The National Land Company was founded in the United Kingdom in 1845 by
Feargus O'Connor
Feargus Edward O'Connor (18 July 1796 – 30 August 1855) was an Irish Chartist leader and advocate of the Land Plan, which sought to provide smallholdings for the labouring classes. A highly charismatic figure, O'Connor was admired for his ...
to help working-class people satisfy the landholding requirement to gain a vote in county seats.
Events of 1845
April
* Chartist conference approved
Feargus O'Connor
Feargus Edward O'Connor (18 July 1796 – 30 August 1855) was an Irish Chartist leader and advocate of the Land Plan, which sought to provide smallholdings for the labouring classes. A highly charismatic figure, O'Connor was admired for his ...
's plan.
Events of 1846
January
* A set of rules for a
friendly society
A friendly society (sometimes called a benefit society, mutual aid society, benevolent society, fraternal organization or ROSCA) is a mutual association for the purposes of insurance, pensions, savings or cooperative banking. It is a mutual org ...
were submitted for approval and rejected.
March
* 14 March ''
Heronsgate
Heronsgate (or formerly Herringsgate) is a settlement on the outskirts of Chorleywood, Hertfordshire founded by Feargus O'Connor and the National Land Company, Chartist Cooperative Land Company (later the National Land Company) as O'Connorsville ...
'' - of land were bought.
[History Home]
/ref>
April
* 20 April ''Heronsgate'' - The plots were allocated by ballot.
July
* A second set of rules for a friendly society
A friendly society (sometimes called a benefit society, mutual aid society, benevolent society, fraternal organization or ROSCA) is a mutual association for the purposes of insurance, pensions, savings or cooperative banking. It is a mutual org ...
were submitted for approval and rejected.
August
* 1 August '' Lowbands'' - The plots were allocated by ballot.[chartists.net - List of those allocated land]
/ref>
* 17 August ''Heronsgate'' - An exhibition day was held, starting with a march from the west-end of Oxford Street (now Marble Arch
The Marble Arch is a 19th-century white marble-faced triumphal arch in London, England. The structure was designed by John Nash (architect), John Nash in 1827 to be the state entrance to the cour d'honneur of Buckingham Palace; it stood near th ...
).
October
* 24 October - The company was ''provisionally'' registered as a joint stock company
A joint-stock company is a business entity in which shares of the company's stock can be bought and sold by shareholders. Each shareholder owns company stock in proportion, evidenced by their shares (certificates of ownership). Shareholders are ...
, the Chartist Co-operative Land Company.[
* 27 October ''Lowbands'' - of land were bought.][
]
December
* 17 December - The company was renamed to the National Co-operative Land Company, still on a provisional basis.[
]
Events of 1847
February
* '' Mathon'' - A deposit was placed on of land. The purchase was never completed.
May
* 1 May ''Heronsgate'' - The allotees moved in (Location Day).
* 28 May ''Lowbands'' - A visiting day was held.
June
* 5 June '' Snigs End'' - of land were bought.Minster Lovell
Minster Lovell is a village and civil parish on the River Windrush about west of Witney in Oxfordshire. The 2011 Census recorded the parish's population as 1,409. Minster Lovell village has three parts: Old Minster, Little Minster and New Min ...
'' - of land were bought.[
]
August
* 9 August - O’Connor ran for parliament again and won the Nottingham
Nottingham ( , East Midlands English, locally ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in Nottinghamshire, East Midlands, England. It is located north-west of London, south-east ...
seat.
* 16 August ''Lowbands'' - The allotees moved in (Location Day).
* 21 August ''Minster Lovell'' - Construction began.
October
* ''Snigs End'' - The purchase was completed.
Events of 1848
January
* ''Great Dodford'' - of land were bought.
* 10 January ''Snigs End'' - A procession was held through Cheltenham
Cheltenham (), also known as Cheltenham Spa, is a spa town and borough on the edge of the Cotswolds in the county of Gloucestershire, England. Cheltenham became known as a health and holiday spa town resort, following the discovery of mineral s ...
.
February
* Attempts to gather signatures of shareholders for company registration were abandoned.
April
* Parliament was petitioned to have the NLC registered as a friendly society.
May
* 24 May - House of Commons
The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of parliament. ...
established a Select committee Select committee may refer to:
*Select committee (parliamentary system), a committee made up of a small number of parliamentary members appointed to deal with particular areas or issues
*Select or special committee (United States Congress)
*Select ...
to look into the NLC.
June
* 9 June - First sitting of the Select Committee.
* 12 June ''Lowbands'' - A second visiting day was held.
* 12 June ''Snigs End'' - The allotees moved in (Location Day).[
* 12 June - ''scheduled date for the second reading of O'Connor's bill to legalise the NLC.'']
July
* ''Great Dodford'' - NLC Conference
* 14 July - Fourth sitting of the Select Committee.
* 28 July - Fifth sitting of the Select Committee.
* 31 July - The Select Committee reported to the House of Commons.
August
* 1 August - Select Committee final report published.
September
* ''Lowbands'' - First rents demanded, all the tenants declared themselves incapable of paying.
November
* NLC Conference
Events of 1849
February
* 8 February '' Great Dodford'' - Three families were reported as applying for parish relief.[
]
March
* 1 March ''Minster Lovell'' - Tenants petitioned Parliament that they had been promised freehold to their plots.
May
* 12 May ''Great Dodford'' - Originally scheduled Location Day.[
]
July
* 2 July ''Great Dodford'' - The allotees moved in (Location Day).[
* Parliament voted on and rejected the petition.
]
October
* ''Minster Lovell'' - Mortgage payment due in Sept was missed. Mortgage holders (on discovering that the mortgage fell due in 1848, not 1854 as thought) sued for repossession. Tenants were given to November 1850 to move out.[
]
Events of 1850
April
* 15 April ''Great Dodford'' - O'Connor put the estate up for auction. Only three lots sold at the auction, and another three by private contract later.[
]
August
* ''Snigs End'' - O'Connor sent in bailiffs demanding rent or ejection.
November
* ''Minster Lovell'' - Deadline for tenants to move out.[
]
Events of 1851
July
* Parliament passed an act to wind-up the company and pass all its affairs to the Court of Chancery
The Court of Chancery was a court of equity in England and Wales that followed a set of loose rules to avoid a slow pace of change and possible harshness (or "inequity") of the Common law#History, common law. The Chancery had jurisdiction over ...
.
Events of 1852
November
* 4 November - 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 ( ...
- O'Connor did not stand for re-election having already been committed for insanity.
Events of 1855
August
* 30 August - O'Connor died.
Events of 1857
May
* 21 May ''Snigs End'' - estate mostly sold by auction.
* 27 May ''Heronsgate'' was auctioned at the Swan Inn, Rickmansworth
Rickmansworth () is a town in southwest Hertfordshire, England, about northwest of central London and inside the perimeter of the M25 motorway. The town is mainly to the north of the Grand Union Canal (formerly the Grand Junction Canal) and t ...
.[
]
Events of 1858
June
* 2 June ''Lowbands'' was auctioned.[
]
References
{{Reflist
Chartism