics could not be admitted to Parliament as they refused to swear the Oath of Allegiance to the Crown. In May 1817, Peel delivered the closing speech in opposition to Henry Grattan 's Catholic emancipation bill; the bill was defeated by 245 votes to 221. Peel resigned as chief secretary and left Ireland in August 1818. In 1819,
6083-630: Was the one that would bring it down. Peel moved against the landholders by repealing the Corn Laws , which supported agricultural revenues by restricting grain imports. This radical break with Conservative protectionism was triggered by the Great Irish Famine (1845–1849) . Tory agriculturalists were sceptical of the extent of the problem, and Peel reacted slowly to the famine, famously stating in October 1846 (already in opposition): "There
6162-481: Was very much out of character for the political times; his successor, Lord John Russell , received more criticism than Peel on Irish policy, the worst year being 1847, despite all of Peel's efforts, his reform programmes had little effect on the situation in Ireland. Russell could not manage public distribution system during Irish Famine even though subsidized food from USA was made available in Ireland. The repeal of
6241-518: Was weakened by anti-Catholic sentiment following the controversial increase in the Maynooth Grant of 1845. After the outbreak of the Great Irish Famine , his decision to join with Whigs and Radicals to repeal the Corn Laws led to his resignation as prime minister in 1846. Peel remained an influential MP and leader of the Peelite faction until his death in 1850. Peel often started from
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