influence of public opinion; a distrust of the municipal magistracy, tainting with suspicion the local administration of justice, and often accompanied with contempt of the persons by whom the law is administered; a discontent under the burdens of local taxation, while revenues which ought to be applied for the public advantage, are diverted from their legitimate use, and are sometimes wastefully bestowed for the benefit of individuals, or squandered for purposes injurious to the character and morals of the people. We therefore feel it to be our duty to represent to your Majesty that the existing municipal corporations neither possess nor deserve the confidence of your Majesty's subjects, and that a thorough reform must be effected before they can become what we humbly submit they ought to be - useful and efficient instruments of local government".
The First Town Council Election - Outline of the Municipal Act
Acting, then on the report and recommendation of the Royal Commission, Lord John Russell introduced the measure for the Corporation reform on the 5th of June; and, as already stated, it was viewed with great satisfaction by the majority of the inhabitants of Hastings and St. Leonards. By the beginning of July its provisions were fairly before the country, and as the commentaries thereon were severally read at Sunday-evening and other gatherings from the then high-priced Dispatch, Times, Observer, Sun, Patriot and Examiner, it appeared to be rather general opinion that although upon the whole it was a thoroughly good measure, it was desirable that both the Mayor and the Council should be elected annually. The patronage also invested in this body was deemed to be greater than it ought to be. Some of the old Corporation party, however as though dreading further innovation, affected to approve the measure and on the 10th of August a great public meeting was held in the Hastings Town-Hall, and a petition to the Legislature was adopted in favour of passing the Corporation Reform Bill in its unmutilated form. Some amendments were, however, introduced, and the Bill was passed on the 9th of September.
In the following month the St. Leonards people congratulated themselves on their having a voice in municipal matters, whilst the Hastings people - especially the "up town party" - were delighted to have the borough divided into two wards only. And well the latter might, for the arrangement placed the old town in nearly the same position as though the Lords had passed the bill in its original shape. The All Saints or East ward was to consist of the parishes of All Saints St. Clement's and St. Mary-in-the-Castle, represented by 12 councillors; and the St. Leonards or West ward was to comprise the parishes of Holy Trinity, St. Michael's, St. Mary Magdalen, St. Leonards, and St. Mary Bulverhythe, represented by 6 members only. No wonder then, that whilst the St. Leonards Liberals were thankful for that which gave them a representation in the local parliament, those of Hastings were really jubilant at the fact of their own representation being in the proportion of two to one. This disparity gave the latter a preponderating power in the choice of aldermen and Mayor - a power which they were not slow to make use of. The Revising Barristers, Messrs. Brett and Onslow, through whose influence such an arrangement was effected, were, of course, complimented for their wisdom. In the following October or November the first burgess-roll made its appearance, when it was found to fall short of the number of names that were on the list of Parliamentary voters. Saturday, Dec.26th, was signalised by the election of the first Town Council, and the choice fell upon the following townsmen :-
| MAYOR | Robert Montague Wilmot, M.D. |
| ALDERMEN |
William Lucas-Shadwell, Esq., attorney. |
| EAST-WARD COUNCILLORS | VOTES |
| John Mannington, gentleman, High st. | 337 |
| William Thorpe, gentleman, The Minnis | 333 |
| R. M. Wilmot, M.D., High Street | 324 |
| W. Scrivens, Esq., banker | 304 |
| Robert Ranking, surgeon | 278 |
| Joseph Hannay, gent. 105 High Street | 268 |
| James Emary, Castle Hotel | 256 |
| Edward Fermor, brewer, High Wickham | 255 |
| William Amoore, grocer, High Street, | 250 |
| Thomas Foster, tailor, George Street | 231 |
| John Murray, jeweller, Castle Street | 227 |
| Thomas Hicks, grocer, High Street | 209 |
| WEST-WARD COUNCILLORS | |
| James Burton, Esq., Allegria | 54 |
| Walter Inskipp, architect, Cliff Cottages | 43 |
| Wm. Eldridge, coach proprietor, St. Leonards | 35 |
| Chas. Deudney, merchant, Marina | 34 |
| Jas. Harman, tailor, Primus Place | 33 |
| Stephen Putland, merchant, St. Mary's Place | 28 |
They were said to be all Tories except three, but as I remember them the exceptions were six. The Brighton Guardian, however, - the accredited organ of the Liberal Party - remarked
"It is true that, with two or three exceptions, those elected are the most intelligent that the town could select. That is, they are weak in intellect, forward in disposition, and, as far as they know, ultra-Tories at heart. They have caused themselves to be elected by one of the most unprincipled coalitions that ever disgraced the history of a town. Ashamed of their conduct the leaders of these combinators wisely absented themselves from the dinner, leaving their benighted Mayor alone in his glory; who, himself, left the assembly at 8 o'clock, to meet, as he said, a private party at home. This was disgraceful; for, having forced their horse to drink, they ought to have led him back to the stall. they may now make aldermen of all the noodles and doodles of the borough."
The dinner here referred to was the Inauguration Dinner at the Swan Hotel on the New-Year's Day, 1836. Just a week later, Messrs. Burton and Scrivens were elected aldermen, but my own - not very intimate - knowledge of those gentlemen at that time, would not permit me to regard them, even politically, as "noodles and doodles." At any rate their social or commercial status was equal to that which was possessed by Mr. William Ransom (not our respected journalist of that name), who unsuccessfully opposed the election of the former gentleman, and Messrs. payne and Milsted, who were the opponents of the latter.
