Charles Hay Frewen
Encyclopedia
Charles Hay Frewen known until 1837 as Charles Hay Frewen-Turner, was an English land-owner and Conservative Party
politician. He sat in the House of Commons from 1846 to 1857 for East Sussex
, and thereafter suffered a series of electoral defeats as he unsuccessfully challenged the political power of the Duke of Rutland
in North Leicestershire.
(1755–1829) of Cold Overton in Leicestershire
, who had been the Member of Parliament
(MP) for Athlone
from 1807 to 1812. His mother was Frewen-Turner's second wife Elizabeth, the heir and only daughter of David Hay from Hopes in Haddingtonshire.
He was educated at Trinity College, Cambridge
, and became a large landowner in both Leicestershire and Sussex
.
Frewen was a magistrate for Leicestershire, Sussex
and Kent
, and for three other counties. He was High Sheriff of Leicestershire
in 1866, a post previously held by his father in 1791.
at a by-election in March 1839 for Leicester
, but was unsuccessful.
At the 1841 general election
he contested Rye
, again without success, but he was elected as an MP for East Sussex
at a by-election in February 1846 after the resignation of George Darby, who had been appointed as a Commissioner of Enclosures. Frewen had been reluctant to stand, and when first approached by Darby as a possible protectionist candidate he had offered to donate £500 towards the expenses of another protectionist who would contest the seat.
No other candidate came forward, and at the hustings in Lewes
Frewen was elected unopposed on 4 February.
He was re-elected for East Sussex in 1847
and 1852
, and held the seat until his resignation
on 17 February 1857 through appointment as Steward of the Chiltern Hundreds.
He had resigned in order to contest a by-election in North Leicestershire
, where his campaign was based on what The Times
newspaper called his "extreme Protestant
notions". Although he also raised issues of taxation, his main campaign focus was religion, and his agents' rallying cry was "no Popery!"
He opposed the Maynooth Grant
of financial assistance for St Patrick's College
, a Roman Catholic seminary at Maynooth
in Ireland, and distributed more than 20,000 handbills in one week to explain his views. However, the canvassing
returns showed that he had little support, and that voters preferred the High Church
stance of Lord John Manners
, son of the locally powerful Duke of Rutland
. In one district where Frewen had expected strong report, the returns showed 319 supporters of Lord John, but only 14 for Frewen; and in the Melton Mowbray
district, canvassers identified no-one prepared to vote for Frewen. His agents, who included both Conservatives and Radicals
, abandoned the campaign in mid-February when they realised that they could secure less than 200 votes in the whole county, and Manners was elected unopposed.
He did contest North Leicestershire at the general election in April 1857
, when he did not win either of the two seats.
When Lord John sought re-election in March 1858 after his appointment as First Commissioner of Works
, Frewen planned to stand again. He promptly issued an election address, which was published in the local newspapers, but his friends advised him not to proceed with the campaign. He appeared at the hustings on 8 March to explain his withdrawal, and was congratulated by Manners for avoiding "what, in Parliamentary language, would have been a frivolous and vexatious opposition".
In a letter published in The Times on 12 March, Frewen struck back, claiming that Manners "would not have the least chance of being returned for any other county in the whole kingdom besides North Leicestershire", because his return had been secured only by "the great territorial influence that has been exerted in his behalf".
Frewen claimed that land agent
s for the Duke of Rutland
had been sent to "coerce whole villages", telling tenants farmers to vote for Manners, and that the farmers had obeyed rather than risk eviction. He contended that the 25 counties which had been divided under the Reform Act
should have been allocated four seats as one constituency, rather than being split into a pair of two-seat divisions, and that if the two halves of Leicestershire were combined in one constituency, then no single landowner could dominate the county's elections in this way.
He stood again in North Leicestershire at the general elections in 1859
, 1865
and 1868
, but without success. At the 1865 election
, polling had to be postponed in Ashby-de-la-Zouch
when a group of colliers who supported Frewen rioted on 25 July, throwing stones at voters and overturning the carriages of Frewen's opponents. Sixty police officers attended, but despite breaking many heads they were unable to restore order, and the gates of the market hall were closed to further voters. A further 100 police arrived the next day, but polling was stopped after four people voted, since it was agreed that Frewen could not win and continued polling would only provoke his supporters further. The delay caused by the riots meant that the North Leicestershire was the last constituency in England county to declare a result in the election.
At the 1868 election he styled himself not as a Conservative, but as an "Independent Conservative", opposed as before to the Duke of Rutland's power in the constituency.
Polling was again disrupted by riots, this time at Sheepshed in the extreme north of the county.
