Derby Dilly facts for kids

The Derby Dilly was a nickname for a group of politicians in the 1830s. These politicians were originally part of the Whig Party. They decided to leave the main Whig party.

Their leader was Edward, Lord Stanley. The group split from the Whigs in 1834. This happened because they disagreed about changes to the Church of Ireland. Lord Stanley and three others left the government over this issue. They also worried that the Whigs were giving in too much to their radical and Irish allies.

The name 'Derby Dilly' came from Stanley's family title. He was the heir to the Earl of Derby.

How the Derby Dilly Group Formed

In 1830, Lord Grey became Prime Minister. His government had some big successes. They passed the Reform Act 1832, which changed how people voted. They also ended slavery in the British Empire.

However, Lord Grey's government was a mix of different groups. It included Whigs, Canningites, Radicals, Irish Repealers, and some Tories. After a big election win in 1832, the government started to have internal fights.

Lord John Russell wanted to make more changes to the government. But others, like Lord Stanley, worried about the rise of radical ideas. They were especially concerned about the influence of Daniel O'Connell and his Irish Repealers.

In May 1834, the disagreements became too much. Stanley, along with Earl of Ripon, Sir James Graham, and The Duke of Richmond, left the government. They resigned over plans to change the Church of Ireland.

At first, Stanley's group called themselves 'Moderate Whigs'. They also used the name 'Moderates'. Stanley, Graham, and Francis Burdett stayed in the House of Commons. People unofficially called them 'Stanleyites'. This name showed they were a small group, like those common in earlier British politics.

Soon, their political opponents gave them a new name. This is the name they are best known by today: 'The Derby Dilly'.

The name was a joke about a type of stagecoach. This coach was called the 'Derby Dilly'. 'Dilly' was short for 'Diligence'. It also referred to Stanley's family title, 'Earl of Derby'. Stanley had once said that his leaving the government was like 'upsetting the ministerial coach'.

The Irish leader Daniel O'Connell used this idea. He called the group the 'Derby Dilly'. This was a clever reference to a poem called 'The Loves of the Triangles'. This poem joked about the works of Erasmus Darwin. It had lines like: 'Still down thy steep, romantic Ashbourne, glides The Derby dilly carrying six insides'.

Why the Derby Dilly Didn't Form a New Party

The idea of an unsteady coach, with Stanley in charge, quickly caught on. The name 'Derby Dilly' stuck to the group. Stanley was known as the 'Prince Rupert of Debate'. This meant he was good at leading attacks but not at keeping his followers together afterward.

Because of this, it was hard to know how many politicians were part of the 'Dilly'. Some thought there were up to 70 members. But they didn't have strong shared political beliefs. Many were unsure if they should go back to the Whigs, join the Tories, or try to create a new political party. Some people thought the 'Dilly' only had about six members who truly supported Stanley.

Even though he was moving away from the Whigs, Stanley remained friends with his old party leader, Earl Grey. In November 1834, Viscount Melbourne resigned. Sir Robert Peel then invited Stanley and the 'Dilly' to join his new Tory government. Stanley said no. But he made it clear that he generally agreed with Peel's efforts to form a government.

In December 1834, Stanley decided his group needed clear ideas. He wanted to show how they were different from other parties. He gave a speech at Glasgow University. This speech was called 'The Knowsley Creed'. It was named after his family home, Knowsley Hall, near Liverpool. In this speech, Stanley explained his political beliefs.

He strongly supported the established church. He was against 'destructive reform'. But Stanley also said that it was impossible to undo the Reform Act of 1832. He believed the country could not go back to old ways.

Stanley said, 'The machine must move forward for good or evil – for it cannot be stopped'. He meant that change was coming. He compared it to fire that could purify if handled well. But if rushed, it would cause 'destruction and overwhelming wreck'.

However, Peel had already shared similar ideas three days earlier. On December 8, 1834, Peel released an election statement. It was later called the Tamworth Manifesto. This statement covered many of the same political and religious points as Stanley's speech. The Tamworth Manifesto is now seen as a key idea for the Conservative Party. It said that Peel's party would support reforms to fix problems. This was different from the old Tory party, which seemed against all change. So, the 'Derby Dilly' with its 'Knowsley Creed' and the Conservatives' 'Tamworth Manifesto' were very similar.

Joining the Conservative Party

Peel's government gained more seats in the 1835 General Election. But they were still a minority in the House of Commons. The Derby Dilly tried to put forward their own candidates. But they didn't get any new members.

Surprisingly, Stanley still thought he had at least 86 supporters in January 1835. He called his group a 'corps de reserve'. He believed King William IV could call on them if needed. This would be to form a government if the King was tired of the Tories and Whigs. Stanley might have been thinking of King George III appointing William Pitt the Younger as Prime Minister in 1783. But in the end, Stanley's 'reserve' group fell apart. By March 1835, only 30 to 40 members were left. They couldn't even agree on how to vote on a single issue.

By this time, Lord Stanley was clearly moving towards the Conservative Party. Any chance of him returning to the Whigs ended with the Lichfield House Compact. This was an agreement between the Irish Repealers, Whigs, and Radicals to vote out Peel's government. This soon happened. It left the 'Derby Dilly' with no choice but to support Peel. When Peel resigned in April 1835, the King asked Melbourne and the Whigs to form a new government. Stanley was not invited to rejoin the Whigs.

For a short time, people talked about a 'Liberal and Conservative Party'. This party would combine Stanley, Graham, Peel, and even Lord Grey. But this idea didn't happen. Instead, many politicians from the old pro-reform group slowly moved to the Conservatives. Some had joined Stanley's group, and others switched on their own. One estimate says at least 50 politicians changed parties between 1835 and 1841.

For Stanley (now Lord Stanley) and the remaining 'Derby Dilly' supporters (about 20 members by 1837), joining the Conservatives was a gradual process. Stanley's own actions show this best. In 1836, he left the Whig-supporting 'Brooks's Club'. He said it was because his old political enemy Daniel O'Connell had joined. By the next elections in 1837, the remaining Stanleyites needed Conservative support to get back into parliament.

In November 1837, Stanley and Graham met with other Conservative politicians. This was before the new Parliament opened. In December, they officially joined the Conservatives. They sat with Peel on the Opposition Front Bench. Lord Stanley confirmed his new Conservative identity. He became a member of the Tory 'Holy of Holies', the Conservative-supporting Carlton Club.

The remaining 'Derby Dilly' politicians were soon absorbed into the main Conservative Party. This included Lord George Bentinck. He later became known for working with Benjamin Disraeli in the 1840s. They opposed Peel on the issue of ending the Corn Laws. It's interesting that Stanley, Bentinck, and the former Radical Disraeli had Whig beginnings. But they would later break with Peel. They took two-thirds of his party with them to create a new Conservative Party.