Tackers was the name given to

High Tory In the United Kingdom and elsewhere, High Toryism is the old traditionalist conservatism which is in line with the Toryism originating in the 17th century. High Tories and their worldview are sometimes at odds with the modernising elements of the ...

Members of Parliament who in 1704 tried to attach ('tack') an

Occasional Conformity Bill The Occasional Conformity Act (10 Anne c. 6), also known as the Occasional Conformity Act 1711 or the Toleration Act 1711, was an Act of Parliament, Act of the Parliament of Great Britain which passed on 20 December 1711. Previous Occasional C ...

money bill In the Westminster system (and, colloquially, in the United States), a money bill or supply bill is a bill that solely concerns taxation or government spending (also known as appropriation of money), as opposed to changes in public law. Conv ...

s in order to pass it through the

House of Lords The House of Lords, also known as the House of Peers, is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Membership is by appointment, heredity or official function. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminste ...

and into law. The Tackers ultimately failed in their efforts, but their actions proved highly polarising in the

1705 English general election The 1705 English general election saw contests in 110 constituencies in England and Wales, roughly 41% of the total. The election was fiercely fought, with mob violence and cries of "Church in Danger" occurring in several boroughs. During the pre ...

. While there were some successful Whig campaigns to unseat Tacker MPs, some parts of the country had the

Tories 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. The ...

successfully campaign under the rallying cry of ' Church in Danger', with the Tackers' efforts being positively seen as an effort to protect the established

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britai ...

from nonconformists and Dissent. The Tackers' actions caused Queen Anne to turn away from their party as the

War of Spanish Succession The War of the Spanish Succession was a European great power conflict that took place from 1701 to 1714. The death of childless Charles II of Spain in November 1700 led to a struggle for control of the Spanish Empire between his heirs, Phili ...

continued for the next decade. Instead, she added more Whigs to her government, leading to the revival of the

Whig Junto The Whig Junto is the name given to a group of leading Whigs who were seen to direct the management of the Whig Party and often the government, during the reigns of William III and Anne. The Whig Junto proper consisted of John Somers, later ...

.Robert Bucholz and Newton Key, ''Early Modern England 1485–1714: A Narrative History'', (Oxford, 2009), p. 341.

References

Toryism {{UK-statute-stub