Polling was taking place in the village's Roman Catholic schoolroom, and Frewen's supporters realised that he was losing, and tried to stop his opponents from voting. Police tried to protect voters, but were driven back into the schoolhouse, where rioters broke all the windows and threw stones at those inside, as well as trying unsuccessfully to seize the polling books. Police reinforcements were sent from Loughborough
, but were confronted en route by rioters who stopped the police carriage and attacked the officers with cudgels. The rioters dispersed when a second contingent of police arrived, and voting resumed the following day.
near Tunbridge Wells
, and widow of Musgrave Brisco
MP.
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
politician. He sat in the House of Commons from 1846 to 1857 for East Sussex
East Sussex (UK Parliament constituency)
East Sussex was a parliamentary constituency in the county of Sussex, which returned two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, elected by the bloc vote system....
, and thereafter suffered a series of electoral defeats as he unsuccessfully challenged the political power of the Duke of Rutland
Duke of Rutland
Earl of Rutland and Duke of Rutland are titles in the peerage of England, derived from Rutland, a county in the East Midlands of England. The Earl of Rutland was elevated to the status of Duke in 1703 and the titles were merged....
in North Leicestershire.
Early life
Frewen was the second son of John Frewen-TurnerJohn Frewen-Turner
John Frewen-Turner was an English landowner and politician.He was born John Frewen in Sapcote, Leicestershire, the son of the Rev Thomas and Esther née Simpkin Frewen and educated at Rugby School and Queen's College, Oxford, where he was awarded BA in 1778.He assumed the arms and surname of the...
(1755–1829) of Cold Overton in Leicestershire
Leicestershire
Leicestershire is a landlocked county in the English Midlands. It takes its name from the heavily populated City of Leicester, traditionally its administrative centre, although the City of Leicester unitary authority is today administered separately from the rest of Leicestershire...
, who had been the Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
(MP) for Athlone
Athlone (UK Parliament constituency)
Athlone was a parliamentary constituency in Ireland, which from 1801 to 1885 returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.-Boundaries:...
from 1807 to 1812. His mother was Frewen-Turner's second wife Elizabeth, the heir and only daughter of David Hay from Hopes in Haddingtonshire.
He was educated at Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Trinity has more members than any other college in Cambridge or Oxford, with around 700 undergraduates, 430 graduates, and over 170 Fellows...
, and became a large landowner in both Leicestershire and Sussex
Sussex
Sussex , from the Old English Sūþsēaxe , is an historic county in South East England corresponding roughly in area to the ancient Kingdom of Sussex. It is bounded on the north by Surrey, east by Kent, south by the English Channel, and west by Hampshire, and is divided for local government into West...
.
Frewen was a magistrate for Leicestershire, Sussex
Sussex
Sussex , from the Old English Sūþsēaxe , is an historic county in South East England corresponding roughly in area to the ancient Kingdom of Sussex. It is bounded on the north by Surrey, east by Kent, south by the English Channel, and west by Hampshire, and is divided for local government into West...
and Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
, and for three other counties. He was High Sheriff of Leicestershire
High Sheriff of Leicestershire
This is a list of High Sheriffs of Leicestershire. The High Sheriff is the oldest secular office under the Crown. Formerly the High Sheriff was the principal law enforcement officer in the county but over the centuries most of the responsibilities associated with the post have been transferred...
in 1866, a post previously held by his father in 1791.
Political career
Frewen first stood for ParliamentParliament of the United Kingdom
The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom, British Crown dependencies and British overseas territories, located in London...
at a by-election in March 1839 for Leicester
Leicester (UK Parliament constituency)
Leicester was a parliamentary borough in Leicestershire, which elected two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons from 1295 until 1918, when it was split into three single-member divisions.-History:...
, but was unsuccessful.
At the 1841 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1841
-Seats summary:-Whig MPs who lost their seats:*Viscount Morpeth - Chief Secretary for Ireland*Sir George Strickland, Bt*Sir Henry Barron, 1st Baronet-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987...
he contested Rye
Rye (UK Parliament constituency)
Rye was a parliamentary constituency centred on the town of Rye in East Sussex. It returned two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom until its representation was halved under the Reform Act 1832....
, again without success, but he was elected as an MP for East Sussex
East Sussex (UK Parliament constituency)
East Sussex was a parliamentary constituency in the county of Sussex, which returned two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, elected by the bloc vote system....
at a by-election in February 1846 after the resignation of George Darby, who had been appointed as a Commissioner of Enclosures. Frewen had been reluctant to stand, and when first approached by Darby as a possible protectionist candidate he had offered to donate £500 towards the expenses of another protectionist who would contest the seat.
No other candidate came forward, and at the hustings in Lewes
Lewes
Lewes is the county town of East Sussex, England and historically of all of Sussex. It is a civil parish and is the centre of the Lewes local government district. The settlement has a history as a bridging point and as a market town, and today as a communications hub and tourist-oriented town...
