ABSTRACT
Charles Grey believed that the real interests of the aristocracy were best served by a cautiously constructive attitude to reform. Grey aimed to keep power securely in the hands of the property owners and believed, moreover, that landed property would continue to predominate despite the concessions he intended to make to the growing influence of commerce and industry. The Whig remedy, it may be argued, was a far more conservative prescription than the last-ditch stand mounted by many Tories against change of any kind. Grey introduced two parliamentary reform bills in the 1790s, both of which were defeated. Since the Reform Act increased the number of county seats and since more of those seats were actually contested this ancient device became more attractive after 1832. The 1832 Reform Act by no means ended the time-honoured practice of 'inducements' to vote. Reform was therefore bound to sharpen class perspectives and antagonisms.
