1847 University of Cambridge Chancellor election facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
1847 Cambridge chancellery election

← 1840 25–27 February 1847 1861 →

Candidate Prince Albert Earl of Powis Party Tory (British political party) Popular vote 954 837 Percentage 53% 47%

Chancellor before election Duke of Northumberland Elected Chancellor Prince Albert

An election for the Chancellor of the University of Cambridge happened from February 25 to 27, 1847. This election took place because the previous Chancellor, the Duke of Northumberland, had passed away. Many important people at the university hoped that Prince Albert would agree to be Chancellor without anyone else running against him.

However, a group from St John's College asked the Earl of Powis to run. He had studied at their college. The election soon became very political. Powis was a well-known Conservative, and his opponents worried about what the Whig Government might do if he won. The final vote was very close. Many former students from St John's College and Conservative supporters voted for Powis. But in the end, Prince Albert, who was not keen on a political fight, was elected and accepted the job. This election was important because the University of Cambridge was facing pressure to change and improve. Prince Albert's election helped these changes move forward.

Finding a New Leader

News arrived in Cambridge on February 12 that the Duke of Northumberland had died. He had been the University's Chancellor since 1840. At first, people thought about Lord Lyndhurst as a possible replacement. He was a high-ranking official at the University and a member of Trinity College, which was the largest college.

Some people also suggested Earl of Burlington. But soon, many started thinking that Prince Albert would be a good choice. Prince Albert was a strong candidate because he was interested in education, very smart, and took things seriously. He had even received an honorary degree from Trinity College when he visited Cambridge with Queen Victoria in 1843.

However, there were some challenges with Prince Albert. He was not English and didn't know much about English universities. Also, he wasn't a member of Parliament, so he couldn't speak up for Cambridge there. As a member of the Royal Family, the Prince was supposed to stay out of political fights. This had good points, as it kept the University out of politics. But it also meant he couldn't get involved in big political debates.

William Whewell, the head of Trinity College, was one of the senior members who thought of Prince Albert. On February 13, Whewell wrote to Prince Albert's staff to ask if he would accept the nomination. Later that day, he met the Prince in person. Prince Albert was surprised by the offer. He asked his advisor, Baron Stockmar, for advice. Stockmar thought the Prince's experience with German universities could be helpful. The Prince then spoke with the Marquess of Lansdowne, a government official. Lansdowne advised him to accept, but only if no one else ran against him. Prince Albert agreed to this condition. On February 14, Lord Monteagle of Brandon confirmed the Prince's conditional acceptance to Whewell. Whewell was happy, as he didn't expect an unconditional acceptance. He returned to Cambridge to prepare for what he hoped would be an election with only one candidate.

A Rival Appears

Edward Herbert, 2nd Earl of Powis in 1845, by Francis Grant.

As soon as they heard about the Duke of Northumberland's death, the leaders of St John's College decided to ask the Earl of Powis to be a candidate. Powis had studied at their college. He was English and had been a Tory Member of Parliament for 33 years. He was known for his strong religious views and had fought against a plan to combine two bishoprics (church areas). This made him popular among church leaders.

When Whewell returned to Cambridge, he found that most college heads and professors supported Prince Albert. Two of them, Adam Sedgwick and William French, had even started gathering support for the Prince. The appearance of another candidate could ruin everything, as the Prince wanted to be elected without opposition.

Powis accepted the invitation from his college on February 15, likely not knowing about the approach to Prince Albert. Prince Albert's supporters hoped Powis would withdraw when he learned of the widespread support for the Prince. The Vice-Chancellor, Henry Philpott, and 13 college heads agreed to formally ask the Prince for permission to nominate him. They left the request at Catharine Hall for others to sign. The request politely asked Prince Albert to allow his name to be put forward for the Chancellor's job.

Prince Albert's Decision

When the Master of St John's College learned that Powis had accepted, he immediately wrote back to tell him that Prince Albert might also be a candidate. However, news of Powis's acceptance had already been published in London newspapers. Powis knew it would be awkward to run against the Prince, but he felt he couldn't go back on his word and disappoint his supporters. The Vice-Chancellor even asked Powis directly to withdraw, but he refused. Powis confirmed he would stand, and his supporters quickly formed committees to campaign for him.

