King William the Fourth.

Since my research on King William IV, I've put him on my list of heroes, or almost heroes. Don't get me wrong, he wasn't perfect by any means, but I want to tell you of the good his reign did, which ties into my story, and Shay's work with the poor. When I wrote this book, I didn't know of William's existence and was mind blown when his reign coincided with the events in my story. It was like William was dictating my writing to lead me to him. In chapter 49, Shay rejects the advances of Alex Temple, the Lord Chancellor's son. The Lord Chancellor, (see note below) was also known as the King's Conscience. In a later chapter Thomas tells Rebecca if Shay had married Alex, she could have had a direct link to the king via the King's Conscience, in regards to her charity work. So, when I read of William IV's reforms, it was like a piece of gold had dropped in my lap. I find this kind of thing happens to me often, and I'm always left sitting with my mouth opened. Anyway, onto William. He was 64 when he inherited the throne, and was succeeded by his niece, Victoria. William IV had never expected to be king, but despite this unlikely accession, his rule proved to be productive, eventful and more stable than that of his predecessors.

William's very short reign, 1830 to 1837, saw several very important reforms:

The Poor Law was updated.

Child labour was restricted.

Slavery was abolished in nearly all of the British Empire.

The electoral system was refashioned by the Reform Acts of 1832.

The Reform Acts of 1832 - Although William did not engage in politics as much as his brother or his father, he was the last British monarch to appoint a prime minister contrary to the will of Parliament. Lord Grey, the prime minister at the time, introduced the act which hadn't been changed since the 1300s. There were huge protests to stop the Reform Bill becoming law.

So basically, parliament passed a law that changed the British electoral system. It was known as the Great Reform Act, which gave the vote to middle class men, leaving working men disappointed. And though this doesn't sound great, the act actually gave more people the right to vote. Before the Reform Act of 1832 just 5% of the population in England and Wales had the right to vote. In its final form the Reform Act of 1832 increased the electorate from around 366,000 to 650,000, which was about 18 per cent of the total adult-male population in England and Wales. It wasn't perfect but was a huge step in the right direction.

King's Conscience - Keeper of the King's Conscience was a position in the English judiciary. The person appointed as Keeper of the King's Conscience was usually a bishop. Today the position is known as Lord Chancellor, which I have chosen to use over a bishop. The KC was responsible for overseeing the international affairs of the monarchy and for delivering justice on behalf of the king.

Anyway, enough of this. Onwards and upwards!!

Photo taken from Historic UK.