Tagged with Great Reform Act
Resource : A pair of ‘Wellington boots’
These are the original ‘Wellington boots’, designed for the Duke of Wellington to be both practical and fashionable. They were adapted from the ‘Hessian’ boots previously worn by British officers to allow the wearing of new lightweight linen trousers rather than traditional woollen ones. They were cut lower to make riding more comfortable, and no longer had a tassel. After the Duke’s victory at Waterloo, this style of boot became extremely fashionable and spread through London society, eventually inspiring the modern ‘welly’.
Resource : Speech of Thomas Attwood, Printed on Silk
This piece of silk commemorates Thomas Attwood receiving the freedom of the City of London, following his role in the Great Reform Act of 1832. The Act granted more people in Britain the right to vote and created seats for MPs in new industrial towns like Birmingham and Manchester. The words of Attwood’s speech are contained within the letters of his name and title.