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XII. The Lichfield House compact, 1835

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 July 2016

A.H. Graham
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Type
Historical revision
Information
Irish Historical Studies , Volume 12 , Issue 47 , March 1961 , pp. 209 - 225
Copyright
Copyright © Irish Historical Studies Publications Ltd 1961

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References

1 Russell, Earl, Recollections and suggestions, 1813–1873, p. 134.Google Scholar

2 O’Connell to Duncannon, 30 Aug., 2 Sept., 3 Oct., 1834 (Correspondence of Daniel O’Connell, ed. W. J. Fitzpatrick, i. 465–73, 473–7, 483–6).

3 This simple statement hides a much more complicated situation which cannot be discussed here.

4 Melbourne memoirs, ii. 54.

5 O’Connell to Fitzpatrick, 17 Nov. 1834 (O’Connell Correspondence, i. 503).

6 The Greville memoirs, ed. Henry Reeve (1888), iii. 155, 164.

7 Halévy, E., A history of the English people in the nineteenth century (London, 1950), 3. 175–6.Google Scholar

8 Gr e ville memoirs, iii. 184–5.

9 Melbourne to Lansdowne, 29 Dec. 1834 ( Torrens McCullagh, W.J., Memoirs of Lord Melbourne, 2. 67).Google Scholar

10

See Halévy, iii. 180–81; O’Brien, R.B., Fifty years of concessions to Ireland, 1. 488.Google Scholar

11 For fuller details see Melbourne memoirs, ii. 71–91; Early correspondence of Lord John Russell, ed. Rollo Russell, ii. 68.

12 Melbourne to Grey, 23 Jan., 6, 11 Feb., 1835 (The papers of Lord Melbourne, ed. L. G. Saunders, pp. 235–9, 244–6, 253–4); Melbourne to Rice, 5 Feb. 1835 (Melbourne memoirs, ii. 92–3); Melbourne to Russell, 12 Feb. 1835 (Russell early correspondence, ii. 90–92).

13 Grey to Melbourne, 1, 3, 14 Feb. 1835 (Melbourne papers, pp. 239–43, 246–8, 255–7), 6 Feb. 1835 (Melbourne memoirs, ii. 94).

14 Holland to Melbourne, 22 Jan., 9, 11 Feb., 1835 (Melbourne papers, pp. 232, 250-52, 252–3).

15 Auckland to Rice, 1 Feb. 1835 (Melbourne memoirs, ii. 87); Lansdowne to Rice, 1 Feb. 1835 (Russell early correspondence, ii. 81–3).

16 Joseph Hume to Spencer, 28 Jan. 1835, Spencer to Hume, 31 Jan. 1835 (D. Le Marchant, Memoir of Viscount Althorp, pp. 530–32), Spencer to Russell, 28 Jan. 1835 (Russell early correspondence, ii. 75–9); Spencer to Melbourne, 31 Jan. 1835 (Melbourne memoirs, ii. 88); Spencer to Rice, 4 Feb. 1835 (ibid., ii. 98).

17 Russell to Lansdowne, 6 Feb. 1835 ( Walpole, Spencer, Life of Lord John Russell, 1. 232)Google Scholar; Russell to Melbourne, 9, 11, 13 Feb. 1835 (Russell early correspondence, ii. 89, 90, 94–5).

18 I am indebted for this information, based on examination of the Grey papers, to Mr John P. Mackintosh, of Edinburgh University.

19 Gr e ville memoirs, iii. 211.

20 Melbourne memoirs, ii. 93.

21 Warburton to O’Connell, 20 Dec. 1834, 20 Jan. 1835 (O’Connell papers, University College, Dublin).

22 O’Connell correspondence, i. 512, 516.

23 Walpole, Russell, i. 232n.

25 30 Jan. 1835 (O’Connell correspondence, i. 520).

24 Warburton to O’Connell, 20 Jan. 1835 (as above).

26 O’Connell papers, U.C.D.

27 Walpole, Russell, i. 229–30, and Russell early correspondence, ii. 92–4.

28 Russell’s two drafts and Duncannon’s comments are given in Walpole, Russell, i. 230–2. Russell’s reply, dated February 20, is also in Russell early correspondence, ii. 97.

