When William IV. was King ... With ... illustrations

Preface

. Several " Life and Times of William IV." have been written, but they all contain a great deal of " Life," and very little " Times." The present book reverses this, and deals, primarily, with the chief topics of conversation during the seven years of King William's reign, and, afterwards, with the social aspect of the times. Although I treat of a period but sixty years since, it is a time of which much is to be said which is unknown to the present generation, and one which has had a deep and lasting influence on our own times. Then began the mighty reign of steam ; then was inaugurated the first passenger railway, to which small beginning England owes so much. Then, too, steam navigation began to be general, developing Preface. VI that commerce which has been the making of the country. Science woke up, as did Art, whilst the introduction of the Kailway caused our manufactures to progress by leaps and bounds.

Politics have been avoided as much as possible ; and, although the book is necessarily somewhat dis cursive, I would fain hope it will be found interesting ; and, in the words of the writer of Maccabees (Book II. xv. 38), I say, "Which if I have done well, and as it becometh the history, it is what I desired, but, if not so perfectly, it must be pardoned me." JOHN ASHTON CONTENTS.

Chapter I

1830. PAGE Illness of George IV. — His death — Sale of his clothes, etc. — The new King — His character 1

Chapter II

1830. Proclamation of William IV. — The Beer Act — The Queen and gas — Burial of George IV. — The King and the Duke of Cumberland — The King as a soldier — He meddles with the uniforms of the army 8

Chapter III

1830. The King as " bon bourgeois " — Mobbed— Street song about him — A sailor in Guildhall — Behaviour of the public at Windsor — Charles X. in England — The " New Police " — A modest advertisement ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 17

Chapter IV

1830. Opening of the Liverpool and Manchester Railway — Death of Mr. Huskisson — Agricultural lawlessness — Captain Swing — Executions for riot— Riots throughout the country — Special Commissions — Prayer to be used in churches and chapels ... •... Contents. VIII PAGH :J,7 49

Chapter V

1830. Duke of Wellington mobbed and stoned— Owing to riots, the King postponed his visit to the city— No Lord Mayor's show, nor dinner — Riots in the city — Apsley House besieged— Ireland proclaimed — Ferment in the country — Change of Ministry — Royal succession — Scotch regalia — Curious story of a bank-note

Chapter VI

1831. Incendiary fires — Captain Swing — The result of Cobbett's lectures— Special Commission — Prosecution of Carlile — Election expenses — List of Close boroughs— Collapse of Reform Bill — The King stoned — Debut of Princess Victoria — The Times and the House of Lords — Bribery at elections — Action for libel — " The King v. Cobbett" — Prince Leopold made King of the Belgians

Chapter VII

1831. Opening of New London Bridge — After the luncheon — State of the waiters — Provision for the Princess Victoria — Sale of Sir Walter Scott's MSS. — The coronation — Its expenses — A " half crownation" — The Lord Mayor and his gold cup ... ... ... 62

Chapter VIII

1831. Scramble for coronation medals — Bad -weather — Fireworks in Hyde Park — Absence from the ceremony of the Duchess of Kent and Princess Victoria — The Times thereon — Story of a Great Seal — Reform Bill rejected by the Lords — Reform riots in the country and London — Windows of Apsley House broken by the mob ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 74

Chapter IX

1831. Reform procession — The Corporation of London and the King — Dreadful riots at Bristol — Riots in other parts of the kingdom —Edward Irving and the " Gift of Tongues "—The cholera- Its spread— State of Ireland — Tithe agitation — Scarcity of food — Repeal of the Union — Cases of violence ... ... ... Contents. IX PAGE 124

Chapter X

1832. Commissions at Bristol and Nottingham — Executions — Employment of children in factories — Cholera in London — Day of fast and humiliation — Riot in Finsbury— Cholera riot at Paisley — A small one in London — Decrease of cholera — Number of deaths — Cholera in Ireland — A charm against it — Its effect on rooks — The police, City and Metropolitan ... ... ... ... 101

Chapter XI

1832. Reform Bill passes the Commons — Scotch boys and the Reform Bill — Proposed increase of the peerage — Passed in the Lords — "The Marylebone or Tory Hunt"— The Duke of Wellington mobbed — The King stoned — The Queen hissed — Archbishop of Canterbury stoned ... ... ... ... ... ... 114

Chapter XII

1832. The first reformed Parliament — Steam communication with India — State of Ireland — Lawless behaviour — Malversation of justice — O'Connell and the Trades' Political Union — Crime in Ireland...

