Editing Robert Peel (section)

==Later career and death==
Peel did, however, retain a hard core of supporters, known as [[Peelite]]s,<ref>Adelman, ''Peel and the Conservative Party: 1830–1850'', 78–80; Ramsay, ''Sir Robert Peel'', 353–55.</ref> and at one point in 1849 was actively courted by the Whig/Radical coalition. He continued to stand on his conservative principles, however, and refused. Nevertheless, he was influential on several important issues, including the furtherance of British free trade with the repeal of the [[Navigation Acts]].<ref>Adelman, ''Peel and the Conservative Party: 1830–1850'', 78; Ramsay, ''Sir Robert Peel'', 377; Read, ''Peel and the Victorians'', 257.</ref> Peel was a member of the committee which controlled the [[House of Commons Library]], and on 16 April 1850 was responsible for passing the motion that controlled its scope and collection policy for the rest of the century.

[[File:St. Peter's Church, Drayton Bassett - geograph.org.uk - 967399.jpg|thumb|St Peter Church, [[Drayton&nbsp;Bassett]], where Sir Robert Peel is buried in the churchyard]]
Peel was thrown from his horse while riding on [[Constitution Hill, London|Constitution Hill]] in London on 29 June 1850. The horse stumbled on top of him, and he died three days later on 2 July at the age of 62 due to a [[broken collarbone]] rupturing his subclavian vessels.<ref>Adelman, ''Peel and the Conservative Party: 1830–1850'', 80; Ramsay, ''Sir Robert Peel'', 361–63; Read, ''Peel and the Victorians'', 1; 266–70.</ref>

His body was buried in the churchyard of St Peter Church, [[Drayton&nbsp;Bassett]]. Inside the church is a memorial tablet which reads "In Memory of / The Rt Hon Sir Robert Peel, Bart. / to whome the People / have raised Monuments /in many places. / His Children / erect this in the place / where his body / has been buried".

His Peelite followers, led by [[Lord Aberdeen]] and [[William Gladstone]], went on to fuse with the Whigs as the [[Liberal Party (UK)|Liberal Party]].<ref>Adelman, ''Peel and the Conservative Party: 1830–1850'', 86–87; Ramsay, ''Sir Robert Peel'', 364.</ref>