John
Charles Spencer,
the eldest son of the 2nd Earl of Althorp, was
born on 30th May, 1782. At the age of eight he was sent to school
at Harrow. One of his friends at school
was Lord Byron. Spencer was an undistinguished
student but after private tuition he was able
to go to Trinity College, Cambridge
in 1800.
The Earl of Althorp purchased the constituency of Okehampton
for £60,000 and arranged for his son to become MP for the borough
in 1804. Known under his courtesy title, Lord Althorp, he supported
William Pitt but for the first five years
in the House of Commons he did not take
part in any debates. In 1806, Althorp switched to Northampton,
another constituency under the control of his father.
In the House of Commons Althorp came under
the influence of Charles Fox and as a result
switched his support from the Tories to the Whigs. Althorp became
very concerned about the hardships being encountered by shoemakers
in Northampton and argued strongly
against the proposed leather tax in 1812.
After the end of the war with France in 1815 Lord Althorp began to
argue in favour of parliamentary reform. In 1817 he opposed the suspension
of Habeas Corpus and the decision by Lord
Liverpool and his government to increase the powers of local magistrates.
Lord Althorp was also very critical of the Corn
Laws. Althorp also supported Joseph Hume
in his campaign for Catholic Emancipation.
In March,
1830, Althorp was chosen as leader of the Whigs
in Parliament and when the Duke of Wellington
resigned in November of that year, Althorp was expected to become
prime minister. He was reluctant to accept the responsibility of this
post and persuaded Earl Grey, the leader
of the Whigs in the House of Lords, to become prime minister.
In Grey's government Althorp became Chancellor of the Exchequer and
leader of the House of Commons. Lord Althorp
and Earl Grey had been supporters of parliamentary
reform for many years and the two men were determined to use their
power the increase the size of the electorate. As leader of the House
of Commons, Althorp played an important role in persuading Parliament
to pass the Reform Bill in 1832.
Although John Charles Spencer supported some aspects of factory legislation,
he was totally against the idea of the 'ten hour day' for children.
As Chancellor of the Exchequer, Lord Althorp led the opposition to
Michael Sadler and his supporters in the
debates that took place on this issue in 1832.
Two years later, Althorp spoke out against the proposed reforms of
Lord Ashley.
On the death of his father in 1834, Spencer became the 3rd Earl of
Althorp. He now moved to the House of Lords
but remained as Lord Melbourne's Chancellor of the Exchequer until
December, 1835. Althorp now retired from politics and spent the rest
of his life looking after the family estates. John Charles Spencer,
3rd Earl of Althorp, died in 1845.
Child
Labour Debate Activity (International School of Toulouse)
Child
Labour Simulation (Spartacus Educational)
(1)
John Charles Spencer, speech, House of Commons (16th March, 1832)
I
am of the opinion that the effect of the measure proposed by the honourable
member (Michael Sadler), must necessarily be a fall in the rate of
wages, or, what is more probable, that children would cease to be
employed at all in manufactories. Now I appeal to the honourable member
whether a measure which would prevent children from obtaining any
employment in factories would not be more injurious than beneficial
to the labouring classes?
As long as we have a manufacturing population in the kingdom it will
be impossible to render their occupation as wholesome as that of agricultural
labourers, or persons engaged in out-door labour. This is an evil
that cannot be remedied. It is too late now to argue about the unwholesome
nature of manufacturing employment. We have got a manufacturing population,
and it must be employed. Any measure which shall have the effect of
diminishing the means of employment to labourers engaged in manufactures
will produce extensive misery.
(2)
Thomas Macaulay, letter to his sister
Hannah (29th August, 1831)
My
opinion of Lord Althorp is extremely high. In fact his character is
the only stay of the ministry. I doubt whether any person has ever
lived in England who, with no eloquence, no brilliant talents, no
profound information, with nothing in short but plain good sense an
an excellent heart, possessed so much influence both in and out of
Parliament.
(3)
E. J. Littleton described a meeting of the Whigs in his diary on 8th
March, 1832.
There
stood Althorp with his stout, honest face, and farmer-like figure,
habited in ill-made black clothes, his trousers rucked up in a heap
round his legs, one coat flap turned round, and exposing his posterior,
and the pocket of the other crammed full of papers - his hat held
awkwardly in one hand and his large snuff box in the other, while
he briefly and bluntly told his plain, unsophisticated tale with his
usual correct feeling and stout sense, and was warmly responded to
by the whole party.
(4)
William Howitt, Eminent Living Political Reformers (1840)
In
1830 Lord Althorp was appointed to the office of Chancellor of the
Exchequer and leader of the House of Commons. During this reign of
four years as leader of the Lower House, his Lordship's authority
and influence was unbounded. No minister perhaps ever possessed more
individual power in that assembly than he had. His Lordship was never
an orator, yet who spoke so irresistibly as he did.
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