Hostname: page-component-848d4c4894-wzw2p Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-05-11T02:04:30.871Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

The Abolition of the English State Lotteries

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 February 2009

James Raven
James Raven
Affiliation:
Magdalene College, Cambridge
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Extract

On 18 October 1826 the final English state lottery was drawn at Coopers' Hall. It was the one hundred and seventieth of the state lotteries to be held since their parliamentary inauguration in 1694. Although the economic importance of the lotteries to the eighteenth-century exchequer has been widely recognized, their demise has received scant historical attention. This is despite stark contrast between the promotion of the lottery by government or government contractors, and the strident protests against the lottery's allegedly corrupt and ruinous influence. Why exactly was the lottery abandoned as an instrument of public revenue? Was it in response to moral argument or as a matter of fiscal policy? At issue is not only the effectiveness of organized opposition in transforming participation and policy-making, but also the relationship between Treasury strategies, systems of management and the response of the market.

Type
Articles
Information
The Historical Journal , Volume 34 , Issue 2 , June 1991 , pp. 371 - 389
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1991

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

1 I am indebted to Derek Beales, Julian Hoppit, Peter Mathias and Clive Trebilcock for comments on earlier drafts of this article, and to Chris Gibbings and Leonard Raven for their help in compiling data.

2 Morning Chronicle, 19 Oct. 1826. Drawn under the authority of the 1823 Act.

3 There are three elderly surveys of the lottery, Ashton, John, A history of English lotteries (London, 1893)Google Scholar, Ewen, C. L'Estrange, Lotteries and sweepstakes (London, 1932)Google Scholar, and Richards, R. D., ‘The lottery in the history of English government finance’, Economic History, III (1934–1937), 57–76Google Scholar. A brief discussion is offered by Cohen, Jacob, ‘The element of lottery in British government bonds, 1694–1919’, Economica, n.s., XX (1953), 237–46CrossRefGoogle Scholar, and Binney, J. E. D., British public finance and administration, 1774–1792 (Oxford, 1958), pp. 86–8, 262–3Google Scholar. Early schemes are analysed in Dickson, P. G. M., The financial revolution in England, 1688–1756 (London, 1967)Google Scholar. There is no detailed study of the lottery's final half-century.

4 Commission for the reduction of the national debt (Parl. Papers, 1890–1, XLVIII), 696–703.

5 Mortimer, Thomas, Every man his own broker, 4th edn (London, 1761), p. 72Google Scholar.

6 C. on national debt (P.P. 1890–1, XLVIII), 702.

7 McCulloch, J. R., A treatise on the principles and practical influence of taxation, 3rd edn (Edinburgh, 1863), p. 336Google Scholar.

8 The Christian Observer, XXIII 6 (06 1823), 399Google Scholar.

9 Notably, Hone, William, The every-day book and table book (3 vols., London, 1830), II, 1404–535Google Scholar, and verdict, C. on national debt (P.P. 1890–1, XLVIII), 688–95.

10 The autobiography of Francis Place (1771–1854), ed. Thrale, Mary (Cambridge, 1972), pp. 97–8Google Scholar.

11 Francis, John, Chronicles and characters of the Stock Exchange (London, 1849), PP. 141–2Google Scholar.

12 Ewen, , Lotteries, pp. 353–70Google Scholar; Richards, , ‘Lottery’, p. 57Google Scholar; Cohen, , ‘Element of lottery’, p. 237Google Scholar; Perkins, E. Benson, Gambling in English life (London, 1950), pp. 12–14Google Scholar; Williams, Penry, ‘Lotteries and government finance in England’, History Today, VI (1956), 557–61Google Scholar.

13 Dickson, , Financial revolution, p. 54Google Scholar. Similarly, Fish, Harvey E., English public finance from the revolution of 1688 (New York, 1920), p. 115Google Scholar.

14 Cohen, , ‘Element of lottery’, 244–5Google Scholar.

15 Reports of royal commissions on lotteries and gaming, P.P. 1932–3, XIV, 377–566, P.P. 1950–1, VIII, 625–820, P.P. 1977–8, VII, 1–285; and Cornish, D. B., Gambling: A review of the literature and its implications for policy and research (London: HMSO, 1978)Google Scholar.

16 Including Town and Country Magazine, VII (11 1775), 571Google Scholar; T&C, XI (12 1779), 619–21Google Scholar; T&C, XIII (06 1781), 305Google Scholar; T&C, XIX (01 1787), 30–2Google Scholar; and Fielding, Henry, The lottery (London, 1732, performed and reprinted to 1788)CrossRefGoogle Scholar.

