The 1901 Saffron Walden by-election was a

by-election A by-election, also known as a special election in the United States and the Philippines, a bye-election in Ireland, a bypoll in India, or a Zimni election (Urdu: ضمنی انتخاب, supplementary election) in Pakistan, is an election used to f ...

held on 31 May 1901 for the

British House of Commons The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the upper house, the House of Lords, it meets in the Palace of Westminster in London, England. The House of Commons is an elected body consisting of 650 mem ...

constituency of

Saffron Walden Saffron Walden is a market town in the Uttlesford district of Essex, England, north of Bishop's Stortford, south of Cambridge and north of London. It retains a rural appearance and some buildings of the medieval period. The population was 15, ...

Essex Essex () is a county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the River Thames to the south, and G ...

Vacancy

The by-election was caused by the death on 1 May 1901, at the age of 40, of the sitting

Liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * a supporter of liberalism ** Liberalism by country * an adherent of a Liberal Party * Liberalism (international relations) * Sexually liberal feminism * Social liberalism Arts, entertainment and m ...

MP for the constituency Armine Wodehouse. Wodehouse was the son of sometime

Foreign Secretary The secretary of state for foreign, Commonwealth and development affairs, known as the foreign secretary, is a minister of the Crown of the Government of the United Kingdom and head of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. Seen as ...

John Wodehouse, 1st Earl of Kimberley John Wodehouse, 1st Earl of Kimberley (7 January 18268 April 1902), known as The Lord Wodehouse from 1846 to 1866, was a British Liberal politician. He held office in every Liberal administration from 1852 to 1895, notably as Secretary of Stat ...

and had held the

seat since the general election of 1900.

Candidates

Liberals

Saffron Walden Liberals selected as their candidate Jack Pease. Pease had been Liberal MP for the Tyneside Division of

Northumberland Northumberland () is a county in Northern England, one of two counties in England which border with Scotland. Notable landmarks in the county include Alnwick Castle, Bamburgh Castle, Hadrian's Wall and Hexham Abbey. It is bordered by land on ...

from 1892 to 1900 when he lost his seat at that year's

general election A general election is a political voting election where generally all or most members of a given political body are chosen. These are usually held for a nation, state, or territory's primary legislative body, and are different from by-elections ( ...

. During his time in

Parliament In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...

, Pease had been

private secretary A private secretary (PS) is a civil servant in a governmental department or ministry, responsible to a secretary of state or minister; or a public servant in a royal household, responsible to a member of the royal family. The role exists in t ...

John Morley John Morley, 1st Viscount Morley of Blackburn, (24 December 1838 – 23 September 1923) was a British Liberal statesman, writer and newspaper editor. Initially, a journalist in the North of England and then editor of the newly Liberal-leani ...

when he was

Chief Secretary for Ireland The Chief Secretary for Ireland was a key political office in the British administration in Ireland. Nominally subordinate to the Lord Lieutenant, and officially the "Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant", from the early 19th century un ...

. In the by-election, Pease had the support of the wine-merchant and

philanthropist Philanthropy is a form of altruism that consists of "private initiatives, for the Public good (economics), public good, focusing on quality of life". Philanthropy contrasts with business initiatives, which are private initiatives for private goo ...

Sir

Walter Gilbey Sir Walter Gilbey, 1st Baronet, (2 May 1831 – 12 November 1914) was an English wine-merchant, horse-breeder, author, and philanthropist. Early life Gilbey was born at 11, Windhill, Bishop's Stortford, Hertfordshire to Henry Gilbey (1789– ...

from nearby

Bishop's Stortford Bishop's Stortford is a historic market town in Hertfordshire, England, just west of the M11 motorway on the county boundary with Essex, north-east of central London, and by rail from Liverpool Street station. Stortford had an estimated po ...

who promised to address a meeting of farmers on Pease's behalf.The Times, 24 May 1901 p11

Conservatives

The Unionists chose

Charles Wing Gray Charles Wing Gray (1845 – 23 November 1920) was a British farmer and a Conservative Party politician. He was the Member of Parliament for Maldon in Essex from 1886 to 1892. From 1885 to 1890 he served as a captain in the 2nd Volunteer Battalio ...

, an Essex farmer whose home was at

Halstead Halstead is a town and civil parish in the Braintree District of Essex, England. Its population of 11,906 in 20111895 election he had reduced the Liberal majority from 1,881 to 425 and in

1900 As of March 1 ( O.S. February 17), when the Julian calendar acknowledged a leap day and the Gregorian calendar did not, the Julian calendar fell one day further behind, bringing the difference to 13 days until February 28 ( O.S. February 15), 2 ...

he had brought it down to just 110. He had continued working locally to try and eliminate it altogether and must have had high hopes of victory at the by-election.

had at this time a reputation as a town with strong

Quaker Quakers are people who belong to a historically Protestant Christian set of Christian denomination, denominations known formally as the Religious Society of Friends. Members of these movements ("theFriends") are generally united by a belie ...

influences and a prominent member of the Society of Friends, E B Gibson, was one of Gray's nominators.

