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(1797/8–1883) Conservative, Harwich 1841–7, North Essex 1847–65

Short-tempered and ‘given to profanity’, Major William Beresford was not one of the more attractive personalities to hold high office. However, it was his foul play, and not his foul mouth, that eventually brought him down. A Conservative minister in 1852, his job was to help organize the election campaign that year. But he carried his Cabinet responsibilities as Secretary of State for War a little too far, approaching the election campaign with an aggression that would have been commendable in a general. Although the Great Reform Act of 1832 had ended the worst instances of electoral corruption, it was still possible to bribe your way into Parliament, often by the simple means of buying voters a drink and a slap-up meal. ‘Canvassing’ usually took place in the local pub.

The election was closely fought, and Beresford was keen to pick up as many seats as possible. One campaign he followed closely was in Derby, for which he gave some very specific instructions. He wrote to one of his agents to find ‘a good and safe man’ to send to Derby and to go to a particular tavern. There, he directed him to send a card to a local contact, which ‘would be enough’ to set certain matters in motion. A special committee of inquiry found that the man sent by Beresford had helped implement an organized system of bribery to help swing the election.

Although the committee could not prove conclusively that Beresford knew about the bribery, they did find ‘a reckless indifference to consequences, which they cannot too highly censure’. History failed to record which profanity he used when he received their verdict, but he never held high office again. It is still frowned upon to wear a rosette in a pub during elections.