Good name of Wolves' and UK's longest serving MP restored

He served under 20 different prime ministers and remains the longest serving MP in British history.

But the reputation of Charles Pelham Villiers, who represented Wolverhampton at Westminster for an incredible 63 years, became tarnished by a claim that he had never visited his Black Country constituency.

A new book, the first biography to be written on the distinguished parliamentarian, aims to set the record straight and restore his good name.

Author Roger Swift, Wolverhampton-born Professor Emeritus of Victorian Studies at the University of Chester, said: "His story needed to be told."

Villiers, born in 1802, became a revered figure, not only in Wolverhampton but across the country after becoming involved in many of the great issues of the Victorian era.

He was a staunch Liberal, who played a big role in the Anti Corn Law League as its parliamentary champion, introduced an important series of Poor Law reforms whilst a cabinet minister under Palmerston and Russell, and later split with William Gladstone over the issue of Irish Home Rule.

An aristocrat from a privileged background, he spent much of his life trying to improve the condition of the working classes. He turned down both a knighthood and a peerage because he was not interested in titles, and it would also have meant him going to the Lords, when the House of Commons was the natural home of this eloquent and pragmatic politician, says Professor Swift.

There were a couple of reasons he wanted to write the book, not least being the connection with his home town, where he attended Heath Town Junior and Highfields Secondary School. As a Wolves season ticket holder, the amiable academic remains in contact through regular trips to the Molineux.

But there were more pressing issues. "Villiers is something of a neglected figure in Victorian history - and he certainly doesn't deserve to be," he says. "He was a distinguished parliamentarian with an iconic status and yet this is the first biography on him.

"Secondly, he acquired something of a difficult reputation among local historians who give the false impression that he didn't visit Wolverhampton.

"Although this is true after 1875, largely because he suffered from chronic ill health by then, in fact he visited the town regularly, not just at election time but socially, and when he became too infirm, he kept in weekly contact with local Liberals by letter. He was a patron of several local societies and charities, and enjoyed attending Wolverhampton races. He was also in regular touch with the local party, and members often went down to see him in London.

"He endeared himself to the local population. Had he not, he wouldn't have been returned so often. So the impression that he was uninterested in Wolverhampton is totally false. This book scotches that myth."

Villiers, who lived in London, stood as a candidate for the seat in 1835 when outgoing Liberal MP, Richard Fryer, recommended him as someone with a glowing and growing reputation as a radical reformer.

Professor Swift says: "In many ways, he was the most difficult member of the family. His brother was Foreign Secretary in the same cabinet. Both were Liberals, whose parents were traditionally Tory, but Charles was much more radical than his brother.

"His radicalism endured throughout the 1840s and 1850s. He was involved in the repeal of the Corn Laws, education reform, the anti-slavery movement, factory reform, and in later years, votes for women, which was not a popular view to take but Villiers stood his ground and supported it.

"He opposed Home Rule for Ireland, wanting to maintain the union. The Liberal Party split over the issue, which saw the creation of the Liberal Unionists by Joseph Chamberlain, and Villiers was part of that movement.

"His radicalism was due largely to his education at Cambridge and training as a lawyer. He was a follower of the radical reformer Jeremy Bentham and remained dedicated to the cause throughout his career.

"In some respects he was regarded as a difficult person in Parliament because he couldn't be swayed from his views but it showed he was sincere and he remained a radical to the end of his days."

But it wasn't all politics with Villiers. The son of an earl, he was popular not only for his connections but for his convivial company. He knew Queen Victoria, who noted in her diary that he was 'a very clever man' and was also well acquainted with London's gentlemen's clubs where he was known as a great conversationalist.

Professor Swift describes him as a modest man with a phenomenal memory who continued to write and comment on contemporary politics well into his 90s. Villiers died in 1898 a wealthy man, leaving £350,000 - or £35 million by modern standards - bequeathing the equivalent of £100,000 to Wolverhampton charities.

A statue of him paid entirely out of public funds was erected in the town, originally outside the Agricultural Hall in Snow Hill and later moved to West Park where it still stands. It is still more evidence,if it were needed, says Professor Swift, of Villiers' commitment to the town and of the people's gratitude for it.

* Charles Pelham Villiers: Aristocratic Victorian Radical, is published by Routledge