Issues

Agriculture

Saffron Walden constituency at this time was a large rural entity, stretching across north

from

Hertfordshire Hertfordshire ( or ; often abbreviated Herts) is one of the home counties in southern England. It borders Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire to the north, Essex to the east, Greater London to the south, and Buckinghamshire to the west. For govern ...

Suffolk Suffolk () is a ceremonial county of England in East Anglia. It borders Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south; the North Sea lies to the east. The county town is Ipswich; other important towns include Lowes ...

with the town itself the only real centre of population, the rest of the division being made up of 86 scattered villages. Unsurprisingly then, agricultural questions loomed large with the electorate. The dominant message from the Unionists was the need for the election of an Essex man with a practical understanding of the needs of agriculture and farming. They also painted Pease as someone who had done damage to agriculture by voting in previous Parliaments against resolutions introduced in the agricultural interest. They quoted in particular Pease's support for an increase in

death duties An inheritance tax is a tax paid by a person who inherits money or property of a person who has died, whereas an estate tax is a levy on the estate (money and property) of a person who has died. International tax law distinguishes between an es ...

which had led estate owners to reduce outgoings, discharging servants and agricultural labourers. They also attacked Pease for his opposition in 1896 to the Agricultural Rating Act, designed to reduce the burden of

rates Rate or rates may refer to: Finance * Rates (tax), a type of taxation system in the United Kingdom used to fund local government * Exchange rate, rate at which one currency will be exchanged for another Mathematics and science * Rate (mathema ...

on agricultural land. Pease found himself under attack from the local branch of the Rural Labourers' League which openly declared itself for Gray. The League had been founded by

Jesse Collings Jesse Collings (2 December 1831 – 20 November 1920) was Mayor of Birmingham, England, a Liberal (later Liberal Unionist) member of Parliament, but was best known nationally in the UK as an advocate of educational reform and land reform.Ashb ...

, a former Liberal MP who opposed

Irish Home Rule The Irish Home Rule movement was a movement that campaigned for Devolution, self-government (or "home rule") for Ireland within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. It was the dominant political movement of Irish nationalism from 1 ...

and became a

Liberal Unionist The Liberal Unionist Party was a British political party that was formed in 1886 by a faction that broke away from the Liberal Party. Led by Lord Hartington (later the Duke of Devonshire) and Joseph Chamberlain, the party established a political ...

. Collings had always supported agricultural causes and

land reform Land reform is a form of agrarian reform involving the changing of laws, regulations, or customs regarding land ownership. Land reform may consist of a government-initiated or government-backed property redistribution, generally of agricultural ...

including the provision of allotments and the campaigns characterised by the slogan Three acres and a cow. The Rural Labourers' League brought up the failure of former Liberal governments to legislate for the provision of allotments, despite alleged promises to do so and also challenged Pease on his position on Home Rule, underscoring its Liberal Unionist heritage, even though this seemed to have little resonance as an issue among other electors. In return, Pease made play of the government's proposals for a sugar tax and the addition to labourers' household expenses this was likely to bring. Sir Walter Gilbey made good his promise to speak for Pease but the start of the meeting did not go well. It had been advertised as a meeting for farmers but there were many present who were townspeople and probably some from outside the area. This led to protests and a walk-out by the farmers attending, leaving large sections of the hall empty. Holding their own meeting in Saffron Walden market place, the farmers objected that the meeting had been organised to give the impression that farmers were supporting the

Radical Radical may refer to: Politics and ideology Politics *Radical politics, the political intent of fundamental societal change *Radicalism (historical), the Radical Movement that began in late 18th century Britain and spread to continental Europe and ...

candidate, which many clearly had no intention of doing. They pledged their support to Mr Gray and had probably determined to walk out or demonstrate for the Conservative at some point no matter what. Pease continued to campaign against the importation of foreign agricultural products and the need for government action to help make the land more productive. He accused the government of indifference to agriculture, which he claimed was more intensely felt in Essex than any other county. In his election address Pease alleged that rate relief was not applied fairly, with rich accommodation land elsewhere benefitting at the expense of

arable land Arable land (from the la, arabilis, "able to be ploughed") is any land capable of being ploughed and used to grow crops.''Oxford English Dictionary'', "arable, ''adj''. and ''n.''" Oxford University Press (Oxford), 2013. Alternatively, for the ...

such as predominated in Essex. He also complained of the unequal burden of increased taxation on workers and labourers.The Times, 30 May 1901 p5

The war in South Africa

The

Boer War The Second Boer War ( af, Tweede Vryheidsoorlog, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, the Anglo–Boer War, or the South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer Republics (the Sou ...

was a divisive issue in British politics at the turn of the 20th century. The war had resulted in the victory of the Conservative Party in the 1900 general election, which was dubbed the

Khaki election In Westminster systems of government, a khaki election is any national election which is heavily influenced by wartime or postwar sentiment. In the British general election of 1900, the Conservative Party government of Lord Salisbury was returne ...