Frewen was elected unopposed on 4 February.
He was re-elected for East Sussex in 1847
United Kingdom general election, 1847
-Seats summary:-References:* F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987* British Electoral Facts 1832-1999, compiled and edited by Colin Rallings and Michael Thrasher *...
and 1852
United Kingdom general election, 1852
The July 1852 United Kingdom general election was a watershed election in the formation of the modern political parties of Britain. Following 1852, the Tory/Conservative party became, more completely, the party of the rural aristocracy, while the Whig/Liberal party became the party of the rising...
, and held the seat until his resignation
Resignation from the British House of Commons
Members of Parliament sitting in the House of Commons in the United Kingdom are technically forbidden to resign. To circumvent this prohibition, a legal fiction is used...
on 17 February 1857 through appointment as Steward of the Chiltern Hundreds.
He had resigned in order to contest a by-election in North Leicestershire
North Leicestershire (UK Parliament constituency)
North Leicestershire, formally the "Northern Division of Leicestershire", was a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom...
, where his campaign was based on what The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
newspaper called his "extreme Protestant
Protestantism
Protestantism is one of the three major groupings within Christianity. It is a movement that began in Germany in the early 16th century as a reaction against medieval Roman Catholic doctrines and practices, especially in regards to salvation, justification, and ecclesiology.The doctrines of the...
notions". Although he also raised issues of taxation, his main campaign focus was religion, and his agents' rallying cry was "no Popery!"
He opposed the Maynooth Grant
Maynooth Grant
The Maynooth Grant was a major British political controversy of the 1840s which arose partly due to the general anti-Irish and anti-Catholic feelings of the British population....
of financial assistance for St Patrick's College
St Patrick's College, Maynooth
St Patrick's College, Maynooth is the "National Seminary for Ireland" , and a Pontifical University, located in the village of Maynooth, 15 miles from Dublin, Ireland. The college and seminary are often referred to as Maynooth College. The college was officially established as the Royal College...
, a Roman Catholic seminary at Maynooth
Maynooth
Maynooth is a town in north County Kildare, Ireland. It is home to a branch of the National University of Ireland, a Papal University and Ireland's main Roman Catholic seminary, St. Patrick's College...
in Ireland, and distributed more than 20,000 handbills in one week to explain his views. However, the canvassing
Canvassing
Canvassing is the systematic initiation of direct contact with a target group of individuals commonly used during political campaigns. A campaign team will knock on doors of private residences within a particular geographic area, engaging in face-to-face personal interaction with voters...
returns showed that he had little support, and that voters preferred the High Church
High church
The term "High Church" refers to beliefs and practices of ecclesiology, liturgy and theology, generally with an emphasis on formality, and resistance to "modernization." Although used in connection with various Christian traditions, the term has traditionally been principally associated with the...
stance of Lord John Manners
John Manners, 7th Duke of Rutland
|-...
, son of the locally powerful Duke of Rutland
Duke of Rutland
Earl of Rutland and Duke of Rutland are titles in the peerage of England, derived from Rutland, a county in the East Midlands of England. The Earl of Rutland was elevated to the status of Duke in 1703 and the titles were merged....
. In one district where Frewen had expected strong report, the returns showed 319 supporters of Lord John, but only 14 for Frewen; and in the Melton Mowbray
Melton Mowbray
Melton Mowbray is a town in the Melton borough of Leicestershire, England. It is to the northeast of Leicester, and southeast of Nottingham...
district, canvassers identified no-one prepared to vote for Frewen. His agents, who included both Conservatives and Radicals
Radicals (UK)
The Radicals were a parliamentary political grouping in the United Kingdom in the early to mid 19th century, who drew on earlier ideas of radicalism and helped to transform the Whigs into the Liberal Party.-Background:...
, abandoned the campaign in mid-February when they realised that they could secure less than 200 votes in the whole county, and Manners was elected unopposed.
He did contest North Leicestershire at the general election in April 1857
United Kingdom general election, 1857
-Seats summary:-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987* British Electoral Facts 1832-1999, compiled and edited by Colin Rallings and Michael Thrasher *...
, when he did not win either of the two seats.
When Lord John sought re-election in March 1858 after his appointment as First Commissioner of Works
First Commissioner of Works
The First Commissioner of Works and Public Buildings was a position within the government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. It took over some of the functions of the First Commissioner of Woods and Forests in 1851 when the portfolio of Crown holdings was divided into the public...
, Frewen planned to stand again. He promptly issued an election address, which was published in the local newspapers, but his friends advised him not to proceed with the campaign. He appeared at the hustings on 8 March to explain his withdrawal, and was congratulated by Manners for avoiding "what, in Parliamentary language, would have been a frivolous and vexatious opposition".
