Editing Robert Peel (section)

==Home Secretary: 1822–1830==
{{further|Victorian morality#Crime and police}}

=== Senior minister ===
[[File:The Duke of Wellington and Sir Robert Peel 1844.jpg|thumb|upright|The Duke of Wellington, prime minister 1828–1830, with Peel]]
Peel was considered one of the rising stars of the Tory party, first entering the cabinet in 1822 as [[home secretary]].<ref>Clark, ''Peel and the Conservatives: A Study in Party Politics 1832–1841'', 3, 9, 13; Ramsay, ''Sir Robert Peel'', 66, 68; Read, ''Peel and the Victorians'', 65.</ref> As home secretary, he introduced a large number of important reforms to British criminal law.<ref>Gash, 1:477–88.</ref>

=== Reforms and policies ===
In one of his policies, he reduced the number of crimes punishable by death, and simplified the law by repealing a large number of criminal statutes and consolidating their provisions into what are known as [[Peel's Acts]]. He reformed the gaol system, introducing payment for gaolers and education for the inmates in the [[Gaols Act 1823]] ([[4 Geo. 4]]. c. 64).<ref>Ramsay, ''Sir Robert Peel'', 68–71; 122; Read, ''Peel and the Victorians'', 104.</ref>

In 1827 the prime minister [[Lord Liverpool]] became incapacitated and was replaced by [[George Canning]]. Peel resigned as home secretary.<ref>Adelman, ''Peel and the Conservative Party: 1830–1850'', 4, 96–97; Clark, ''Peel and the Conservatives: A Study in Party Politics 1832–1841'', 26–28.</ref> Canning favoured [[Catholic emancipation]], while Peel had been one of its most outspoken opponents (earning the nickname "Orange Peel", with Orange the colour of the Protestant [[Orange Order]]).<ref>Ramsay, ''Sir Robert Peel'', 21–48, 91–100.</ref> George Canning himself died less than four months later and, after the brief premiership of [[Lord Goderich]], Peel returned to the post of home secretary under the premiership of his long-time ally the [[Duke of Wellington]].<ref>Clark, ''Peel and the Conservatives: A Study in Party Politics 1832–1841'', pp. 28–30; Ramsay, ''Sir Robert Peel'', pp. 103–104; Read, ''Peel and the Victorians'', p. 18.</ref> During this time he was widely perceived as the number-two in the Tory Party, after Wellington himself.<ref>Ramsay, ''Sir Robert Peel'', p. 104.</ref>

The [[Test and Corporation Acts]] required many officials to be communicants in the Anglican Church and penalised both nonconformists and Catholics. They were no longer enforced but were a matter of humiliation. Peel at first opposed the repeal, but reversed himself and led the repeal on behalf of the government, after consultation with Anglican Church leaders.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Gaunt|first=Richard A.|date=3 March 2014|title=Peel's Other Repeal: The Test and Corporation Acts, 1828|url=http://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/31450/1/PEEL%20AND%20TACA%201828.pdf|journal=Parliamentary History|volume=33|issue=1|pages=243–262|doi=10.1111/1750-0206.12096|access-date=15 September 2019|archive-date=23 February 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200223012200/http://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/31450/1/PEEL%20AND%20TACA%201828.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref> The [[Sacramental Test Act 1828]] passed into law in May 1828. In future religious issues he made it a point to consult with church leaders from the major denominations.<ref>Gash, 1:460–65; Richard A. Gaunt, "Peel's Other Repeal: The Test and Corporation Acts, 1828," ''Parliamentary History'' (2014) 33#1 pp. 243–262.</ref>

The [[1828 Clare by-election]] returned the Catholic Irish nationalist leader [[Daniel O'Connell]]. By autumn 1828, the Chief Secretary for Ireland was alarmed by the extent of civil disorder and the prospect of a rebellion<ref>{{cite book|last=Evans|first=Eric J.|author-link=Eric J. Evans|date=1991|title=Sir Robert Peel: Statesmanship, Power and Party|publisher=Routledge|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=llKIAgAAQBAJ&q=%22O%27Connell+himself%22+%22the+extent+of+civil+disorder+and+the+prospect+of+rebellion%22&pg=PA23|access-date=8 July 2019|isbn=9781134927821|archive-date=4 October 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231004014116/https://books.google.com/books?id=llKIAgAAQBAJ&q=%22O%27Connell+himself%22+%22the+extent+of+civil+disorder+and+the+prospect+of+rebellion%22&pg=PA23#v=snippet&q=%22O'Connell%20himself%22%20%22the%20extent%20of%20civil%20disorder%20and%20the%20prospect%20of%20rebellion%22&f=false|url-status=live}}</ref> if O'Connell were barred from Parliament. Wellington and Peel now conceded the necessity of Catholic emancipation, Peel writing to Wellington that "though emancipation was a great danger, civil strife was a greater danger".<ref name="DNB"/>

