Peel's other repeal: the Test and Corporation Acts, 1828

Gaunt, Richard A.

Abstract

This article considers Robert Peel’s role in the repeal of the Test and Corporation Acts in 1828. Traditionally overshadowed by the larger campaign to secure catholic emancipation in 1829, the repeal legislation assumes importance in Peel’s political career for three reasons. It was Peel’s first major challenge as leader of the house of commons in Wellington’s ministry; his handling of the issue revealed all his strengths and weaknesses in the role. Peel’s insistence on the active participation of the anglican Church hierarchy in passing repeal with appropriate safeguards (through a declaration to be taken by the majority of officeholders) foreshadowed his later tactics in settling contentious Church issues by negotiation with the Church’s leaders (leading to the formation of the Ecclesiastical Commission in 1835). The success of Russell’s original repeal motion challenged the expectation (shared by Peel) that repeal would follow, rather than precede, emancipation. The necessity of confronting repeal head-on formed a backdrop to that ‘ripening’ of Peel’s views which commentators and historians have detected during this period.

Citation

Gaunt, R. A. (2014). Peel's other repeal: the Test and Corporation Acts, 1828. Parliamentary History, 33(1), https://doi.org/10.1111/1750-0206.12096

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Publication Date: Mar 3, 2014
• Deposit Date: Feb 11, 2016
• Publicly Available Date: Feb 11, 2016
• Journal: Parliamentary History
• Print ISSN: 0264-2824
• Electronic ISSN: 1750-0206
• Publisher: Wiley
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 33
• Issue: 1
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/1750-0206.12096
• Keywords: Robert Peel; Test Acts; Corporation Act; catholic emancipation; dissenters; toryism; Anglicanism
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/996972
• Publisher URL: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1750-0206.12096/abstract
• Additional Information: This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: Gaunt, R. A. (2014), Peel's Other Repeal: The Test and Corporation Acts, 1828. Parliamentary History, 33: 243–262, which has been published in final form at doi: 10.1111/1750-0206.12096. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Self-Archiving.