Most newspapers were against the Prince. Punch magazine was especially active. It printed a fake letter from the University to the Prince, making fun of the idea of him becoming Chancellor. The letter jokingly said the University would be "submissive" to the Queen and that the Prince's lack of Parliament experience or Cambridge education was a good thing because it meant he wouldn't have any biases.

Prince Albert's supporters couldn't send their formal request until Powis's plans were clear. So, they waited until February 19, when they met at Trinity College. Whewell led the meeting, and most college heads, professors, and resident Fellows were there. They all agreed to support Prince Albert and formed a committee to run his campaign. This committee included Fellows from every college except St John's. They decided that the Vice-Chancellor should go to London to present the request to the Prince and hear his answer. Because the situation was important, the Vice-Chancellor was to send a telegraph message with the Prince's decision: "A" for acceptance, "C" for conditional acceptance, and "R" for refusal.

On February 20, the Vice-Chancellor traveled to London and met Prince Albert at Buckingham Palace. He gave the Prince the request with many important signatures. The Prince had a written answer ready. It said that because others in the University had already started their own plans, there wasn't enough "unanimity" (everyone agreeing) for him to accept the nomination. Queen Victoria wrote in her diary that Albert had declined the offer. Philpott telegraphed "R" back to Cambridge, which was received that afternoon.

The full text of the Prince's letter arrived shortly after Philpott. A full committee meeting was called. John Graham, the Master of Christ's College, told the meeting that he had private information that the Prince's answer was final. He felt it would be disrespectful to the Prince to continue.

The Election Is On

Prince Albert's supporters at the meeting on Saturday evening did not want to give up. Many thought that choosing Powis would be a terrible insult to the Government. The meeting decided to meet again on Monday, though most expected they would have to end the campaign.

However, late that evening, James Cartmell, a Fellow of Christ's College, arrived from London with a letter from Lord Monteagle to Whewell. Monteagle had been working to support the Prince. He wrote that "'R' was sent by mistake. The answer is no refusal." He said three other people who knew best agreed. Lord Lansdowne, who might have written the Prince's reply, was one of them. He explained that the Prince had refused to give his consent to be nominated, but he had not said he would refuse the job if his supporters nominated him anyway. This meant he was giving his Cambridge supporters the freedom to act.

So, when the Committee met on Monday, February 22, they all agreed to nominate the Prince and send out a circular (a letter) asking for votes for him. Even Graham, who had said the Prince's refusal was final, did not disagree. A committee was formed in London to campaign for votes from former students who didn't live in Cambridge.

When Prince Albert learned he had been nominated, he asked former Prime Minister Sir Robert Peel for advice. He wanted to know if he should insist on withdrawing, or just stay out of it. He also asked if he should accept the job if he won. Peel advised him to let the election happen and to accept the job, saying he had "no doubt" about the result. The Prince followed this advice.

Key Issues in the Election

In the 1840s, Cambridge University was under a lot of pressure to change. It was still almost entirely Anglican (Church of England). The Chancellor election was very important for how the University would respond to these calls for reform.

Some people worried that Prince Albert would try to make Cambridge more like a German university. Others believed that his election would show the Government that Cambridge supported reforms and would move forward with them. However, this argument was not easy to make in public. The main issues in the election were not always about these big ideas.

Powis was attacked by some who claimed he was a Roman Catholic pretending to be Anglican. Also, the old rivalry between Trinity and St John's Colleges was brought up by both sides. On February 23, Whewell wrote a letter asking for support for the Prince. He claimed Powis would be "a Chancellor of St John's" and had separated himself from the rest of the University. Whewell wrote some letters by hand and printed others. The Master of St John's, Ralph Tatham, complained that this was "unfair and unheard of," especially since Powis's committee included 40 graduates from Trinity. Whewell stood by his comments, saying that Powis had not told the University officials he was running.

Some Royal supporters asked for votes for "the noble-hearted husband of our noble-hearted Queen." Others refused to have a non-English and non-Cambridge man as Chancellor. The Times newspaper printed a letter that said it was wrong for the University to have a direct connection to the Crown through the Queen's husband.

Political reasons were also present. An anonymous former student complained in London newspapers that Prince Albert's committee had "scarcely a name... but that of some mere Whig politician." This author praised Powis as a strong supporter of the Church. He also complained that the Whigs were fighting using the Queen's husband as a cover, and against the Prince's own wishes. The Globe newspaper argued that the Prince could not accept the job for several reasons, but especially because there was no "unanimity" (everyone agreeing) in the University. The Evening Standard felt that nominating Albert was disrespectful to both Queen Victoria and the Prince himself. They believed voting against Albert was fair because he had refused to be nominated at first.

