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Published online by Cambridge University Press: 21 December 2009
This Parliamentary diary is taken from shorthand manuscripts in the archives of the Harrowby MSS. Trust at Sandon Hall in Stafford-shire. For nearly a century from about 1713 successive members of the Ryder family recorded much of their personal, legal and political activities in shorthand notes and diaries. This practice was begun by Sir Dudley Ryder, who used a variant of Rich's shorthand system, which had been devised in the seventeenth century. He taught the system to his son Nathaniel, the author of this diary, and he in turn taught it to his two eldest sons, Dudley, later first Earl of Harrowby and Foreign Secretary 1804–5, and Richard, Home Secretary 1809–1812. Legal business comprises much of the material thus recorded, and many other notes concern personal and social matters, or estate management and accounts: but a considerable amount of important Parliamentary and other political information has also been discovered. Altogether, the surviving shorthand documents at Sandon Hall amount to some four million words. During the last thirty years or so, the Earl of Harrowby has sought to have these documents transcribed as part of his plan to put his family records in order. Since 1949 this task has been undertaken on something approaching a voluntary basis by Mr. K. L. Perrin of Great Comberton in Worcestershire, a hobby of great benefit to past, present and future historians.
page 230 note 1 The latter text has been reproduced with notes by B. R. Smith in his ‘The Committee of the Whole House to Examine the American Papers’ (M.A. Thesis, University of Sheffield, 1956). A commentary on and some extracts from this part of the Ryder diary are given by Gipson, L. H. in ‘The Great Debate in the Committee of the Whole House of Commons on the Stamp Act, 1766, as Reported by Nathaniel Ryder’, Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography, 86 (1962), pp. 10–41.Google Scholar
page 233 note 1 No date given by Ryder. Committee of Ways and Means. The Budget. See also Walpole, Horace, Memoirs of the Reign of George III (4 vols. 1894), I, 309–310.Google Scholar
page 233 note 2 Ryder's notes of this speech begin with some 50 lines of financial figures, derived from the statement of income and expenditure given by Grenville. These are omitted, as are similar figures later in the speech.
page 235 note 1 Diary has ‘spirit’.
page 235 note 2 The Budget resolutions are printed in Common Journals, XXIX, 934–5, 945–6, 952–3, 977–8.Google Scholar
page 239 note 1 Debate on a motion to declare general warrants illegal. See also Walpole, H., Memoirs, II, 37–45Google Scholar; Almon, J., Debates, VII, 9–11Google Scholar; Cobbett, W., Parliamentary History, XVI, 6–15.Google Scholar
page 241 note 1 Meredith's motion and Hay's amendment are printed in Commons Journals, XXX, 70.Google Scholar
page 253 note 1 Sir Thomas Sewell.
page 253 note 2 No date given by Ryder.
page 253 note 3 The House then resolved into a Committee of Ways and Means on American stamp duties proposed by Grenville. See also Walpole, H., Memoirs, II, 49–56.Google Scholar
page 261 note 1 Diary has 2 February, a Sunday. Committee of the Whole House on America. See also Walpole, H., Memoirs, II, 197–200Google Scholar; and American Historical Review, 17 (1911–1912), pp. 565–74Google Scholar (Notes by Grey Cooper, M.P., edited by C. H. Hull).
page 264 note 1 William Molyneux was author in 1698 of a pamphlet, The Case of Ireland being bound by Acts of Parliament in England stated. It was condemned by the House of Commons on 27 June 1698. Commons Journals, XXI, 331.Google Scholar
page 265 note 1 Blank in MS.
page 269 note 1 Blank in MS.
page 273 note 1 The transcriber, Mr. Perrin, informed me that this last paragraph appears in the MS. as a separate speech by an unidentified M.P. This is probably an error by Ryder, for the sense of it is attributed to Burke by Walpole, H., Memoirs, II, 199Google Scholar. Nor is there any such speech in the report by Grey Cooper.
page 276 note 1 Committee of the Whole House on America. See also Walpole, H., Memoirs, II, 201–2Google Scholar. The resolutions voted this day are printed in Sir John Fortescue, ed., The Correspondence of George III (6 vols. 1927–1928), I, pp. 262–4.Google Scholar
page 279 note 1 Diary has ‘assemblies’.