. But what had at first been seen as a brief

Imperial Imperial is that which relates to an empire, emperor, or imperialism. Imperial or The Imperial may also refer to: Places United States * Imperial, California * Imperial, Missouri * Imperial, Nebraska * Imperial, Pennsylvania * Imperial, Texa ...

engagement turned slowly into a protracted and bloody conflict. Opposition to the War was strengthened by the use of

concentration camps Internment is the imprisonment of people, commonly in large groups, without charges or intent to file charges. The term is especially used for the confinement "of enemy citizens in wartime or of terrorism suspects". Thus, while it can simply ...

by the British Army against the Dutch civilian population. This policy was eventually characterised by Liberal leader Sir

Henry Campbell-Bannerman Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman (né Campbell; 7 September 183622 April 1908) was a British statesman and Liberal politician. He served as the prime minister of the United Kingdom from 1905 to 1908 and leader of the Liberal Party from 1899 to 190 ...

as 'methods of barbarism'. Gray was determined to play the khaki card again and held a meeting at

Saffron Walden Town Hall Saffron Walden Town Hall is a municipal building in the Market Place, Saffron Walden, Essex, England. The structure, which was the headquarters of Saffron Walden Borough Council, is a Grade II listed building. History The current building was c ...

on 29 May 1901 with the Marquis of Graham and D J Morgan MP in support. Graham described the war as a clash between civilization and progress (on the British side) and slavery, bribery and corruption on the

Boer Boers ( ; af, Boere ()) are the descendants of the Dutch-speaking Free Burghers of the eastern Cape Colony, Cape frontier in Southern Africa during the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries. From 1652 to 1795, the Dutch East India Company controll ...

side. He jingoistically declared that the struggle to decide who should 'boss' South Africa, British or Dutch, would be fought to the finish regardless of cost. It seems likely that some traditional Liberal voters may have felt unwilling to vote against a popular, patriotic war in 1900 and consequently supported the

Tory A Tory () is a person who holds a political philosophy known as Toryism, based on a British version of traditionalism and conservatism, which upholds the supremacy of social order as it has evolved in the English culture throughout history. Th ...

at that general election. By May 1901 however the shine was starting to come off the military brass. A Liberal supporting election leaflet, "A Soldier’s Indictment of the Present Government" signed by “

Tommy Atkins Tommy Atkins (often just Tommy) is slang for a common soldier in the British Army. It was certainly well established during the nineteenth century, but is particularly associated with the First World War. It can be used as a term of reference ...

” was circulating in the last days of the contest. The Liberal candidate, Jack Pease, was from the

Imperialist Imperialism is the state policy, practice, or advocacy of extending power and dominion, especially by direct territorial acquisition or by gaining political and economic control of other areas, often through employing hard power (economic and ...

part of the party which was happy to support the Boer War in principle.

Result

Pease held the seat for the Liberals with an increased majority. In 1900, Armine Wodehouse's majority over Gray had been 110. Pease increased this to 792 at the by-election. While a Liberal victory in a seat which had been Liberal since its creation for the 1885 general election could have been anticipated, the size of the win was larger than forecast. 1910 Jack Pease

Once the result was declared, the Conservatives pleaded a lack of voter registration and organisation in the run-up to the pollThe Times, 3 June 1901 p7 but Gray had fought the seat in

1895 Events January–March * January 5 – Dreyfus affair: French officer Alfred Dreyfus is stripped of his army rank, and sentenced to life imprisonment on Devil's Island. * January 12 – The National Trust for Places of Histor ...

and 1900 and had made inroads into the Liberal majority. In addition, Gray was the local candidate compared with the

carpetbagger In the history of the United States, carpetbagger is a largely historical term used by Southerners to describe opportunistic Northerners who came to the Southern states after the American Civil War, who were perceived to be exploiting the lo ...

Pease looking for a safe Parliamentary billet having been ousted by the voters of Tyneside and with no local credentials. It seems the impact of the Boer War was wearing off as an electoral asset for the Tories and the agricultural issues seemed to work in favour of the Liberals, particularly the concerns about the impact of the sugar tax on those with low wages in the countryside. It is possible that, as is usual in politics, the electorate may have been beginning to turn against the government, which had by this time been in office for six years. However other by-election results around this time in agricultural seats were not as propitious for the Liberals and saw an increase in the Unionist vote.David Brooks, ''The age of upheaval: Edwardian politics 1899-1914''; Manchester University Press, 1995 p38

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Saffron Walden By-Election, 1901 1901 in England Saffron Walden 1901 elections in the United Kingdom By-elections to the Parliament of the United Kingdom in Essex constituencies 1900s in Essex May 1901 events