Description:The Sutherland Papers include a large series of Annual Estate Accounts for the Leveson-Gower family’s estates during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. The Annual Accounts for the Trentham and Newcastle estates in 1820 and 1821 contain accounts for the ‘Staffordshire Election’ of 1820, showing us how and where the Election Committee spent their money. The Accounts tell us about the people involved in the County Election and their various responsibilites.
Below are some extracts from the ‘Staffordshire Elections’ Accounts:
What did the Election Committee Spend Money On?
Travelling Expenses
The Committee paid Lord Gower’s agents for travelling around the Staffordshire estates and elsewhere in the country undertaking various activities to rally support for the Gower party. The 1820 Accounts list payments to Lord Gower’s Chief Agent James Loch for ‘travelling expenses from London, to Oxford’ and for inserting 'Lord Gowers address in the London papers’.
The Accounts list many payments made to various people for the hire of transport. Gower supporters from all over the county and even further afield were brought up to Stafford to vote in the 1820 election. Thomas Taylor of the George Inn was paid for ‘hire of carriages’ and ‘chaises’. Thomas Dunn was paid ‘for hire of 4 horses to Stafford’. Unfortunately accidents occurred involving the hired transport, and the owner had to be compensated for damage to their carriages. The Accounts list a payment to William Waddell of Birmingham ‘for hire & damage of a chaise’
The Election Committee
The accounts list various expenses incurred by the Election Committee themselves. From stabling horses to entertainments, the Committee's expenses were financed by the Leveson-Gower estate. The Committee hired a room at the Swann Inn in Stafford during the County Election of 1820. John Hughes at the Swann Inn was paid for ‘entertainment & use of rooms for committee’. A man named James Osbourne from the Swann Inn was also paid for ‘stables etc.’ Edward Worley at the George Inn was paid ‘for servants’ and also for ‘entertainment for part of Committee & beds’, and for ‘dinners’. The accounts also list a payment to John Slater at the Crown & Anchor for ‘entertainment for committee’.
Election Paraphernalia: Ribbons and Printing
The Election Committee spent money on ribbons to promote Lord Gower’s cause around the county and demonstrate their political allegiance to the Gower party. Printed material such as broadsides were also an important form of political propaganda used in election campaigns. The accounts list payments to Arthur Morgan for ‘Printing & Stationary’ and also ‘Postages & Expenses’. Various men including John Shaw of Stafford were paid ‘for Ribbons’. James Smith and others were paid for ‘printing addresses to Freeholders’, and numerous men were paid for ‘delivering handbills’. As well as advertisements in the local press, the accounts list payments ‘for advertisements in the Liverpool Mercury’, rallying support for Lord Gower all round the country.
Local Pubs
Supporters of Lord Gower were brought up to Stafford for the election and had to be accommodated in the town. Many other local people were involved in cancassing for Lord Gower's party. The Accounts list many payments to various men for ‘expenses canvassing’ and to local public houses for hosting people on behalf of the election campaign. George Bentley of the ‘Old Maids Head Inn’ was paid for ‘Stabling, Beds & Provision’. Men from the Cock Inn, the Wheat Sheaf Inn, the Fountain Inn, the Nelson Inn, the Cow & Hare, the Barley Mow and other local inns were also paid for similar expenses reflecting the size and importance of the County Election. The Accounts also feature many payments for ‘wine’ and ‘ale’ and also for ‘musicians’ to entertain the party’s supporters.