In a letter published in The Times on 12 March, Frewen struck back, claiming that Manners "would not have the least chance of being returned for any other county in the whole kingdom besides North Leicestershire", because his return had been secured only by "the great territorial influence that has been exerted in his behalf".
Frewen claimed that land agent
Land agent
Land agent may be used in at least three different contexts.Traditionally, a land agent was a managerial employee who conducted the business affairs of a large landed estate for a member of the landed gentry of the United Kingdom, supervising the farming of the property by farm labourers and/or...
s for the Duke of Rutland
Duke of Rutland
Earl of Rutland and Duke of Rutland are titles in the peerage of England, derived from Rutland, a county in the East Midlands of England. The Earl of Rutland was elevated to the status of Duke in 1703 and the titles were merged....
had been sent to "coerce whole villages", telling tenants farmers to vote for Manners, and that the farmers had obeyed rather than risk eviction. He contended that the 25 counties which had been divided under the Reform Act
Reform Act 1832
The Representation of the People Act 1832 was an Act of Parliament that introduced wide-ranging changes to the electoral system of England and Wales...
should have been allocated four seats as one constituency, rather than being split into a pair of two-seat divisions, and that if the two halves of Leicestershire were combined in one constituency, then no single landowner could dominate the county's elections in this way.
He stood again in North Leicestershire at the general elections in 1859
United Kingdom general election, 1859
In the 1859 United Kingdom general election, the Whigs, led by Lord Palmerston, held their majority in the House of Commons over the Earl of Derby's Conservatives...
, 1865
United Kingdom general election, 1865
The 1865 United Kingdom general election saw the Liberals, led by Lord Palmerston, increase their large majority over the Earl of Derby's Conservatives to more than 80. The Whig Party changed its name to the Liberal Party between the previous election and this one.Palmerston died later in the same...
and 1868
United Kingdom general election, 1868
The 1868 United Kingdom general election was the first after passage of the Reform Act 1867, which enfranchised many male householders, thus greatly increasing the number of men who could vote in elections in the United Kingdom...
, but without success. At the 1865 election
United Kingdom general election, 1865
The 1865 United Kingdom general election saw the Liberals, led by Lord Palmerston, increase their large majority over the Earl of Derby's Conservatives to more than 80. The Whig Party changed its name to the Liberal Party between the previous election and this one.Palmerston died later in the same...
, polling had to be postponed in Ashby-de-la-Zouch
Ashby-de-la-Zouch
Ashby-de-la-Zouch, — Zouch being pronounced "Zoosh" — often shortened to Ashby, is a small market town and civil parish in North West Leicestershire, England, within the National Forest. It is twinned with Pithiviers in north-central France....
when a group of colliers who supported Frewen rioted on 25 July, throwing stones at voters and overturning the carriages of Frewen's opponents. Sixty police officers attended, but despite breaking many heads they were unable to restore order, and the gates of the market hall were closed to further voters. A further 100 police arrived the next day, but polling was stopped after four people voted, since it was agreed that Frewen could not win and continued polling would only provoke his supporters further. The delay caused by the riots meant that the North Leicestershire was the last constituency in England county to declare a result in the election.
At the 1868 election he styled himself not as a Conservative, but as an "Independent Conservative", opposed as before to the Duke of Rutland's power in the constituency.
Polling was again disrupted by riots, this time at Sheepshed in the extreme north of the county.
Polling was taking place in the village's Roman Catholic schoolroom, and Frewen's supporters realised that he was losing, and tried to stop his opponents from voting. Police tried to protect voters, but were driven back into the schoolhouse, where rioters broke all the windows and threw stones at those inside, as well as trying unsuccessfully to seize the polling books. Police reinforcements were sent from Loughborough
Loughborough
Loughborough is a town within the Charnwood borough of Leicestershire, England. It is the seat of Charnwood Borough Council and is home to Loughborough University...
, but were confronted en route by rioters who stopped the police carriage and attacked the officers with cudgels. The rioters dispersed when a second contingent of police arrived, and voting resumed the following day.
Family
In 1856 he married Frances Brisco, the daughter of Henry Woodgate from PemburyPembury
Pembury is a large village in Kent, in the south east of England, with a population of around 6,000. It lies just to the north-east of Tunbridge Wells.The village centre, including the village green and High Street area is a conservation area.-History:...
near Tunbridge Wells
Royal Tunbridge Wells
Royal Tunbridge Wells is a town in west Kent, England, about south-east of central London by road, by rail. The town is close to the border of the county of East Sussex...
, and widow of Musgrave Brisco
Musgrave Brisco
Musgrave Brisco was a British Conservative Party politician.He was appointed High Sheriff of Sussex for 1843. He was then elected as a Member of Parliament for Hastings at a by-election in 1844, and held the seat until he resigned from Parliament through appointment as Steward of the Chiltern...
MP.