Charles Grey Biography

Birth of Charles Grey, from Northumberland gentry

1st elected to Parliament, Member of Parliament for Northumberland for the next 20 yrs

Appointed First Sea Lord of the Admiralty, 1st term

Appointed First Sea Lord of the Admiralty, 2nd term

Passes a Bill through Parliament abolishing the slave trade

Appointed Foreign Minister

Proposes a Bill allowing Catholics into the Army & Navy, the King dissolves Parliament

Grey remains out of office for 23 years. Attempts to secure Catholic emancipation are opposed by George III & other Minister's

Created Earl Grey, succeeds to his fathers peerage

Supports parliamentary reform giving representation to rapidly growing industrial towns.

Grey supports reform plans giving representation to fast-growing industrial towns including Birmingham, Manchester, Bradford and Leeds.

Appointed Prime Minister of Great Britain and forms a Whig government.

Appointed Prime Minister of Great Britain, 2nd term

Introduces the Reform Bill, it passes its 2nd reading by 1 vote but is then defeated

Grey asks William IV to dissolve Parliament so that the Whigs could secure a larger majority in the House of Commons, Grey explains this would help his Government to carry their proposals for Parliamentary reform

Grey asks William IV to dissolve Parliament so that the Whigs could secure a larger majority in the House of Commons, Grey explains this would help his Government to carry their proposals for Parliamentary reform

Grey asks William IV to dissolve Parliament so that the Whigs could secure a larger majority in the House of Commons, Grey explains this would help his Government to carry their proposals for Parliamentary reform

Goes to the Country after the Lords defeat of the first reform bill

Parliament is dissolved after the defeat of the 1st Reform Bill in the Commons

The 2nd Reform Bill passes through the Commons

The House of Commons passes the Reform Bill, the Tories still dominated the House of Lords, and after a long debate the bill was defeated

The House of Commons passes the Reform Bill, the Tories still dominated the House of Lords, and after a long debate the bill was defeated

When people heard the news of the Lords Reform Act veto, Reform Riots take place in several British towns; the most serious of these being in Bristol

When people heard the news of the Lords Reform Act veto, Reform Riots take place in several British towns; the most serious of these being in Bristol

Grey's Reform Bill crisis triggers severe riots in Bristol.

William IV asks Grey not to resign but refuses to pass the Bill by creating new peers. The 2nd Reform Bill is defeated by the Lords by 41 votes. 1st Reform Bill is defeated by the Lords

The general election on the reformed franchise gives Grey a 300 majority

The general election on the reformed franchise gives Grey a 300 majority

Britain takes control of the islands by force with the invasion of the Falkland Islands following the destruction of the Argentine settlement at Puerto Luis by the American sloop USS Lexington

Britain takes control of the islands by force with the invasion of the Falkland Islands following the destruction of the Argentine settlement at Puerto Luis by the American sloop USS Lexington

The Board of Admiralty is given responsibility for administering the Navy

The Representation of the People Act 1832, commonly known as the Reform Act 1832, is passed as an Act of Parliament that introduces wide-ranging changes to the electoral system of the United Kingdom

The Representation of the People Act 1832, grants seats in the House of Commons to large cities that had sprung up during the Industrial Revolution, and took away seats from the "rotten boroughs".

The Representation of the People Act 1832, increases the number of individuals entitled to vote, increasing the size of the electorate by 50-80%, and allowing a total of one out of six adult males to vote, in a population of some 14 million.

The Representation of the People Act 1832, commonly known as the Reform Act 1832, is passed as an Act of Parliament that introduces wide-ranging changes to the electoral system of the United Kingdom. Coercion Bill, gives the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland powers to suppress meetings

The Representation of the People Act 1832, grants seats in the House of Commons to large cities that had sprung up during the Industrial Revolution, and took away seats from the "rotten boroughs".

The Representation of the People Act 1832, increases the number of individuals entitled to vote, increasing the size of the electorate by 50-80%, and allowing a total of one out of six adult males to vote, in a population of some 14 million.

With the threat of new peers many Lords abstain & the Reform Bill is passed. The 3rd Reform Bill passes through the Lords but a wrecking motion defeats it.

Gives the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland unlimited powers to suppress public meetings

The Representation of the People Act 1832, commonly known as the Reform Act 1832, is passed as an Act of Parliament that introduces wide-ranging changes to the electoral system of the United Kingdom

Gives the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland unlimited powers to suppress public meetings

The Representation of the People Act 1832, increases the number of individuals entitled to vote, increasing the size of the electorate by 50-80%, and allowing a total of one out of six adult males to vote, in a population of some 14 million.

The Representation of the People Act 1832, commonly known as the Reform Act 1832, is passed as an Act of Parliament that introduces wide-ranging changes to the electoral system of the United Kingdom. Coercion Bill, gives the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland powers to suppress meetings

The Representation of the People Act 1832, grants seats in the House of Commons to large cities that had sprung up during the Industrial Revolution, and took away seats from the "rotten boroughs".

With the threat of new peers many Lords abstain & the Reform Bill is passed. The 3rd Reform Bill passes through the Lords but a wrecking motion defeats it.

Lord Greys Government resigns and William IV now ask the leader of the Tories, the Duke of Wellington, to form a new Government. Grey and Henry Brougham meet the king and ask him to create a large number of Wigg peers in order to get the Reform Bill passed in the House of Lords, William IV refuses

Lord Greys Government resigns and William IV now ask the leader of the Tories, the Duke of Wellington, to form a new Government

Offers William IV his resignation his refusal to create peers to pass the Reform Bill

The franchise is extended to the upper middle class

The 3rd Reform Bill is passed

The 3rd Reform Bill is passed. The franchise is extended to the upper middle class. Constituencies are created in new towns, rotten & pocket boroughs abolished

Parliamentary Reform Bill, passes the Scottish Parliamentary Reform Bill

Parliamentary Reform Bill, passes the Scottish Parliamentary Reform Bill

Parliamentary Reform Bill, passes the Irish Parliamentary Reform Bill

1st major Factory Act is passed

1st major Factory Act is passed

1st major Factory Act is passed

British forces return and inform the Argentine commander that they intended to assert British sovereignty, existing settlers are allowed to remain, with an Irish member of Vernets settlement, William Dickson, appointed as the Islands governor

Abolished in the British colonies, 20 million pounds compensation is provided for slave owners

Abolished in the British colonies, 20 million pounds compensation is provided for slave owners

Resigns as Prime Minister due to ill health, succeeded by Lord Melbourne

Death of Charles Grey