18 September 1838: The Anti-Corn Law Association is founded

published 18 September 2014

During the Napoleonic War, Britain was shut off from grain supplies from the continent. The government encouraged more wheat to be grown at home, but the price of grain inevitably rose.

Then the war ended. Cheaper grain imports were once again available, but the landed upper class wasn't having that. They had been turning over a tidy profit from the higher prices and they had the government on their side. Or, to put it another way, they were the government.

So, from 1815, tariffs began to be raised against the importation of grain the so-called corn laws' despite the fact that much of the population was suffering from high unemployment and poor harvests.

Subscribe to MoneyWeek

Subscribe to MoneyWeek today and get your first six magazine issues absolutely FREE

Get 6 issues free

https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/mw70aro6gl1676370748.jpg

Sign up to Money Morning

Don't miss the latest investment and personal finances news, market analysis, plus money-saving tips with our free twice-daily newsletter

But Britain was undergoing a profound change. A new class of citizenry had begun to emerge: the industrial middle class, with their heartlands in the north. They argued that higher food prices were a social and economic backwards step, and began to agitate for a more free-market economy.

On 18 September 1838, a group of disgruntled activists assembled in Manchester and established the Anti-Corn Law Association. The city was an apt choice, as it was a major importer of raw materials, and an important manufacturing centre.

But it was also hallowed ground. In 1819, the Peterloo Massacre had taken place in the surrounding fields an angry demonstration partly whipped up by the passing of the corn laws. It came to a bloody end when the army's cavalry charged into the crowds.

One of the leading activists of the pressure group (renamed the Anti-Corn Law League), was industrialist Richard Cobden. He took the fight to the government, getting himself elected as MP for Stockport in 1841.

Following a persistent and well-funded campaign involving petitions, strikes and, from 1839, its own circular, the League eventually achieved its aim. The failure of the potato crop in 1845 (which led to the Great Famine in Ireland) convinced Sir Robert Peel's government to repeal the corn laws.

Also on this day

18 September 1972: Ugandan refugees reach the UK

Read more here

Chris Carter spent three glorious years reading English literature on the beautiful Welsh coast at Aberystwyth University. Graduating in 2005, he left for the University of York to specialise in Renaissance literature for his MA, before returning to his native Twickenham, in southwest London. He joined a Richmond-based recruitment company, where he worked with several clients, including the Queen’s bank, Coutts, as well as the super luxury, Dorchester-owned Coworth Park country house hotel, near Ascot in Berkshire.

Then, in 2011, Chris joined MoneyWeek. Initially working as part of the website production team, Chris soon rose to the lofty heights of wealth editor, overseeing MoneyWeek’s Spending It lifestyle section. Chris travels the globe in pursuit of his work, soaking up the local culture and sampling the very finest in cuisine, hotels and resorts for the magazine’s discerning readership. He also enjoys writing his fortnightly page on collectables, delving into the fascinating world of auctions and art, classic cars, coins, watches, wine and whisky investing.

You can follow Chris on Instagram.