Chapter XIII

1833. Employment of children in factories — Evidence — Passing of Factory Act— Gambling — Crockford's club — Gambling "hells" — Police case 132

Chapter XIV

1833. The overland route to India — The Government and Lieutenant Waghorn — Police magistrate and the press — Cobbett and the British Museum — Prevalence of influenza — " National Convention" riot— Policeman killed — The coroner and the jury — Adulteration of tea ... ,.. ... ... ... ... Contents. X PAGE 154 165 201

Chapter XV

1833. The Queen's visit to the City — Her unpopularity — King's dislike of the Duchess of Kent — Hungerford Market opened — Death and funeral of Wilberforce — Abolition of slavery — Synopsis of Act — A Women's rowing match — List of periodicals and their circulation — Return of Captain Ross — State of Ireland — Passing of "Coercion Bill," etc

Chapter XVI

1834. Corporation commission — Curious advertisement — Discovery of treasure — Bribery at Liverpool — Duke of York's statue — Trades' unions — Skit thereon— Riot at Oldham — Unionist oath — Union meeting and monster petition — Its fate — Duke of Wellington made Chancellor of Oxford — The Princess Victoria's lover

Chapter XVII

1834. Crockford's and game — The chef in trouble — Burning of the Houses of Parliament —The tapestry in the House of Lords — Story of one piece — Temporary House of Lords — Tithe riots in Ireland — Change of Ministry ■ 178

Chapter XVIII

1835. First cargo of ice to India — Election riots at Halifax and in Scotland — A female sailor — The new temporary Houses of Parliament — The King and others hissed — Question of admitting ladies — A political skit— Deaths of Hunt and Cobbett 189

Chapter XIX

1835. Gambling house police case— Curious superstition — A cook's letter to her mistress— Jews and public employment— Fire at Hatfield House— Curious discovery of jewels— Scarcity in Ireland Contents. XI PACK 226

Chapter XX

1836. Curious case of a girl stolen by gipsies — Superstition re light at Christmas in the North of England — Designs for New Houses of Parliament — King William III. statue blown up — Admission of ladies to the House of Commons — Stuart impostors — An inter-university boat race — How Cambridge came to have light blue as a colour ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 214

Chapter XXI

1836. Report on the British Museum — The King and the Duchess of Kent ; a scene — Inauguration of George III.'s Statue at Charing Cross — Poetry at the police court — The trip of the Nassau balloon

Chapter XXII

1837. Epidemic of influenza — A scene in some Metropolitan graveyards — Lord de Ros and his cheating at cards — Invention of sewing machine — Coming of age of Princess Victoria — Illuminations, etc. — The Spitalfield's silk weavers' ball — Illness of the King — His death and burial ... ••■ ... ... ... 235

Chapter XXIII

Men's dress — Education — School advertisements — The original of Squeers — Girls' schools — Tea as a meal — Food— A foreigner's sketch of an English dinner-party — A high-class dinner — An ideal dinner ... ... •■■ ••• ••• ••• ... 248

Chapter XXXI

Architects and civil engineers — Men of science — Scientific societies — Medical men — Lawyers — "Tracts for the Times " — Curates' pay — Flogging in the army and navy — Crime — Transportation versus hulks — Stories of convicts . . ... ... ... ...

Chapter I

1830. Illness of George IV. — His death — Sale of his clothes, etc. — The new King — His character. In the Times of Friday, April 16, 1830, we have the following Court Circular: — " His Majesty, we regret to state, has experienced, during the last few days, an attack of indisposition. The King took an airing for some time on Monday. During the night his Majesty became indisposed ; Sir Henry Halford, who was in attendance at the Palace that evening, and who, according to his usual practice, slept there, left the Palace on Tuesday morning and came to town, but thought it advisable to return to Windsor in the evening. Sir Henry came to town on Wednesday morning, and again returned to the Palace ; when, finding that the King's attack of illness had increased, Sir Henry sent for Sir Matthew Tierney at an early hour yesterday morning.

