‘Rough Work on the Hustings’: Sheridan, Cobbett, and Newspapers in the General Election of 1806

Abstract In the late early 18th and early 19th centuries the Westminster constituency became notorious for its contested elections amongst its free and radical electorate, as well as for its longstanding MPs the Whig Charles James Fox, and the radical Sir Francis Burdett. In the interregnum between these two MPs, the 1806 election brought together a number of notable figures in radical and reformist politics of the early 19th century. It would pit Foxite Whig Richard Brinsley Sheridan against radical candidate James Paull, who had the support of William Cobbett and Burdett. This article examines that election, exploring the significant role that both the press and personalities had on the 1806 election and its aftermath. It will stress the importance of William Cobbett and his newspaper the Political Register in influencing the issues the campaign was fought on as well as how the campaign was conducted. It will show how Cobbett helped shift voters away from the Whigs and argue that, whilst the radicals were unsuccessful in 1806, he galvanised the radical support which was essential in ensuring Burdett's return as MP the following year.