r
been known before. Here is a local incident which is vouched for by an
eye witness. On a certain division in the House, Mr. Adeane, the then
member for Cambridgeshire, walked out of the House without voting, and
shortly after when he was canvassing in Shepreth village, one, old
Jerry Brock, met him with this brusque little speech:--"Muster Adeane,
I've heerd say that when a sartin motion agin the Bill was made, you
walked out o' the House o' Commons without votin. Now I'll just thank
you to walk out o' my house!"

In December, 1832, following the passing of the Reform Bill, three
Liberal Members each were returned for Hertfordshire and
Cambridgeshire, to the first reformed Parliament--for Hertfordshire,
Sebright, Calvert and Alston, and for Cambridgeshire, Townley, Childers
and Adeane, but with the great issue of the Corn Laws looming in the
distance, these agricultural counties gradually went round, and in 1841
all the representatives of the two counties were Conservatives. In
Cambs., Yorke, Allix and Eaton, were returned without a contest, and in
Herts., Grimston, Ryder and Smith, were returned, Alston one of the old
members being defeated. In 1847 Mr. Trevor (the late Lord Dacre)
turned the tide in Herts. by recovering one of the seats, but it was
not till 1859 that a seat was gained for the Liberals in Cambs.--a seat
afterwards held by Mr. Brand (the Speaker), the late Viscount Hampden,
whose death everyone laments. It was in the election of the first
reformed Parliament that Royston first had a polling place.

We can hardly realize what the passing of the Reform Bill meant in the
estimation of almost all classes of the people in country districts,
but a pamphlet published by J. Warren, Royston, in 1832, in order that
"everyone may have in his possession a faithful report of so glorious a
triumph," affords us some interesting glimpses of the effect of the
passing of that great measure upon our local life. Here is a summary
of the record for Royston:--

"The struggle for so grand and important a measure having at length
terminated in favour of the wishes of the people, the inhabitants of
Royston were determined to commemorate it in that respectful way, so
glorious a triumph in passing the Reform Bill into law, really
deserved; consequently a committee was formed, and a subscription
collected of L130 without difficulty, with a promise of more if wanted.
{158} A band was sent for from London, then on Thursd