29 Melbourne papers, pp. 254–5.

30 Walpole, Russell, i. 233.

31 Hobhouse to Russell, 3 Feb. 1835 (ibid., i. 229).

32 Ibid., i. 229η.

33 Ibid., i. 233. ‘Those copies of Lord John Russell’s circular which were sent to the Irish members were forwarded to Mr O’Connell, not by Lord John, but by Mr Warburton, with a note from that gentleman requesting he would put the proper address to each and forward them by post. J. F. Browning.’

34 19 Feb. 1835 (Mrs Fawcett, Life of Sir William Molesworth, p. 73). See also O’Connell, John, Recollections and experiences, 1. 129 Google Scholar for a reference to Russell’s injunction not to cheer. O’ConnelFs account is devoid of any solid information as to what happened.

35 See also Warburton to O’Connell, 20, 30 Jan. 1835 (O’Connell papers, U.C.D. and O’Connell correspondence, i. 520); Joseph Parkes to Lord Durham, 29 Feb. 1835 ( Buckley, J., Joseph Parkes of Birmingham, p. 135)Google Scholar; MrsGrote, , Personal life of George Grote, p.99 Google Scholar; Francis Place’s account in B.M., Add. MS 35150, if. 17-18v.

36 Those mentioned as taking the lead were Grote, Warburton, Clay, Hawkins, Ward, Ewart, Palmer, Bulmer, Parkes, Hume and Molesworth.

37 Mrs Grote, as above.

38 John O’Connell, as above, i. 135.

39 Place expressed surprise at the degree of agreement reached.

40 Gr e ville memoirs, iii. 225–6.

41 O’Connell to Fitzpatrick, 19, 20 Feb. 1835 (O’Connell correspondence, i. 521–2.

42 Hansard, 3rd series, xxvi. 410.

43 Grey to Russell, 23 Feb. 1835 (Russell early correspondence, ii. 98–101).

44 Tavistock to Greville, 26 Feb. 1835 (Greville memoirs, iii. 228).

45 Walpole, Russell, i. 235.

46 Hansard, 3rd series, xxvi. 408.

47 Grey to Russell, 11 Mar. 1835 (Russell early correspondence, ii.103–5).

48 See also Baines, E., Life of Edward Baines, pp. 210–11.Google Scholar

49 Ibid., pp. 211–212; Greville memoirs, iii. 231.

50 Hansard, 3rd series, xxvii. 13 et seq.

51 Greville memoirs, iii. 240. I cannot establish whether or not O’Connell attended the meetings of 12 and 23 March 1835.

52 Ibid., iii. 240–41.

53 Melbourne memoirs, ii. 101.

54 Hansard, 3rd series, xxvii. 770.

55 Ibid., 791.

56 Ibid., xxvii. 861.

57 Ibid., xxvii. 880

58 Ibid., 969.

59 R. Β. O’Brien, op. cit., i. 497.

60 Most of the evidence will be found in Melbourne memoirs, ii. 117 fF.; Melbourne papers, pp. 274–5, 373–5; Russell early correspondence, ii. 98–101, 103–9; Greville memoirs, iii. 225–6, 254–60; Walpole, Russell, i. 243 fï.; O’Connell correspondence, ii. 1–6, 9 and letters to Fitzpatrick of 10 and 14 Apr. 1835 (ii. 10-13). The article by Ball, John in Macmillan’s Magazine, 1873, p. 222,Google Scholar cited in Melbourne memoirs in support of the assertion that there was an offer to O’Connell at this time, in fact refers to an incident which Ball dates to early 1837, not early 1835.

61 Hansard, 3rd series, xxvii. 999. He continued to deny the existence of an alliance. See letter to bp of Exeter, 7 Dec. 1837 (Melbourne papers, pp. 368–9).

62 John O’Connell (Recollections and experiences, i. 131) mentions the origin of ’ compact ’ as from a chance phrase of Sheil in one of the great party debates of the session. Similarly Fitzpatrick (O’Connell correspondence, ii. 3) ascribes to Sheil the remark, ’ Between parties hitherto divided a compact alliance has been formed ’, and McCullagh in Melbourne memoirs, ii. 101, also refers to Sheil as the originator of the phrase. Perhaps the most plausible account is by McCullagh in Memoirs of the Rt Hon. Richard Lalor Sheil, ii. 209. He asserts that the use of the word ’ compact ‘was a perversion of a phrase used by Sheil at one of the Lichfield House meetings, where he expressed the hope that ’ no personal jealousies or minor differences would be permitted to mar their compact and cordial alliance ’. This expression was repeated by him in public not long after, but was misreported ‘so as to turn the inoffensive adjective into a substantive of sinister implication ’.