Liverpool Council Liverpool Mercury Friday November 22nd 1833

This is part of a case that was going on at the time dealing with bribery at elections
One section of these long proceedings is called “family connections” and deals with the family connections of each of the Liverpool Council members

A list was read out to the court:

This is part of the article:

Mr BOLTON observed that something has been said to him about the general relationship existing between members of the Common Council.
A document had since been put into his hands on the subject: he believed it to be correct at the main Mr BOLTON then read the following genealogical tree* of the Common Council of Liverpool

T denotes Tory, W whig, D member of the Dock Commitee

T 1. Alderman George CASE F (father of the council) father of John Dean CASE (No 14) the town treasurer, also father of the Rev James CASE, late lecturer of St George’s, now an annuitant of the Council

T 2. Alderman Peter Whitfield BRANCKER, father of Alderman Sir Thomas BRANCKER (no 23) brother-in-law of Alderman Sir John TOBIN

T 3 Alderman Thomas MOLYNEUX Father of Anthony MOLYNEUX (No 29) His nephew James MOLYNEUX is the brother-in-law of the two Aldermen BOURNE (No 5 and 20)

T 4 Samuel STANIFORTH brother-in-law of John Dean CASE (no 14) and cousin-in-law to Thomas LITTLEDALE (No 18)

T 5 Alderman John BOURNE brother of Alderman Peter BOURNE (no 20), father of Cornelius BOURNE, soliciter to the Dock Trustees

T 6 Alderman Thomas CASE, cousin to Richard HOUGHTON (no 28)

T 7 Thomas CORRIE reciever of Town dues, No direct family connection in the council

T 8 Alderman John WRIGHT nephew of the late Alderman John SHAW (who introduced him) and brother-in-law of the late Alderman WM NICHOLSON

W 9 Alderman Charles LAWRENCE (his freedom was given by the council) His son married a sister of William EARLE Jun (No 16) another of his sons is a minister of St Luke’s, in the gift of the council

T 10 Alderman Nicholas ROBINSON, father of the Rev Nicholas ROBINSON, minister of St Martin’s, in the gift of the council

T 11 Alderman George DRINKWATER son of the late Alderman James DRINKWATER, brother-in-law of Alderman Peter BOURNE (no 20)

T 12 Alderman Richard LEYLAND, nephew of the late Alderman Thomas LEYLAND, who introduced him

T 13 William Wallace CURRIE. No family connection in the council

T 14 John Dean CASE, treasurer, son of Alderman George CASE (No 1), brother-in-law of Alderman STANIFORTH

T 15 Isaac Oldham BOLD, nephew-in-law of Alderman George CASE (No 1)

T 16 William EARLE, Jun, son of the late Alderman Thomas EARLE His sister married a son of Alderman LAWRENCE (no 9)

T 17 Alderman Sir John TOBIN, (made free by the late Alderman John B ASPINALL) father-in-law of James COCKSHOTT (no 39) and uncle of James ASPINALL (no 36) and of Sir Thomas BRANCKER (no 23) also brother-in-law of Alderman P W BRANCKER

T 18 Alderman Thomas LITTLEDALE, brother-in-law of Anthony MOLYNEUX (no 29), cousin-in-law of Alderman Samuel STANIFORTH (no 4)

T 19 John Shaw LEIGH, son of the late John LEIGH a councilman, brother-in-law of Richard Blundell HOLLINSHEAD (no 32) also related to Thomas SHAW (no 30) His brother is Lecturer at St George, a gift of the council T 20 Alderman P BOURNE brother of Alderman John BOURNE (no 5) uncle of Cornelius BOURNE, the Dock solicitor, brother-in-law of Alderman Sir George DRINKWATER (no 11)

T 21 James CLARKE (his freedom given by the council on his being appointed recorder) The Recorder brother of the late John CLARKE, a councilman, and brother-in-law of the late Alderman John Bridge ASPINALL

T 22 William RIPLEY (his freedom given by the council) brother-in-law of Richard HOUGHTON (no 28)

T 23 Alderman Sir Thomas BRANCKER, son of Alderman P W BRANCKER (no 2) nephew to Alderman Sir John TOBIN (no 17) first cousin to James ASPINALL, (no 36) and (by marriage) to James COCKSHOTT (no 39)

T 24 Henry MOSS, no family connections on the council

T 25 Alderman Thomas Colley PORTER, (he is very recently dead and his place in the council is not supplied. His freedom was given by the council. His daughter married a son of Alderman HORSFALL (no 33)

W 26 John EWART, no family connection in the council

T 27 Samuel THOMPSON, No family connection in the council

T 28 Richard HOUGHTON, brother-in-law of William RIPLEY (no 22)

T 29 Anthony MOLYNEUX, son of Alderman Thomas MOLYNEUX, (no 3) brother-in-law of Alderman Thomas LITTLEDALE ( no 18) nephew of the late Alderman William MOLYNEUX , whose eldest son is brother-in-law of the two Aldermen BOURNE (no 5, 20)

T 30 Thomas SHAW, cousin of John Shaw LEIGH, (no 19) nephew of the late John LEIGH (a councilman) and of Alderman Dr GERARD (resigned)

T 31 Alderman Samuel SANDBACH, (his freedom was given to him by Alderman J B HOLLINSHEAD) His son married a niece of Ambrose LACE (no 40)

T 32 Richard B Blundell HOLLINSHEAD brother-in-law of John Shaw LEIGH, (no 19) son of the late Alderman Henry B HOLLINSHEAD, and brother of the late Alderman Blundell HOLLINSHEAD, cousin of the Rev Thomas BLUNDELL, minister of St Anne’s, in the gift of the council

T 33 Alderman Charles HORSFALL, )Alderman PORTER gave the freedom to Alderman HORSFALL) His daughter married a son of Alderman PORTER

T 34 Thomas FOSTER, Town-clerk son of the late John FOSTER (who ws surveyor and architect to the Corporation, also surveyor, Architect and Secretary to the Dock estate) brother of the present John FOSTER, the Corporation Surveyor and of William FOSTER, secretary of the Dock Trustees

W 35 Henry ASTHON, (his freedom given by Alderman ROBINSON) No direct family connection in the council

T 36 James ASPINALL, nephew of Alderman Sir John TOBIN, (no 17, nephew of the late Alderman John B ASPINALL, cousin of the Rev James ASPINALL, one of the ministers of St Luke’s in the gift of the council, brother -in-law of the Rev Augustus CAMPBELL, one of the rectors of Liverpool, in the gift of the council

T 37 James CROSBIE, son of the late Alderman CROSBIE cousin to R BB HOLLINSHEAD (no 32)

T 38 Robert GLADSTONE No family connection in the council

T 39 James COCKSHOTT, son-in-law of Alderman Sir John TOBIN, (no 17) cousin, by marriage of James ASPINALL (no 36)

W 40 Ambrose LACE, His niece married a son of Alderman SANDBACH (no 31)

T 41 James POWNALL, His grandfather was one of the council and was Mayor of Liverpool

SUMMARY The foregoing statement exhibits some of the natural consequences of the system of self-election.
It will be seen that of the 41 members of the council, 36, or 6-7thsd are on the same side in party politics: 34 are closely or more distantly connected by family ties with others of the present or late members of the council or their officers, though a few of them were not connected at the time of their elections. 9 have recieved their freedom by gift,. which by the privilege of exemption from town dues, has increased the income of some of them by several hundred per annum.Of the 41 there is not one Dissenter……..(this article goes on further)