120 years ago today, on 12th January 1906, the General Election campaign descended into violent disorder in rural Isle of Wight.
The General Election of 1906 – remembered nationally for a sweeping Liberal victory – also brought bitter and chaotic scenes to normally peaceful Isle of Wight villages 120 years ago.
Conservative candidate Colonel Hickman Morgan’s campaign was marred by what was described at the time as ‘organised rowdyism’ in several villages, leading to violent disorder and public outrage.
During a meeting at Niton, Colonel Morgan faced relentless disruption from opponents who had positioned themselves at the back of the hall. The gathering was overwhelmed by ‘booing, hissing and cat calls’ from what were reported to be largely ‘youths and non-voters’. The noise soon grew so loud that the Colonel could not be heard.
When a vote of confidence was proposed in Morgan, the chairman was unable to declare a result amid what witnesses described as ‘a deafening uproar’. The meeting ended in confusion and scenes of violent disorder.
Further trouble followed at Calbourne, where Morgan was met with what he himself called “radical hooliganism”. Opponents were said to have walked from Gunville to Calbourne in pouring rain and driving wind, determined to disrupt the meeting. Inside the school building, “local yokels” filled the back rows, jeering and shouting down the candidate.
Despite the chaos, Morgan was said to have “stood up to the opposition like a soldier and a man”. But when he attempted to leave for his next engagement at Brighstone, his car was blocked by an angry crowd. Mrs Morgan was subjected to jeers and insults from several youths. As the vehicle turned out of School Lane, it was pelted with stones, one of which struck the chauffeur, causing a severe blow to his body.
At a later meeting in Ventnor, Morgan’s Liberal opponent Godfrey Baring condemned such behaviour, expressing his wish that the Colonel and his supporters be granted a fair hearing.
When the votes were counted, Baring took the Isle of Wight seat for the Liberals with 7,453 votes to Morgan’s 5,892 – a majority of 1,561. Nationally, the Liberals under Henry Campbell-Bannerman secured a landslide victory, winning 397 seats to the Conservatives’ 156.
My dad Roy the 1st was good friends with Mr and Mrs Morgan, I remember when he used to tell me the tales of their car being blocked in, absolute hooliganism, you’re right Nathan! I could only guess and imagine the scenes today. My condolences to all involved.
did Keir Starmer get heckled as bad as Mr and Mrs Morgan! I bleeding doubt it!!!! Should be ashamed of themselves, nasty nippers
good old smear campaigns, nothing ever changes, eh?
You sound just my cuppa tea you do matey we meet meet for a swift ale at the working men’s.
we will bring a notepad to note down the numptys
You will need more than a note pad
Lol
Hasn’t changed much then after all this these years.
Still bickering like a load of spoiled brats and no one in there any use to ordinary people
That’s because all these years we now realise they
are puppets working for their so called elite bosses.
They don’t have a say in anything that gets rolled out,
they are given their instructions from above.
Nothing will ever change, Reform work for the same so called
elite bosses.
Nothing changed in 120 years. Still as bad as then
Just show’s how useless they still are and still ripping the people off who pay their wages
Ronnie and reggie had more heart then any government and their racketeering was much less than any governments rackets