Document of the Month
September 2010
Letter from William Edward Tallents, Newark, to the [4th] Duke of Newcastle, Clumber, 1832
Reference: DD/TL/1/1/338
William Edward Tallents (1780-1837) was a solicitor, land agent and political agent for many of the aristocracy and landed gentry in Nottinghamshire, Lincolnshire and further afield but most particularly the Newark interests of the 4th, 5th and 6th Dukes of Newcastle under Lyne. As a political agent he was expected to support the politics and candidates of the Tory Dukes of Newcastle in Newark and to a lesser extent in Nottinghamshire (or South Nottinghamshire after 1832). Even when not acting as political agent for the candidates, he was active in the 'red' cause adjusting registers of voters, encouraging the often divided Red Club of supporters, giving opinions on potential candidates and liaising between the duke and his candidates.
In 1832, the 4th Duke of Newcastle introduced a new candidate to Newark, the young William Ewart Gladstone, who was duly elected M.P. on 14 December that year. Newark-upon-Trent returned two parliamentary candidates, namely Gladstone and William Farnsworth Handley, beating the charismatic Serjeant Thomas Wilde, who may have succeeded in beating Handley had his campaign been better.
Soon after his election Gladstone was involved in a drawn out local controversy with the Red Club because of his refusal to pay costs for the 'treating' at the 1832 election. The tenants of the Dukes of Newcastle would vote for the 'Newcastle Interest' (i.e. the candidate put up by the duke) who would invariably win, thus securing the duke's future interests in Parliament and locally. The process usually involved some 'treating', giving supplies of food and drink (the latter often called 'open house') at the expense of the candidate and of the duke before the election. Gladstone had requested that there should not be 'open houses' during the election and refused to allow his father, Sir John Gladstone to cover the bills. Eventually the matter was settled and Gladstone continued as the Newark M.P. until 1846 when he changed allegiance and followed the liberal cause against the duke, and chose not to stand in Newark.
As a result of the 'Newcastle Interest', many letters within the collection contain details about Newark events such as the proposed new church in 1835 or the Dispensary Ball. Both William Edward Tallents and his son Godfrey held official posts such as Town Clerk, magistrate, Newark Town Corporation Commissioner and Charity Commissioner, although the collection contains no official records. The appointment of borough officials is also often discussed.
The collection includes not only the letters received but also copies of many letters sent 'out' from the Tallents' office. These were copies taken from the original letter by a water process transferring ink onto very thin paper known as 'wet copy letters' which may have been kept in books and then cut out. Sometimes these can be very clear but often the ink has faded or run, and some may appear completely illegible now. There are also some draft letters and other handwritten copies, often made when away from the office without access to the copy letter process.
See the letter in more detail here [PDF 4783KB]
A transcript of the letter is available here [PDF 22KB]
The letters of William Edward Tallents and his son Godfrey have recently been catalogued and the full catalogue is available online and in the search room.
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