Sir Matthew immediately left town : on his arrival at the Palace, the two medical gentle men held a consultation on the state of the King, and, after wards, issued the following bulletin, a few minutes before one o'clock : — Ji [i33o. 2 Windsor Castle, April 15. We regret to state that the King has had a bilious attack, accompanied by an embarrassment in breathing. His Majesty, although free from fever, is languid and weak. (Signed) Henry Halfoed. Matthew Johx Tierney "No alteration taking place in the state of the King, Sir Henry Half ord, shortly after tbe issuing of the Bulletin, left the Castle in his carriage and four, for London. Sir Matthew Tierney remained in attendance on his Majesty during the whole of yester day afternoon and evening, and it was arranged would sleep at the Palace.

His Majesty remaining much in the same state during the afternoon, Sir Henry was not sent for, but would, it was expected, remain in Town during last night." This was the first intimation, to the nation, of the serious condition of George the Fourth. He was pay ing the penalty for the irregularities of his life, by suffering from a complication of diseases ; inflamma tion of the chest, gout in the stomach, dropsy, ossifica tion of the heart, bile, and asthma. Latterly, he had retired to Virginia water, where he lived at the so called " Cottage," solaced by the society of Lady Conyngham, and existing chiefly on brandy and curacoa. His age (for he was in his sixty-eighth year) was against his recovery, and at 3.13 a.m. on the 26th of June, 1830, he expired. He was in bed when the stroke of death fell upon him.

The page next him, instantly proceeded to raise his Majesty, according to the motion which he signified by his finger. The King was, at once, assisted into a chair at his bedside, and a great alteration struck the page, Sale os the King's Clothes. i83o.] 3 as overcasting the royal countenance ; the King's eyes became fixed, his lips quivered, and he appeared to be sinking into a fainting fit. The physicians were in stantly sent for, and the attendants at once assisted the King with sal volatile, eau de cologne, and such stimulants as were at hand on the table. At this moment his Majesty attempted to raise his hand to his breast, faintly ejaculating, "0 God ! I am dying;" and, after a pause of two or three seconds, he uttered the following words, which were his last : " This is death ! " So passed away George the Magnificent — and the Marchioness of Conyngham immediately began to pack up and hurry off, whither, no one exactly knew.

What she took with her was never known ; but, later on, she had to disgorge some very valuable jewels. Needless to say, there was a grand funeral ; and then came the sale of his wardrobe and effects, of which Greville writes l : — "August 3, 1830. — I went, yesterday, to the sale of the late King's wardrobe, which was numerous enough to fill Monmouth Street, and sufficiently various and splendid for the wardrobe of Drury Lane. He hardly ever gave anything away, except his linen, which was distributed every year. These clothes are the perquisites of his pages, and will fetch a pretty sum. There are all the coats he has ever had for fifty years ; three hundred whips, canes without number, every sort of uniform, the costumes of all the orders in Europe, splendid furs, pelisses, hunting-coats and breeches, and, among other things, a dozen pair of corduroy breeches he had made to hunt in, when Hon Miguel was here. i The " Greville Memoirs," edit. 1875, vol. ii. p. 23. [1830. 4 His profusion in these articles was unbounded, because he never paid for them, and his memory was so accurate, that one of his pages told me he recollected every article of dress, no matter how old, and that they were always liable to be called on to produce some particular coat, or other article of apparel of years gone by."

The Times (August 18, 1830) says " The late King's wardrobe has been selling, for the last fort night, at the warehouse of Mr. Bailey, the King's Upholder, in Mount Street, Grosvenor Square. The property was immense. It was the perquisites of the Pages of the Back Stairs, six in number ; and we hear that the sale realized £15,000. The Earl of Chesterfield gave 200 guineas for a sable pelisse, which has since been valued at COO, and was a present from the Emperor Alexander. The Marquis of Hertford was among the purchasers. There were many pairs of boots and shoes, which were sold at os. per pair, one with the other, to a person in the trade. There were numerous pairs of silk stockings. The cambric and silk handker chiefs produced a guinea each, although the pages said they were not worth more than 7s. each.

