Charles Philip Yorke, Fourth Earl of Hardwicke, Vice-Admiral R.N. — a MemoirBiddulph, Elizabeth Philippa, Baroness
History
Charles Philip Yorke, Fourth Earl of Hardwicke, Vice-Admiral R.N. — a Memoir
Biddulph, Elizabeth Philippa, Baroness
Hardwicke, Charles Philip Yorke, Earl of, 1799-1873
I may perhaps add that on the day Sir Joseph Yorke was drowned, Miss
Manningham, the sister of Mrs. Charles Yorke, was at one of the Ancient
Music concerts in the Hanover Square Rooms, and during the performance
fainted and was carried out. On coming to herself and being questioned
as to the cause, she said she had seen before her the dripping form of
a man whose body was covered with a naval cloak, and although she could
not see his face, she knew it to be the body of Sir Joseph Yorke. There
were of course neither telegraph nor daily posts in those days, and the
news of his death only reached the family some two days later, when it
was found that the day and hour corresponded with the vision Miss
Manningham had seen.
From certain remarks in his letters from Sweden it appears that Captain
Yorke had long the intention of entering politics so soon as there was
any interruption of his active service at sea, and shortly after his
arrival in England in 1831, he carried out this intention by offering
himself as candidate for Reigate, for which borough he duly took his
seat. In October of the same year, however, a vacancy occurred in the
representation of Cambridgeshire upon the resignation of one of the
sitting members, Lord F. G. Osborne. Captain Yorke at once decided to
offer himself as the representative of a county with which his family
had been long and closely associated. His opponent was Mr. R. G.
Townley, who was the Ministerial candidate and had the support of Lord
John Russell on his committee and at the hustings.
The politics of those strenuous times of the Reform Bill are well
known, and need no more than a passing reference here. The election
began on October 27, only a little more than a fortnight after the
Ministerial bill had been rejected by the House of Lords. It is
needless to say that Captain Yorke stood in the Tory interest. In his
address and speeches he expressed himself in favour of a moderate
scheme of reform which would abolish such constituencies as were proved
to be saleable and corrupt, and as ready to support a proper extension
of the franchise. But he refused altogether to sacrifice the
agricultural interest to that of the manufacturer, and took his stand
upon the necessity of affording protection to the farmer by the
maintenance of the existing Corn Laws. Lord John Russell declared that
he and his party had no objection to Captain Yorke as a man, but
exhorted his hearers to bear in mind that this was no personal contest,
but one which would decide the question of Reform or no Reform. There
were the usual hearty proceedings which we associate with the elections
of that period at the hustings on Parker's Piece, Cambridge; Captain
Yorke was escorted by a body of freeholders on horseback, and there was
the customary cheerful fighting to celebrate the conclusion of the
poll. This resulted in the captain's defeat.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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