Peel drew up the Catholic Relief bill. He felt compelled to stand for re-election to his seat in Oxford, as he was representing the graduates of Oxford University (many of whom were Anglican clergymen), and had previously stood on a platform of opposition to Catholic Emancipation.<ref>Clark, ''Peel and the Conservatives: A Study in Party Politics 1832–1841'', 35–40; Ramsay, ''Sir Robert Peel'', pp. 46–47, 110, 376.</ref> Peel lost his seat in a by-election in February 1829 to [[Ultra-Tory]] [[Sir Robert Inglis, 2nd Baronet|Robert Inglis]], but soon found another by moving to a [[rotten borough]], [[Westbury (UK Parliament constituency)|Westbury]], retaining his Cabinet position.<ref>Gash, 1:564–65.</ref> He stood for [[Tamworth (UK Parliament constituency)|Tamworth]] in the [[1830 United Kingdom general election|general election of 1830]], representing Tamworth until his death.

Peel guided the Catholic Relief (Emancipation) bill through the House of Commons, Wellington through the House of Lords. With many [[Ultra-Tories]] vehemently opposed to emancipation, the bill could pass only with Whig support.<ref>{{cite book|last=Holmes|first=Richard|date=2002|title=Wellington: The Iron Duke|page=77}}</ref>

Wellington threatened to resign if [[King George IV]] did not give Royal assent;<ref>{{cite book|last=Thompson|first=N.|title=Wellington after Waterloo|page=95}}</ref> the King finally relented. The [[Roman Catholic Relief Act 1829]] passed into law in April 1829. Peel's U-turn cost him the trust of many Tories:<ref>Clark, ''Peel and the Conservatives: A Study in Party Politics 1832–1841'', pp. 37–39; Ramsay, ''Sir Robert Peel'', pp. 114–121.</ref> according to [[Norman Gash]], Peel had been "the idolized champion of the Protestant party; that party now regarded him as an outcast".<ref>Gash, 1:545–598.</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Evans|first=Eric J.|author-link=Eric J. Evans|date=1991|title=Sir Robert Peel: Statesmanship, Power and Party|publisher=Routledge|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6kR8Nn7ql0AC&q=%22the+idolized+champion+of+the+Protestant+party%3B+that+party+now+regarded+him+as+an+outcast%22&pg=PA26|access-date=8 July 2019|isbn=9781134225231|archive-date=4 October 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231004014024/https://books.google.com/books?id=6kR8Nn7ql0AC&q=%22the+idolized+champion+of+the+Protestant+party%3B+that+party+now+regarded+him+as+an+outcast%22&pg=PA26#v=snippet&q=%22the%20idolized%20champion%20of%20the%20Protestant%20party%3B%20that%20party%20now%20regarded%20him%20as%20an%20outcast%22&f=false|url-status=live}}</ref>
[[File:Burking Poor Old Mrs Constitution. Wellcome L0019663.jpg|thumb|''[[Burking Poor Old Mrs Constitution]]''. This satirical 1829 cartoon by [[William Heath (artist)|William Heath]] depicted [[the Duke of Wellington]] and Peel in the roles of the body-snatchers [[Burke and Hare]] suffocating Mrs Docherty for sale to Dr. Knox; representing the extinguishing by Wellington and Peel of the 141-year-old [[Glorious Revolution|Constitution of 1688]] by [[Catholic Emancipation]].]]

=== Founding the Metropolitan Police ===
It was in 1829 that Peel established the Metropolitan Police Force for London based at [[Scotland Yard]].<ref>Gash, 1:488–498.</ref> The 1,000 constables employed were affectionately nicknamed 'bobbies' or, somewhat less affectionately, 'peelers'. Although unpopular at first, they proved very successful in cutting crime in London,<ref>{{cite web|title=How policing started in England|url=https://www.oldpolicecellsmuseum.org.uk/content/history/police_history/how-policing-started-in-england|access-date=26 October 2020|website=Old Police Cells Museum|archive-date=9 June 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210609164532/https://www.oldpolicecellsmuseum.org.uk/content/history/police_history/how-policing-started-in-england|url-status=live}}</ref> and, by 1857, all cities in Britain were obliged to form their own police forces.<ref>Ramsay, ''Sir Robert Peel'', pp. 87–90.</ref> Known as the father of modern policing, Peel is thought to have contributed to the Metropolitan Police's first set of "Instructions to Police Officers", emphasising the importance of its civilian nature and policing by consent. However, what are now commonly known as the [[Peelian Principles]] were not written by him but were instead produced by [[Charles Reith]] in his 1948 book, ''A Short History of the British Police'', as a nine-point summary of the 1829 "Instructions".<ref>Susan Lentz and Robert H. Chaires, "The invention of Peel's principles: A study of policing 'textbook' history".</ref>