17 Mortimer, , Every man his own broker, 10th edn (London, 1785), p. 245Google Scholar.

18 Ashton, T. S., Economic fluctuations in England 1700–1800 (Oxford, 1959), pp. 125–37Google Scholar; Hoppit, Julian, Risk and failure in English business, 1700–1800 (Cambridge, 1987), pp. 42–55CrossRefGoogle Scholar.

19 Notably, John Trusler's much-reprinted The way to be rich and respectable (London, 1775), but also many short pieces about lottery ruination, including Morning Chronicle, 8 Apr. 1796, and The Times, 5 Aug. 1797.

20 The earliest instructor is apparently The lottery display'd, or the adventurer's guide (London, 1771)Google Scholar.

21 Annual Register for 1777, pp. 206–7; Scots Magazine, XXXIX (1777), 527Google Scholar.

22 A rare copy with tickets intact survives in the British Library, CUP. 408.110.

23 The lottery, or midsummer recess, 2nd edn (Uttoxeter, 1797)Google Scholar.

24 Ranging from mathematical investigations, notably Clark, Samuel, The laws of chance (London, 1763)Google Scholar, to the Lottery jest book; or, fun even for the losers (London, 1777)Google Scholar, and alphabet primers such as A pretty lottery book for children (Brentford, 1815)Google Scholar. Sympathetic tales and plays included Edal village: or, the fortunate lottery ticket (2 vols., London, 1781)Google Scholar, reviewed Monthly Review, XIV (1781), 121–9Google Scholar, and The lottery ticket, and the lawyer's clerk (London, 1827)Google Scholar.

25 Parliamentary Debates, XXXIV, 1090 (13 06 1816)Google Scholar.

26 Register of lottery prize winners (1711–12), exchequer papers, Public Record Office, E. 401/2599, 401/2600.

27 Insurances, or ‘chances’, were possible because all the numbers in the wheel were already known.

28 Select committee on the laws relating to the lotteries: first report (P.P. 1808, II), 147–50 (13 Apr. 1808); second report (P.P. 1808, II), 151–237 (24 June 1808).

29 S. C. on lotteries (P.P. 1808, II), 199.

30 S. C. on lotteries (P.P. 1808, II), 181–3.

31 S. C. on lotteries (P.P. 1808, II), 157.

32 McKibbin, Ross, ‘Working-class gambling in Britain, 1880–1939’, Past and Present, LXXXII (1979), 172Google Scholar.

33 Legislative shifts are discussed in Downes, D. M. et al. , Gambling, work and leisure: a study across three areas (London, 1976), pp. 29–43Google Scholar.

34 B.L., Add. MS 27,825, Place papers, Commonplace book, fo. 268.

35 The life of William Wilberforce, ed. Robert, and Wilberforce, Samuel (5 vols., London, 1838), III, 298Google Scholar.

36 ‘Collections of handbills relating to lotteries’, B.L. Some are reprinted in Ewen, Lotteries, pp. 272–80.

37 Coats, A. W., ‘Economic thought and poor law policy in the eighteenth century’, Economic History Review, 2nd ser., XIII (1960–1961), 39–51CrossRefGoogle Scholar; Himmelfarb, Gertrude, The idea of poverty (London, 1984), pp. 526–9Google Scholar.

38 Hilton, Boyd, The age of atonement: the influence of evangelicalism on social and economic thought, 1795–1865 (Oxford, 1988), pp. 207–9Google Scholar.

39 Bradley, Ian C., ‘The politics of godliness: evangelicals in parliament, 1784–1832’, unpublished D.Phil, dissertation (Oxford, 1974), appendicesGoogle Scholar.

40 Isaac, Robert and Wilberforce, Samuel, eds., The Correspondence of William Wilberforce (2 vols., London, 1840), II, 274Google Scholar, William Wilberforce to Samuel Roberts, 31 Dec. 1813; Bradley, , ‘Politics of godliness’, p. 121Google Scholar.

41 Notably, T&C, XIX (02 1787), 56Google Scholar.

42 Parliamentary History, XXVI, 607–19 (2–8 02 1787)Google Scholar; Parl. Hist., XXIX 1158–71 (4 04 1792)Google Scholar.

43 Commons Journals, XLVII, 676, 772 (3 April, 7 05, 1792)Google Scholar; Place papers, Add. MS 27,825, fo. 266; Royal commission on lotteries and betting (P.P. 1932–3, XIV), 388.

44 Parl. Deb., XL, 89–90, 98–101, 102–3 (4 May 1819).

45 Parl. Deb., XXXIV, 1086–94 (13 06 1816)Google Scholar; Parl. Deb., XXXV, 1169–90 (18 03 1817)Google Scholar; Parl. Deb., XL, 79–107 (4 05 1819)Google Scholar. A vote of 183:88 is given in Wilberforce, Life of Wilberforce, V, 20. A supplementary budget lottery resolution, 9 June 1817, was lost 117:49, Parl. Deb., XL, 1024–5. Also, petitions from London and Sheffield, Commons Journals, XXII, 164 (17 03 1817)Google Scholar, XXIV, 255–6 (22 Mar. 1819).

