A Dance of Crown and Parliament: Empire and Reform in the Age of Liverpool

Abstract The apparent contradictions of British politics in the early nineteenth century have long confounded historians. Lord Liverpool’s ministry (1812–27) vehemently, and often violently, rejected constitutional change. Yet it simultaneously implemented a raft improvements governance. We argue here that empire is key to resolving this conundrum. Particularly from 1822, Liverpool launched overhaul through one most ambitious information-gathering efforts undertaken by imperial state: commissions inquiry. Creatures royal prerogative, these investigations amassed ‘on spot’ information underpin genuine conservative interventions into colonial law At same time, they curated controversy order subvert hostile parliamentary interference at time when hold on power was particularly tenuous. Inquiry reform were profoundly shaped delicate dance Crown parliament. By exploring three moments New South Wales, Jamaica Cape Colony between 1819 1826, we showcase workings Tory innovation laying bare mix reformism, conservatism pragmatism undergirded unstable regime.