ABSTRACT
The Whigs were in power between 1830 and 1841, interrupted briefly by the Tories under Peel (1834–5). The first ministry (1830–4) was led by Grey, the second by Melbourne. During the period a considerable amount of legislation was passed. This included, in 1833, the abolition of slavery in the British Empire, Althorp’s Factory Act, and the first education grant; the Poor Law Amendment Act (1834); the Municipal Corporations Act of 1835; in 1836, the compulsory registration of births, marriages and deaths, the Marriage Act, and the Tithe Commutation Act; and the introduction of the Penny Post in 1840.