Having briefly sketched the preliminaries of the Municipal Corporations Act, and the local feeling, action, and other circumstances attending them, it might be well to give an outline of the Act itself as it passed the Legislature three days before the Parliament, under the premiership of Viscount Melbourne, was prorogued. The leading provisions of the measure were as follows:- Every male inhabitant aged 21 years or upwards, who had paid rates in the borough for the three years previously to the last day of August in any year was to be qualified to vote for the Town Council, and in this way the means for local government were aimed to be secured. Among the functions of the Council were those of electing the Mayor and aldermen from their own body; appointing the Town-clerk, Borough-treasurer, Police, and other officials; to have control over the borough fund, watching, lighting, and prevention of nuisances; to make bye-laws, subject to Government approval, and to impose fines for their non-observance; to provide for the periodical auditing of accounts; and to cause the burgesses to elect annually from persons qualified to be Councillors, but n ot actually so, two auditors and two assessors, the latter to assist the Mayor in revising the Burgess-lists. Councillors, in a borough of four or more wards, to possess a property qualification of £1,000 in real or personal estate, or paying porr0rates upon at least an annual value of £30; but a moiety only of such qualification to suffice in boroughs of a smaller population. The existing rights of freedom or citizenship in old corporations to be preserved to the possessors during their lifetime, but all exclusive privileges of trading to be abolished. The Mayor, after his election by the Council, refusing to serve, to be fined £100; and if acting without having the qualification of a councillor, to be fined £50. The Mayor to preside at Council meetings, to have precedence in all places within the borough, and to be a magistrate of the borough during his official year and the year succeeding. The aldermen to constitute one-third the number of councillors, to be eligible for the office of Coroner or Recorder, to be exempt from serving on juries, and to hold office for six years. The Town-clerk to act in conformity with the wishes of the Council; to make out freemen#s lists, burgess lists and ward lists; to preserve minutes of the transactions; and to be responsible for the safe keeping of all charter deeds and records. The Treasurer - not a member of the Council - to give security for the proper discharge of his duties; to keep account of all receipts and disbursements, which are to be open to inspection by the Council; to pay no money except by order in writing; and to submit his accounts, with vouchers, half-yearly.
There were several useful measures introduced and passed during Lord Melbourne's premiership in 1835, but the Act for the Reform of Municipal Corporations was the one great work of the session, and it was one which has since been regarded as of sufficient importance to enlist the gratitude of the country to a few questionable amendments imposed by the Opposition in the House of Lords, rather than risk defeat of the entire Bill. It may be mentioned en passant, that the session alluded to was productive of 42 other bills intended to effect improvement in towns and districts, together with more than 150 Acts of Parliament of a so-called private character.
Mr. Elphinstone, the popular Representative of Hastings, might well feel proud of a seat in the House of Commons at such a time, and proud also that his own services were appreciated by his constituency. About a month after his election, namely, on the 12th of February, a dinner was given to him at the King's-head Inn, by about 120 of his supporters, to celebrate his triumphant return at the head of the poll. Among the gentlemen present at that festive gathering were the following - since deceased :- Dr. Breton, Dr. MacCabe, G. Hancock, Esq., Dr. Ranger, G. Duke, Esq., Mr. G. Clement, Mr. E. Honiss, Mr. J. Jolly, Mr. Payne.
Two months later (April 4th), Mr. Brisco, one of the candidates whom Mr. Elphinstone defeated, also accepted an invitation to a public dinner, the event taking place at the Swan Hotel, and the company consisting mainly of tenants, trades-people and bailiffs - principally non-electors.
Then on the following Friday evening, as though it were the proper thing to do, some five-and-twenty friends of Mr. North invited that gentleman to a dinner at the Castle hotel. Mr. North at the same time was not nearly so popular as his colleague, and the comments in the press - as I may hereafter show - were anything but complimentary to Mr. North as a politician. That gentleman did not become a Liberal all at once, and his constituents had to wait for the development of those principles which gradually gained for him an enduring respect.
One of Mr. Elphinstone's first efforts on behalf of his constituents was to make a successful application to the Admiralty Board for the stationing of a cruiser off Hastings to protect the fishery. And it was a rather singular coincidence that on the day this fact became known, a fatality occurred to a member of the fishing fraternity through the neglect of protection of another sort. A fishing board from Lydd cast anchor in the roadstead on the previous day, and the "skipper" came ashore for the night, leaving two men, named respectively Galloway and May, on board. These men made a fire in the fore-room, where they slept, and having put down the hatch, deprived themselves of the means of ventilation. In the morning Galloway was found dead from suffocation, and his companion nearly in the same condition.
Fall of the Peel Cabinet - Mr North censured for voting with the Tories
Although Mr. Elphinstone obtained for the fishery and for others what he asked for, under Sir Robert Peel's Administration, he was, doubtless, delighted when the statesman resigned office. He was the first to make known the fact to the Liberals of Hastings and St. Leonards, and the news was received on Thursday, the 9th of April, with the liveliest satisfaction. The attempt to bolster up the Conservative Government by the local politicians of that ilk had turned out a failure. The Liberal cause was perhaps hardly ever more the popular cause than at that time, and every effort to juggle the people into what was believed to be a dereliction of duty appears to have no chance of success. "Oh! what will become of our Church and King?" was the cry set upl and who better to propagate that cry than the Crier himself? Hence, -
