The Confederacy was a society within the

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

Conservative Party that enthusiastically promoted

Joseph Chamberlain Joseph Chamberlain (8 July 1836 – 2 July 1914) was a British statesman who was first a radical Liberal Party (UK), Liberal, then a Liberal Unionist after opposing home rule for Ireland, and eventually was a leading New Imperialism, imperial ...

's campaign for

tariff reform Protectionism, sometimes referred to as trade protectionism, is the economic policy of restricting imports from other countries through methods such as tariffs on imported goods, import quotas, and a variety of other government regulations. ...

. A founder of the society, Henry Page Croft, later wrote, "It was started by three or four of us who held the view that nothing was worth fighting for except Chamberlain's battle, and we determined to do our best to drive the enemies of tariff reform out of the Conservative Party". It was a

secret society A secret society is an organization about which the activities, events, inner functioning, or membership are concealed. The society may or may not attempt to conceal its existence. The term usually excludes covert groups, such as intelligence ag ...

, according to Croft, "to appear much more important than we in fact were. Our idea was to endeavour to get large numbers of young men drawn from the aristocracy and country gentlemen who would devote themselves to the cause and fight constituencies wherever and whenever they were required". At its height, it numbered around 50 members, with 30 entering Parliament, 9 gaining office and 4 becoming Cabinet ministers. Sir

Arthur Steel-Maitland Sir Arthur Herbert Drummond Ramsay Steel-Maitland, 1st Baronet (5 July 1876 – 30 March 1935) was a British Conservative politician. He was the first Chairman of the Conservative Party from 1911 to 1916 and held junior office from 1915 to 191 ...

was a member.

Edward Goulding Edward Alfred Goulding, 1st Baron Wargrave (5 November 1862 – 17 July 1936), known as Sir Edward Goulding, Bt, between 1915 and 1922, was a British barrister, businessman and Conservative Party politician. He sat in the House of Commons betw ...

was closely connected with the Confederacy. Its first meetings were held at

Fanhams Hall Fanhams Hall is an 18th-century Queen Anne House-style country house in Wareside, Hertfordshire in the south east of England. It is a Grade II* listed building which is now operating as a hotel. Built in the early 18th century, it was subseque ...

. The organisational skills of

Thomas Comyn Platt Thomas may refer to: People * List of people with given name Thomas * Thomas (name) * Thomas (surname) * Saint Thomas (disambiguation) * Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) Italian Dominican friar, philosopher, and Doctor of the Church * Thomas the A ...

and others ensured the Confederacy received national attention in the press and elsewhere.Croft, p. 43.

References

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Sources

*Alan Sykes, ‘The Confederacy and the Purge of the Unionist Free Traders, 1906-10’, ''Historical Journal'', xviii, 2 (1975), pp. 349–366. *L. Witherell, ''Rebel on the Right: Henry Page Croft and the Crisis of British Conservatism, 1903–1914'' (1997). History of the Conservative Party (UK) Secret societies in the United Kingdom Conservative political advocacy groups in the United Kingdom Conservative Party (UK) factions

See also

References

Sources