page 281 note 1 Diary has ‘least’.
page 282 note 1 William De Grey.
page 282 note 2 Committee of the Whole House on America. Motion by Grenville for enforcement of the Stamp Act. See also Walpole, H., Memoirs, II, 202–4.Google Scholar
page 291 note 1 Committee of the Whole House on America. Examination of witnesses. See British Museum Additional MSS. 33030 fos. 88–113 for a fuller account of this evidence.
page 294 note 1 Diary has 13 February. Committee of the Whole House on America. Examination of witnesses. For a more complete account of the evidence see B. M. Add. MSS. 33030, fos. 113–81.
page 297 note 1 The remainder of the day's proceedings continue from this point in document 64, under the correct date.
page 299 note 1 Diary has Ealand.
page 300 note 1 Committee of the Whole House on America. Examination of witnesses. The contemporary printed account of Franklin's evidence may be found in Almon, J., Debates, VII, 106–40Google Scholar; and in Cobbett, W., Parliamentary History, XVI, 137–60.Google Scholar
page 302 note 1 Committee of the Whole House on America. Resolution to repeal the Stamp Act. See Walpole, H., Memoirs, II, 210–12.Google Scholar
page 305 note 1 Jenkinson moved an amendment to substitute ‘explain and amend’ for ‘repeal’. See Fortescue, , Correspondence of George III, I, p. 275.Google Scholar
page 310 note 1 See Walpole, H., Memoirs, II, 212–14.Google Scholar
page 316 note 1 See Walpole, H., Memoirs, II, 215–18.Google Scholar
page 320 note 1 Committee of the Whole House on America. Examination of witnesses.
page 326 note 1 It is not clear which total should be molasses.
page 329 note 1 See Walpole, H., Memoirs, II, 287–90.Google Scholar
page 330 note 1 Diary has ‘yesterday’ under 18 February. Debate on petition of New York merchants.
page 330 note 2 Diary has ‘Board’.
page 330 note 3 Committee of Supply. Debate on army extraordinaries.
page 331 note 1 Diaiy has no date.
page 332 note 1 Committee of Ways and Means. Debate on land tax. See Walpole, H., Memoirs, II, 296–302Google Scholar; Almon, , Debates, VII, 282–4Google Scholar; Debrett, , Parliamentary Register, IV, 475–83Google Scholar; and Cobbett, , Parliamentary History. XVI, 362–4.Google Scholar
page 335 note 1 The Commons Journals, XXXI, 211Google Scholar, wrongly has 140 for the minority. Other reports confirm Ryder's figures: see, for example B.M. Add. MSS. 32980, fos. 246–8.
page 335 note 2 George Dudley and Thomas Rous respectively.
page 336 note 1 Diary has ‘yesterday’ under 25 March. Committee of Supply.
page 337 note 1 The proceedings of this day, and those of 26, 27, 30, 31 March, and 1, 3, 7, 10 April took place in the Committee of the Whole House on the East India Company.
page 337 note 2 Diary has 31 March.
page 339 note 1 James Montgomery.
page 340 note 1 Committee of Ways and Means. The Budget.
page 340 note 2 Diary has ‘yesterday’ under 2 May.
page 341 note 1 James West informed the Duke of Newcastle that Colebrooke seconded a motion by H. Crabb Boulton. B. M. Add. MSS. 32981. fo. 307.
page 341 note 2 Committee of the Whole House on the East India Company. See Walpole, H., Memoirs, III, 16–19.Google Scholar
page 342 note 1 Committee of the Whole House on America. Resolutions on New York. See Walpole, H., Memoirs, III, 21–9.Google Scholar
page 348 note 1 Report of the resolutions on New York. They are printed in Commons Journals, XXXI, 364Google Scholar. See Walpole, H., Memoirs, III, 29–30Google Scholar; and Almon, , Debates, VII, 300–15.Google Scholar
page 348 note 2 Commons Journals, XXXI, 365Google Scholar, has 141 to 42.
page 349 note 1 Diary has 20 May.
page 349 note 2 Diary has 21 May.
page 349 note 3 Diary has 22 May.
page 350 note 1 Diary has 23 May. Committee of the Whole House on the East India Company.
page 350 note 2 The debates of 25 and 26 May were in the Committee on the East India Dividend Bill.
