Within the Bounds of Acceptability: Tory Associational Culture in Early‐19th‐Century Britain

This article throws new light on British associational culture in the early 19th century by analysing in detail tory clubs, such as the Pitt Clubs and the Brunswick Clubs. Two major points are made. First, the tory clubs were a powerful and significant political force in opposition to popular radicalism in the 1810s, catholic emancipation in the late 1820s, and the Reform Bills between 1831 and 1832. They were important rallying points for local tories and expanded regional and national networks to communicate with each other. Many of them undertook various political activities: holding public dinners to strengthen their unity and express their political messages; organising public meetings to send petitions to parliament; and printing and distributing pamphlets and broadsides to influence public opinion. In the second place, and crucially, the tory clubs exerted influences predominantly in ways that stayed within the bounds expected of political elites. In fact, these clubs rarely intervened where parliamentary consensus already existed. Over the issues supported by the ministers and a large majority of MPs, the tory clubs stopped short of making themselves united, massive, and effective pressure groups against the executive power of the government and the legislative authority of parliament. They believed that there were two realms of politics, local and national, and were sure that political societies should operate within the local context and not go beyond acceptable boundaries.