The cellar of snuff was bought by Mr. Pontet, of Pall Mall, for £400." This latter fact is scarcely correct. It was bouo-ht by Messrs. Freybourg and Treyer, of the Haymarket, who set apart a special room for its sale. To finish up with the sale of the royal effects, we read in the Gentleman's Magazine, of June 9, 1831, that — " A portion of his late Majesty's costly and splendid wardrobe, destined for public sale, including the magnificent coronation robes and other costumes, was sold by auction, by Mr. Phillips, at his rooms in New Bond Street. There were 120 lots disposed' of, out of which we subjoin the principal, in the order in which they were put up — "No. 13. An elegant yellow and silver sash of the Royal Accession of William IV. i83o.] 5 Hanoverian Guelphic Order, £3 8s. — 17. A pair of fine kid trousers, of ample dimensions, and lined with white satin, was sold for 12s. — 35.

The Coronation ruff, formed of superb Mechlin lace, £2. — 50. The costly Highland costume, worn by our late Sovereign at Dalkeith Palace, the seat of his Grace the Duke of Buccleugh, in the summer of 1822, was knocked down at £40. — 52.1 The sumptuous crimson velvet Coronation mantle, with silver star, embroidered with gold, in appropriate devices, and which cost, originally, according to the statement of the auctioneer, upwards of £500, was knocked down at 47 guineas. — 53. A crimson coat to suit with the above, £14. — 55. A magnificent gold body dress and trousers, 2G guineas. — 07. An extraordinary large white aigrette plume, brought from Paris by the Earl of Fife, in April, 1815, and presented by his lordship to the King, was sold for £15. — 87. A richly embroidered silver tissue Corona tion waistcoat and trunk hose, £13. — 95.

The splendid pnrple velvet Coronation mantle, sumptuously embroidered with gold, of which it was said to contain 200 ounces. It was knocked down at £55, although it was stated to have cost his late Majesty £300. — 96. An elegant and costly green velvet mantle, lined with ermine of the finest quality ; presented by the Emperor Alexander to his late Majesty, which cost upwards of 1000 guineas, was knocked down at £125." These prices do not show that the people cared much to possess relics of their late sovereign ; indeed, he was speedily forgotten, and all eyes were turned to the rising sun. The newspapers teemed with anecdotes of him, from his childhood upwards (mostly very sorry stuff), and, oblivious of his errors, inanity, and frivolity, the people hailed William (why or wherefore ?) as " The Patriot King."

Until the death of the Duke of York, he had excited no more public interest than any of the other royal princes; but 1 Now on exhibition at Madame Tussaud's Waxworks show. [1830. when that event took place, he was looked upon as heir to the throne, had an increased grant from Par liament, and lived a somewhat retired life at Bushey Park, with his wife, Amelia Adelaide, eldest child of George, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Meiningen, whom he married on July 18, 1818. His life, previous to his accession to the throne, is not within the province of this book — it is sufficient to say that at no time was he remarkable for his intellect, tractability, or social manners. Hear what Greville,1 an acute observer, even if he were some what of a cynic, says about him at his accession- — "London, July 1G. — I returned here on the Gth of this month, and have waited these ten days to look about me, and see and hear what is passing.

The present King and his proceedings occupy all attention, and nobody thinks any more of the late King, than if he had been dead fifty years, unless it be to abuse him and rake up all his vices and misdeeds. Never was elevation like that of William IV. His life has, hitherto, passed in obscurity and neglect, in miserable poverty, surrounded by 'a numerous progeny of bastards, without con sideration or friends, and he was ridiculous from his grotesque ways and little meddling curiosity. Nobody ever invited them into their house, or thought it necessary to honour him with any mark of attention or respect ; and so he went on for about forty years, till Canning brought him into notice by making him Lord High Admiral at the time of his grand ministerial schism. In that post he distinguished himself by making absurd speeches, by a morbid official activity, and by a general wildness which was thought to indicate incipient insanity, till shortly after Canning's death and the Duke's2 accession, it is well known, the latter dismissed him.