46 The conclusion of Binney, , British public finance, p. 87Google Scholar.

47 For price indexes and trade figures, Gayer, A. D., Rostow, W. W., Schwartz, A. J., eds., The growth and fluctuation of the British economy, 1790–1850 (2 vols., Hassocks, 1975), I, 140–210Google Scholar.

48 Parl. Deb., n.s., IX, 1413–22 (2 07 1823)Google Scholar.

49 Minute books of the court of directors, 1800–23, authorizations for payment of dividends, lottery management expenses, Bank of England archives.

50 Inland Revenue, Lottery Office papers, PRO, I.R. 55/19, approvals of tenders; I.R. 55/15, reports to the Treasury, 1810–20. References to surviving Treasury and Lottery Office records are as specific as possible: many collections are in unordered files. Pieces clearly once part of a single collection are frequently dispersed between several files.

51 Accounts of public income and expenditure (P.P. 1868–9, XXXV), 972; C. on national debt (P.P. 1890–1, XLVIII), 702.

52 Lottery Office papers, I.R. 55/6, accounts and receipts; declared accounts, Audit Office papers, PRO, A.O.I, 1590/270, 1591/276. Figures differ from Accts. income and expenditure (P.P. 1868–9, XXXV), 972.

53 C. on national debt (P.P. 1890–1, XLVIII), 702.

54 The Times, 20 Dec. 1811, 7 Jan. 1812; The Monthly Magazine, XLII (1 10. 1816), 200Google Scholar.

55 Binney, , British public finance, pp. 87–8Google Scholar.

56 Ehrman, John, The younger Pitt: the years of acclaim (London, 1969), p. 255Google Scholar; Binney, , British public finance, pp. 87–8Google Scholar.

57 Mathias, Peter, The transformation of England (Oxford, 1979), p. 122Google Scholar; Deane, P. and Cole, W. A., British economic growth, 1688–1939 (Cambridge, 1962), pp. 6, 8Google Scholar.

58 Public income figures from Mitchell, B. R., British historical statistics (Cambridge, 1988), ch. XI, with cautions, pp. 570–4Google Scholar.

59 Part. Deb., XL, 1002–3 (9 06 1819)Google Scholar.

60 Accts. income and expenditure (P.P. 1868–9, XXXV), 972.

61 Hilton, Boyd, Corn, cash, commerce: the economic policies of the tory governments, 1815–1830 (Oxford, 1977), pp. 32–3Google Scholar. War malt duties were also surrendered.

62 S. C. on lotteries (P.P. 1808, II), 161–2.

63 Prohibition acts, Ewen, , Lotteries, p. 360Google Scholar. Lottery offices were licensed from 1778 and attendance at draws progressively restricted from 1793, 18 Geo. III, c. 22; 33 Geo. III, c. 62.

64 19 Geo. III, c. 21.

65 42 Geo. III, c. 119.

66 William Dawes Adams to Spencer Perceval, 3 Sept. 1807, Lottery Office papers, I.R. 55/13.

67 Minute from Coopers' Hall, 13 Apr. 1807, and J. R. Pearson to the Treasury, 12 Nov. 1808, Lottery Office papers, I.R. 55/13.

68 Treasury minute, 9 Jan. 1808, Lottery Office papers, I.R. 55/15.

69 Pearson to the Treasury, 9 Jan. 1808, Lottery Office papers, I.R. 55/15.

70 Adams to Perceval, 3 Sept. 1807, Lottery Office papers, I.R. 55/13.

71 Adams to the Treasury, 25 Oct. 1810, 17 Jan. 1812, and 9 Dec. 1812, Lottery Office papers, I.R. 55/13; letters from the audit office, 30 May 1810, Lottery Office papers, I.R. 55/17.

72 Reports from Hesse 1813–24, Treasury Board papers, PRO, T. 1/3933; memoranda, Lottery Office papers, I.R. 55/10.

73 Inland Revenue, private office papers, PRO, I.R. 74/187.

74 O'Brien, Patrick, ‘The political economy of British taxation’, Economic History Review, 2nd ser., XLI, 1 (1988), p. 4, table 3Google Scholar.

75 S. C. on lotteries (P.P. 1808, II), 157–8.

76 Compare budget calculations, Parl. Deb., XI, 764 (1 06 1808)Google Scholar.

77 Accts. income and expenditure (P.P. 1868–9, XXXV), 972–3.

78 Accounts relating to state lotteries (P.P. 1834, XLI), 294.

79 Account of the number of tickets sold and shared in the lotteries (P.P. 1817, XVII), 23; Account of the number of tickets issued and shared in the lotteries (P.P. 1819, XVI), 511–13.

