When Parliament Went to the Derby
Ann Dewar recounts the once-annual political battle to make Derby Day a parliamentary holiday
In 1847 a plot was hatched by the sport-loving members of the House of Commons. Its purpose was revealed when Lord George Bentinck suddenly moved that the House should adjourn for Derby Day. This unprecedented motion was carried unanimously, but the next year the anti-racegoers were on the alert, and a similar motion was carried by only thirteen votes.
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