He then dropped back into obscurity, but had 1 "The Greville Memoirs," vol. ii. edit. 1875. - Wellington. Character os William IV. i83o.] 7 become, by this time, somewhat more of a personage than he was before. His brief administration of the Navy, the death of the Duke of York, which made him heir to the throne, his increased wealth and regular habits, had procured him more consideration, though not a great deal. Such was his position when George IV. broke all at once, and after three months of expectation, William rinds himself King." CHAPTEE II. 1830. Proclamation of William IV.— The Beer Act— The Queen and gas- Burial of George IV. — The King and the Duke of Cumberland — The King as a soldier — He meddles with the uniforms of the army. On Monday, June 28, 1830, the king came at an early hour to St. James's Palace to witness the ceremony of his proclamation, which was duly done at 10 a.m., with the usual pomp, the heralds giving forth that, with the acquiescence of everybody — " We do now hereby, with one voice and consent of tongue and heart, proclaim that the High and Mighty Prince William, Duke of Clarence, is now, by the death of the late Sovereign, of happy memory, become our only lawful and rightful Liege Lord William the Fourth, by the Grace of God, King of Great Britain and Ireland ; " and so forth.

It was a gay sight, for people had not had time to get into mourning costume, and the bright summer dresses of the ladies made it a brilliant show. He commenced his reign with a gracious act, which considerably added to his popularity. Before the ceremony of proclamation he showed himself at a window in St. James's Palace, before which some thousands of people had assembled. According to the Globe — The Beer Act. i83o.] 9 " By some Jack-in-Office, the spectators were ordered to be dispersed, which was speedily done by the Life Guards. On the arrival of the heralds to proclaim the accession, the King re appeared at his window, and, finding a vacant space below, which, previously, was crowded, with some degree of surprise, said, ' What has become of the people ? ' On being told they had been removed, ' By whose order ? ' next inquired the King.

He was so dissatisfied with the answer as to command the gate of the court yard immediately to be re-opened, and the public to be re admitted, who soon re-assembled in great numbers, and cheered their Sovereign most vociferously." The change of rulers did not affect Parliament. The Lords adjourned for a day, and the Commons did very little business until all the members had taken the oath of allegiance to the new sovereign, who kept on the old Ministry, with the Duke of Wellington at its head. Very shortly afterwards, the question of a Eegency (the Princess Victoria being only twelve years old) cropped up;; and after that, on July 12th, was read a third time and passed in the House of Lords " An Act to permit the general Sale of Beer and Cyder by Betail in England " (1 Gul. IV. c. lxiv.), which the Times describes as " a great victory obtained for the poor over the unpitying avarice of the rich."

Beer always had been the standard drink of England, and, at this time, no cheap substitute had been found for it. Tea was far too dear for common folk, as was coffee, and cocoa or chocolate were only for the well-to-do. This Act is virtually that under which beer-houses are now licensed, which made a licence to sell beer only easy to obtain. It suited the times, and was very popular. A song, which is still [1830. 10 sung, but which dates from early Victorian times, makes a slight error as to the intention of the Act, but it shows a grateful remembrance of the same. It is called — " I likes a Drop of Good Beer." Come one and all, both great and small With voices loud and clear, And let us sing, bless Billy the King, Who bated the tax upon beer. Chorus : " For I likes a drop of good beer, I does, Pse per tickler fond of my beer, I is ; And his eyes whoever he tries To rob a poor man of his beer.'" The accompanying illustration, by an anonymous artist, shows the Duke of Wellington providing the The Beer Act. i83o.j 11 people with beer, in a popular manner.

It is entitled " Opening the Beer Trade ; or, Going into a New Line of Business." The background is formed of two houses ; one the sign of the King's Head ; the other, the Druggist's Arms. Outside the closed door of the latter, which is "To let, enquire of the Brewers," stands Timothy Mix'em, dealer in compounds, who, looking at the group, mournfully remarks, " They'll soon shut up all the houses by opening the Trade." The King's Head is kept by Arthur and Co., dealer in swipes, who proclaims on his windows, " Genuine Beer, from Malt and Hops only," and has a placard that the New Beer Act commences October 10, 1830. The old Duke of Wellington says to the dustman and his wife, " Come, my Britons, here's your real malt and hops ; " whilst Peel, as pot-boy, remarks, " No poisonous drugs here, my boys, it's all real stuff."

