The National Land Company was founded in the United Kingdom in 1845 by Feargus O'Connor to help working-class people satisfy the landholding requirement to gain a vote in county seats.
| Founded | provisionally 1846 |
|---|---|
| Defunct | 1851 |
| Fate | Wound up by Act of Parliament |
| Successor | Court of Chancery |
| Headquarters | London |
Key people | Feargus O'Connor |
Events of 1845 edit
April edit
- Chartist conference approved Feargus O'Connor's plan.[1]
Events of 1846 edit
January edit
- A set of rules for a friendly society were submitted for approval and rejected.
March edit
- 14 March Heronsgate - 103 acres (0.42 km2) of land were bought.[2]
April edit
- 20 April Heronsgate - The plots were allocated by ballot.
July edit
- A second set of rules for a friendly society were submitted for approval and rejected.
August edit
- 1 August Lowbands - The plots were allocated by ballot.[3]
- 17 August Heronsgate - An exhibition day was held, starting with a march from the west-end of Oxford Street (now Marble Arch).
October edit
- 24 October - The company was provisionally registered as a joint stock company, the Chartist Co-operative Land Company.[1]
- 27 October Lowbands - 170 acres (0.69 km2) of land were bought.[1][2]
December edit
- 17 December - The company was renamed to the National Co-operative Land Company, still on a provisional basis.[1]
Events of 1847 edit
February edit
- Mathon - A deposit was placed on 500 acres (2.0 km2) of land. The purchase was never completed.
May edit
- 1 May Heronsgate - The allotees moved in (Location Day).
- 28 May Lowbands - A visiting day was held.
June edit
- 5 June Snigs End - 268 acres (1.08 km2) of land were bought.[2][4]
- 24 June Minster Lovell - 300 acres (1.2 km2) of land were bought.[2]
August edit
- 9 August - O’Connor ran for parliament again and won the Nottingham seat.
- 16 August Lowbands - The allotees moved in (Location Day).
- 21 August Minster Lovell - Construction began.
October edit
- Snigs End - The purchase was completed.
Events of 1848 edit
January edit
- Great Dodford - 280 acres (1.1 km2) of land were bought.
- 10 January Snigs End - A procession was held through Cheltenham.
February edit
- Attempts to gather signatures of shareholders for company registration were abandoned.
April edit
- Parliament was petitioned to have the NLC registered as a friendly society.
May edit
- 24 May - House of Commons established a Select committee to look into the NLC.[1]
June edit
- 9 June - First sitting of the Select Committee.
- 12 June Lowbands - A second visiting day was held.
- 12 June Snigs End - The allotees moved in (Location Day).[1]
- 12 June - scheduled date for the second reading of O'Connor's bill to legalise the NLC.[1]
- 21 June - Second sitting of the Select Committee.
- 30 June - Third sitting of the Select Committee.
July edit
- Great Dodford - NLC Conference
- 14 July - Fourth sitting of the Select Committee.
- 28 July - Fifth sitting of the Select Committee.
- 31 July - The Select Committee reported to the House of Commons.
August edit
- 1 August - Select Committee final report published.
September edit
- Lowbands - First rents demanded, all the tenants declared themselves incapable of paying.
November edit
- NLC Conference
Events of 1849 edit
February edit
- 8 February Great Dodford - Three families were reported as applying for parish relief.[1]
March edit
- 1 March Minster Lovell - Tenants petitioned Parliament that they had been promised freehold to their plots.
May edit
- 12 May Great Dodford - Originally scheduled Location Day.[1]
July edit
- 2 July Great Dodford - The allotees moved in (Location Day).[1]
- Parliament voted on and rejected the petition.
October edit
- Minster Lovell - Mortgage payment due in Sept was missed. Mortgage holders (on discovering that the mortgage fell due in 1848, not 1854 as thought) sued for repossession. Tenants were given to November 1850 to move out.[1]
Events of 1850 edit
April edit
- 15 April Great Dodford - O'Connor put the estate up for auction. Only three lots sold at the auction, and another three by private contract later.[1]
August edit
- Snigs End - O'Connor sent in bailiffs demanding rent or ejection.
November edit
- Minster Lovell - Deadline for tenants to move out.[1]
Events of 1851 edit
July edit
- Parliament passed an act to wind-up the company and pass all its affairs to the Court of Chancery.
Events of 1852 edit
November edit
- 4 November - General Election - O'Connor did not stand for re-election having already been committed for insanity.
Events of 1855 edit
August edit
- 30 August - O'Connor died.
Events of 1857 edit
May edit
- 21 May Snigs End - estate mostly sold by auction.
- 27 May Heronsgate was auctioned at the Swan Inn, Rickmansworth.[1]
Events of 1858 edit
June edit
- 2 June Lowbands was auctioned.[1]
References edit
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Hadfield, Alice Mary (2000) [1970]. The Chartist Land Company (2 ed.). Aylesbury: Square Edge Books. ISBN 0-7153-5809-X.
- ^ a b c d History Home
- ^ chartists.net - List of those allocated land
- ^ C. R. Elrington, ed. (1968). A History of the County of Gloucester. Victoria County History. Vol. 8. pp. 271–281. Retrieved 2009-03-07.