80 Commissioners' journals for allocation of prize certificates, Inland Revenue, Lottery Office general registers, PRO, I.R. 4.

81 Letters from the Treasury to the lottery commissioners, 1809–26, Lottery Office papers, I.R. 55/21.

82 Secretary's statements, 1806–17, Lottery Office papers, I.R. 55/6.

83 Declared accounts, Audit office papers, A.O.I 1589/265 (1810–11) – 1590/273 (1819–20); estimates, c. 1810–20, Lottery Office papers, I.R. 55/13.

84 S. C. on lotteries (P.P. 1808, II), 153.

85 Parl. Deb., XIV, 546–7 (12 05 1809)Google Scholar.

86 Hesse to Lord Tyrconnel (with account of the assault) 7 May 1813, Lottery Office papers, I.R. 55/13.

87 Parl. Deb., XXXVI, 1093 (13 06 1816)Google Scholar.

88 I have also found no discussion in the Liverpool or Huskisson papers, BL. Confidential Treasury records of contractors' bidding survive: contracts (with Treasury annotations), Lottery Office papers, I.R. 55/21, and correspondence relating to acceptances, Lottery Office papers, I.R. 55/19.

89 Rival and later coalition tenders, noted on contracts, 1813–23, Lottery Office papers, I.R. 55/21.

90 C. on national debt (P.P. 1890–1, XLVIII), 702.

91 Registers of prize-certificate allocations, 1820–1, open with pages of tickets submitted by contractors, Lottery Office general registers, I.R. 4,157, 201. A few might be claims on behalf of clients, but most are certainly fortunate returns on unsold tickets (fraud in the actual draw can be discounted).

92 H. E. Swift to Hesse, 1 May 1823, Lottery Office papers, I.R. 55/13.

93 ‘Proposal for a new mode of disposing of a state lottery’, by H. E. Swift, Lottery Office papers, I.R. 55/19.

94 Parl. Deb., n.s., IX, 396 (21 05 1823)Google Scholar.

95 4 Geo. IV, c. 60.

96 Parl. Deb., n.s., IX, 438 (22 05 1823)Google Scholar, echoed by the Times' editorial, 22 May 1823.

97 Parl. Deb., n.s., IX, 439 (22 05 1823)Google Scholar.

98 Swift to Hesse, 5 May 1823, Lottery Office papers, I.R. 55/13.

99 Swift to Hesse, 5 May 1823 (ii), Lottery Office papers, I.R. 55/13.

100 The Times, 13 May 1823.

101 Protests, Place papers, Add. MS 27,825, fos. 284, 290.

102 Parl. Deb., n.s., XI, 589–95 (7 05 1824)Google Scholar.

103 Treasury minute, 20 July 1824, Treasury Board papers, T. 1/3933.

104 Torrance, J. R., ‘Sir George Harrison and the growth of bureaucracy in the early nineteenth century’, English Historical Review, XXXIII (1968), 52–88CrossRefGoogle Scholar.

105 Hesse to Harrison, 8 Dec. 1817, Treasury Board papers, T. 1/3933.

106 Brock, W. R., Lord Liverpool and liberal toryism (Cambridge, 1941), p. 172Google Scholar.

107 Submissions from Hesse, 1816–19, Treasury Board papers, T. 1/3933.

108 Torrance, , ‘Harrison’, pp.64–5Google Scholar.

109 Harrison's detailed interventions, in letters from the Treasury, 1809–23, Lottery Office papers, I.R. 55/21.

110 Corbaux, Francis, A further enquiry into the present state of our national debt (London, 1824), p. 71Google Scholar; with Treasury copy, Lottery Office papers, I.R. 55/26.

111 London Gazette, 22 June 1824.

112 ‘Vindex’ and ‘Vigil’, The Times, 22 Sept., 14 and 23 Dec. 1825.

113 Treasury minute, 26 Oct. 1826, Treasury Board papers, T. 1/3933.

114 Lord Liverpool to the commissioners, 6 Oct. 1826, Treasury Board papers, T. 1/3933.

115 Lottery Office return (P.P. 1830, XVII), 388; Lottery Office: copy of Treasury minute (P.P. 1830–1, VII), 499.

116 Commissioners' reports, Lottery Office papers, I.R. 55/15.

117 Memorandum and minute to the Treasury, Mar. 1827, Lottery Office papers, I.R. 55/10.

118 Select committee on gaming (P.P. 1844, VI), 1–477.

119 Most recently, O'Brien, , ‘Political economy of British taxation’, p. 1Google Scholar.

120 Downes, , Gambling, p. 31Google Scholar.