On July 23rd, Parliament was dissolved. Ever since the accession of William IV. his slightest movements were chronicled, even down to the smallest of small beer, such as ' — " The Duke of Wellington, when at Windsor, a few days ago, directed that the gas might be cut off from the interior of the castle, by the desire of the Queen, who, we understand, entertained apprehensions lest an accident might be caused by explosion. Her Majesty's wishes will, of course, be immediately complied with, and directions have already been given to the Gas Company for the purpose." 1 Times. July 12th. [1830. 12 The movements of the Princess Victoria, who had now become a personage, were also duly chronicled, and we are told how " The presence of the Duchess (of Kent) and her interesting daughter will, no doubt, attract numerous visitors to Malvern."

George IV, after lying in state, was buried on July 15th, with all the pomp usually accompanying the burial of a King of England. Greville tells us how his successor behaved on this occasion — " At the late King's funeral he behaved with great indecency. That ceremony was very well managed, and a fine sight, Ithe military part particularly, and the Guards were magnificent. The attendance was not very numerous, and, when they had all got together in St. George's Hall, a gayer company I never beheld ; with the exception of Mount Charles, who was deeply affected, they were all as merry as grigs. The King was chief mourner, and, to my astonishment, as he entered the chapel, directly behind the body, in a situation in which he should have been apparently, if not really, absorbed in the melancholy duty he was performing, he darted up to Strathaven, who was ranged on one side below the Dean's stall, shook him heartily by the hand, and then went on nodding to the right and left.

He had, previously, gone as chief mourner to sit for an hour at the head of the body as it lay in state, and he walked in procession, with his household, to the apartment. I saw him pass from behind the screen. Lord Jersey had been in the morning to Bushey to kiss hands on being made Chamberlain, when he had received him very graciously, told him it was the Duke, and not himself, who had made him, but that he was delighted to have him. At Windsor, when he arrived, he gave Jersey the white wand ; or, rather, took one from him he had provided for himself, and gave it him again with a little speech. When he went to sit in state, Jersey preceded him, and he said, when all was ready, ' Go on to the body, Jersey ; you will get your dress coat as soon as you can.' " Personal gossip about the King, is not the scheme The Duke os Cumberland. i83o.] 13 of this book ; but, as it formed the main topic of general conversation at the time, it cannot be passed over.

His brother, the greatly disliked Duke of Cumberland, afterwards King of Hanover, had usurped the functions of the other colonels of the guards, and had elected himself a permanent Gold Stick, but the new monarch said his rank was too high for him to perform such service, and relegated the office to its former footing, that each colonel should share the office in turns. Nor was this the only friction between the brothers. The Duke of Cumberland's horses had hitherto occupied the stables allotted to the Queen, and when Lord Errol, her Master of the Horse, asked her where she would have her horses stabled, she replied, she " did not know, but he was to put them in their proper place." Accordingly, the King was asked for an order to remove the duke's horses, which was given through the Duke of Leeds, who went to the Duke of Cumberland, and received for answer that " he would be d — d if they should go ; " but on its being represented to him that if he did not remove them, they would be turned out, he sulkily gave way.

The King, who, as every one knows, had been brought up as a sailor, now turned his attention to things military, and his first review is thus described by Greville — " July 20. — Yesterday was a very busy day with his Majesty, who is going much too fast, and begins to alarm his Ministers [1830. and astonish the world. In the morning he inspected the Cold stream Guards, dressed (for the first time in his life) in a military uniform, and with a great pair of gold spurs half way up his legs like a game-cock, although he was not to ride, for, having chalk stones in his hands, he can't hold the reins." He next began to meddle with the uniforms, etc. in the army, doubtless with a view to save the pockets of the officers, for army dress, under Georo-e the Magnificent, had become very much gold belaced and expensive; but of all the orders issued on August 2nd from the Horse Guards, we will only take two. 1830.]