Corn Laws: Liverpool, 1812-1827

• Reactionary or Liberal Table for Liverpool, May 1812 - 1827

The Corn Laws

• The Corn Laws occurred in 1815
• No foreign corn imports were allowed unless home corn prices reached 80 shillings per quarter
• Landowners and farmers had prospered during the war with a bumper harvest in 1813 leading to dramatically falling prices
• A poor harvest the following year necessitated foreign corn imports to cover the shortfall, which undercut English corn prices
• After the trading blockade was lifted, foreign corn flooded the market, and most MPs wanted protection from foreign competition
• The government ignored popular protests and believed it was acting in the population's long-term interests
• Consequences included the pushed-up price of bread for the labouring poor, public outcry, petitions to parliament, civil unrest, redundant agricultural laborers, and poor harvests leading to plagued profits
• Wheat prices dropped from 71 shillings 6 pence in March 1815 to 52 shillings 10 pence in January 1816

Income Tax

• Income tax introduced first in 1799 by Pitt was abolished in 1816
• Pressure from MPs successfully argued against the income tax
• The government had to raise indirect taxes on commodities

Tightening of the Game Laws

• The tightening of Game Laws occurred in 1816
• After the tax on commodities, the poor supplemented their diets with poaching
• It was viewed a special war measure, not a peacetime one
• There was high demand for game but little supply
• The government thought the poaching was done by poachers and corrupt gamekeepers who would sell the game
• Consequences included affecting the "lower orders" by increasing the price of candles, beer, sugar, and salt plus disadvantaging the bulk of the poor population
• It forced the masses to rely more heavily on increasingly expensive bread
• Discontent was shown in riots such as at Spa Field in 1816

Habeas Corpus

• Habeas Corpus suspended in 1817
• Pitt had already suspended them in May 1794
• It led to more repressive measures such as the six acts

The Six Acts

• The Six Acts occurred in 1819
• These acts outlawed unofficial military training, seditious meetings, and seditious libel
• Stamp duties on newspapers were introduced to keep them out of reach of the working people
• Magistrates were given special power to search homes
• The government wanted to safeguard the position and authority of the ruling class

Relief Acts for Dissenters

• Relief Acts occurred in 1819
• The Catholic emancipation bill was defeated in the Lords in 1825

Toleration Act for Unitarians

• The Toleration Act occurred in 1819
• It permitted greater religious freedoms

Poor Employment Act

• The Poor Employment Act occurred in 1817
• Made money available for corporations to develop public works

Truck Act

• The Truck Act occurred in 1819
• It attempted to curtail the underhand practice of employers paying workers in kind

Factory Act

• The Factory Act occurred in 1819
• It legislated against the employment of children under 9 in cotton factories
• The act restricted working hours to 12 per day for young people
• It was seen an important step in government intervention but caused resentment among factory workers

Repeal of the Combination Acts

• Repeal of the Combination Acts occurred in 1824
• There was external pressure from skilled artisans led by radical journeyman Francis Place
• Trade was expanding and unemployment was falling
• MP Joseph Hume managed to have a Select Committee of Inquiry set up under the chairmanship of William Huskisson
• It was found that the Combination Acts served 'to produce mutual irritation and distrust and give a violent character to Combination'

The Amending Act

• The Amending Act occurred in 1825
• The act put obstacles in the way of further strikes by making it illegal to "molest" or "obstruct" other workers
• A short trade boom from 1822-1824 led to a rise in living costs
• It was followed by a recession, creating hardship
• It showed the government's tough stance

Recoding of the Criminal Law

• The recoding of criminal law occurred in 1822
• Peel was home secretary
• Aim to simplify and consolidate the existing system
• Removal of minor offenses which carried the death penalty were removed
• Gaol Acts became regularized
• The reforms introduced a degree of humanity and a greater degree of efficiency

Free Trade Budgets

• The Free Trade Budgets occurred in 1824/5
• It led to a freeing of trade from tariffs and regulations, encouraged the expansion of trade
• Customs lowered on raw materials used in textile and metal industries and protective duties were abolished such as silk substituted for a 30% duty
• William Huskisson (president of BoT) and J.F Robinson (Liv's Chanc of Ex) applied the principles of free trade
• It stimulated industry and trade and brought lower prices in manufactured goods
• It increased the volume of British exports and shipping
• Smuggling was reduced with Boyd Hilton saying it was a highly organised big business

Reciprocity Act

• The Reciprocity Act occurred in 1823
• The act encouraged trade treaties with other countries on the basis of mutual tariff reductions
• Preferential duties were set up for raw materials from Britain's colonies like wool from Australia
• Huskisson modified the navigation code and got rid of restrictions on trading in foreign ships
• Trade with British Empire was reserved to be carried out in British ships

An overview of the Corn Laws between 1812-1827. The laws occurred in 1815 and restricted foreign corn imports unless domestic prices were high. This led to public outcry, civil unrest, and economic hardship for the poor, while landowners benefited from protection against foreign competition.