THE years following the Reform Act were for the towns a time ...
THE years following the Reform Act were for the towns a time of quiet prosperity, which culminated in the golden harvest of 1835. Towards the end of 1836 a warning shiver ran through the advertisement world: over-production and speculation were producing their natural consequences. There was a parallel depression in America, and the European States were raising their tariffs.
Lancashire went on half-time; the harvest of 1838 failed; gold was exported to buy food, and the Bank of England was barely saved from default by credits in Paris and Hamburg. That a bad period was approaching was evident.
But few could have guessed through what misery the country would have to pass before the clouds lifted again.
In Stockport nearly a fourth of the houses were empty. Thousands of families were living on relief administered at the rate of a shilling a head.
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Virtual Victorians History Website
Lancashire, the home of the movement, was the most typical product of ...
Lancashire, the home of the movement, was the most typical product of the new civilization, and
'You are a Chartist, Sir; you are a leveller,' the Home Secretary ...
'You are a Chartist, Sir; you are a leveller,' the Home Secretary shouted at the respectable Mr Ashworth, manufacturer, when he came on a Free Trade deputation.
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