Grey and Melbourne 1830-1837

King George IV dies, aged 67

King William IV ascends to the trone

Lord Althorpe is appointed Leader of the Commons

Earl Grey becomes PM, replacing Wellington

The Swing Riots are subdued

Francis Place founds the National Political Union

The Great Reform Bill is defeated at the Committee Stage of the Commons

In retaliation to the Great Reform Bill, Parliament is dissolved

A new election is held, with the Whigs gaining a 135 seat majority

Another slightly amended bill is introduced, and passes through the House of Commons

The majority-Tory House of Lords rejects the Reform Bill

The defeat of the Reform Bill stirs havoc, as the centre of Bristol is destroyed by an out-of-control crowd. The Dukes of Wellington and Newcastle also fall victim to these attacks, their houses attacked by mobs

Slave revolts between these two years take place in Jamaica

The first cholera outbreak is reported in Sunderland

Another revised version of the Great Reform Bill is rejected yet again. In response to this, Grey requests that the King creates 50 new peers to force the bill through the Lords

Mass demonstrations take place in Birmingham, Manchester and London

In light of the King agreeing to create new peers if the Lords reject it again, the Lords finally pass the Great Reform Bill

The Great Reform Bill gains royal assent, marking a new era of social reform

The Whigs win this General Election 479:179, gaining an overwhelming majority in Parliament

Methodist Sir Josiah Guest becomes MP

This Factory Act is introduced. This limits the working hours for children aged 13-18 to 12 per day, and 8 hours for those 9-12. This actually pleases industrialists, enabling them to work children in relays

A Commission of Inquiry discovers corruption and abuse of municipal corporations throughout many boroughs

In light of Henry Buxton losing his seat, Lord Ashley takes over the 10 Hour Movement

In efforts to help educate the poor, the government grants £20,000 to be shared between the National Society and British & Foreign Society

The Coercion Act is passed to stop rural Irish unrest and ongoing refusal of Catholic tenants to pay tithe to Anglican clergy. It also gives wide powers to Irish authorities, such as curfews and suppression of disturbances

The Slavery Abolition Act is passed

The Oxford Movement is founded at the University of Oxford, a renewal of Roman Catholic thought and practice within the Church of England in opposition to its Protestant tendencies

Birmingham Town Hall is commissioned

The Poor Law Amendment Act is introduced, abolishing outdoor relief and replacing it with a system of indoor relief in the form of workhouses

Robert Owen attempts to unite all unions under the banner of the Grand National Consolidated Trades Union (GNCTU)

The Tolpuddle Martyrs are put on trial and transported to Australia for organising trade union activities

Earl Grey resigns as Whig leader

Lord Melbourne becomes PM

King William IV dismisses Melbourne's first government

King William IV invites Sir Robert Peel to form a government

Peel appoints Francis Bonham, who is largely responsible for the greater organisation of the Tory Party after 1832

Peel delivers his Tamworth Manifesto, laying the foundations of the Conservative Party

The Lichfield House Compact is formed, a coalition between Irish Radicals and the Whig party

Melbourne returns to office for his second term as PM

Lord John Russell, Henry Brougham and Durham are dropped from cabinet, deemed the most outspoken Whig reformers

The Municipal Corporations Act is introduced, ordering all incorporated boroughs to set up police forces under the control of a watch committee

Edinburgh's Royal Institution is commissioned

The repeal of taxes on newspapers, a 'tax on knowledge', allows working-class readers access to radical ideas

The Reform Club becomes a centre for Liberal political organisation

The London Working Men's Association is formed

The Liverpool Medical Institution is commissioned

Robert Stephenson is appointed Chief Engineer of the London to Birmingham railway

A deep trade recession leads to a fall in union membership

King William IV dies, aged 71

Queen Victoria ascends to the throne

The Whigs retain a majority in this General Election, although lose ground to the Tories

Chartism is launched, releasing its list of six points voicing parliamentary reform

The Anti-Corn Law League is founded, mainly composed of middle-class men protesting by passive means

The first steamship is launched

The first municipal elections are held in Britain

The grant given to the National and British & Foreign Society is increased to £30,000, with a Cabinet committee appointed to oversee how the money is spent

Earl Grey gives up politics together

The Chartists present their first petition to parliament, almost three miles long and containing 1,280,000 signatures

The Newport Rising takes place

James Kay-Shuttleworth establishes the first teacher training college

An economic upturn begins

The Conservatives gain a majority under Sir Robert Peel, marking an end to Melbourne's second administration

Peel becomes PM for the second time