How Votes Were Cast

Only members of the University Senate could vote for Chancellor. This included all senior members, like those with a Master of Arts degree. Since Cambridge gave almost all graduates a Master of Arts degree six years after they started, nearly all Cambridge graduates could vote, no matter where they lived.

One supporter of Powis estimated there were 3,500 voters in total, with about 300 living in Cambridge. Votes had to be cast in person. The Times newspaper even printed train times to Cambridge and back so that former students living elsewhere could travel to vote. Prince Albert was surprised to learn that Powis's London committee had rented special trains for their supporters. Prince Albert's supporters had not thought of this. Important Cambridge graduates in public office were strongly encouraged to take time off to vote. They also knew that voting was public, and their vote might upset the Royal Family.

The voting took place over three days. It started at 10 am on Thursday, February 25, and closed at 5 pm, then reopened from 8 pm to 9 pm. On Friday, February 26, the second day, voting hours were the same. On Saturday, February 27, the poll opened at 9 am and closed at noon. Votes were placed in a large voting box on a table in front of the Vice-Chancellor. There were two slots: one for "The Prince Albert" on the right and one for "The Earl of Powis" on the left. Voters would show who they were and pick one of two voting papers. These papers were in Latin and simply stated who the voter chose for Chancellor.

Each candidate had two "assessors" to make sure the process was fair. For Prince Albert, the assessors were Rev Robert Birkett and Rev John Mills. For the Earl of Powis, they were John Charles Snowball and Rev Henry Wilkinson Cookson. During the voting, undergraduates (students who couldn't vote) crowded into the galleries of the Senate House. They shouted at the people below and even threw things like peas and coins on the second day. People noticed that the Queen was respected, but Prince Albert was sometimes called "The German Chancellor," while Powis was called "The English Chancellor." Others called them "The Chancellor of St John's" and "The Royal Chancellor." One person even shouted a fake advertisement for a book about etiquette.

The Times reported the vote counts at different times:

By Friday, Prince Albert realized that if he won, it would be by a small number of votes. He asked Sir Robert Peel to come to Buckingham Palace on Saturday to advise him on what to do when the Cambridge delegation arrived to formally offer him the Chancellorship. At noon on Saturday, voting stopped, and the votes were counted. After checking, the final result was announced just before 2 pm:

Prince Albert Becomes Chancellor

Prince Albert around 1849, dressed as Chancellor of the University.

After the election results, Sir Robert Peel prepared advice for Prince Albert. Peel strongly argued that even if the Prince won by a small number of votes, he should definitely accept the job. He explained that the small majority was due to the unusual situation, and most senior university members had supported him. Refusing the job would deeply offend them. Peel also wrote a draft reply for the Prince to give to the Cambridge delegation.

The Prime Minister, Lord John Russell, also wrote to the Prince. He advised him that everyone he had spoken to thought "a refusal on the part of Your Royal Highness would create confusion and dissatisfaction." Queen Victoria wrote in her diary that they were "much gratified" by the result and that "Albert on the good advice of Sir Robert Peel (which is always valuable) is accepting the post."

When no delegation arrived on Saturday, only a letter confirming the result, the Prince's Private Secretary, Colonel Phipps, wrote to the Vice-Chancellor. He gently encouraged him to send a formal delegation. He also included the reply drafted by Peel, which stated, "I have resolved to accept the trust which the University is willing to confide to me."

The official letter from the University was traditionally in Latin and had to be approved by the Senate. The Rev Thomas Crick, who wrote it, was a strong supporter of Powis and found it hard to write something friendly. When it was finished on March 2, it was sealed and taken to Buckingham Palace to be given to the Prince. The Prince simply replied, "and here is my answer." After the delegation left, Albert read the official letter and noticed a small mistake in the Latin.

Prince Albert was formally made Chancellor of the University of Cambridge in a ceremony at Buckingham Palace on March 25, 1847. He invited Powis to the ceremony. However, Powis replied that he would be spending the day with his family, as the previous day had been announced by the Queen as a "day of Prayer & Humiliation."

See also

• List of chancellors of the University of Cambridge