On This Day

19 September 1769

Birth of John Berkeley Monck, Whig MP for Reading

Born into an old Devonshire family – one of his forbears was General George Monck, Duke of Albemarle, the Civil War general – John Berkeley Monck was educated at Eton and was called to the bar in 1797, however ill health forced him to move from London to Reading. In 1807 while convalescing he wrote General Reflections on the System of the Poor Law, advocating for reform of the current system which he argued did more harm than good. He stood unsuccessfully for Reading at the general election of 1812 on a platform of parliamentary reform but he topped the poll at his second attempt in the 1820 election necessitated by the death of King George III. In parliament, Monck was an active member of the group of radical Whigs associated with Joseph Hume and identified with many radical causes. He was a early opponent of the Corn Laws arguing that they, ‘Affected the poor in a cruel and disproportionate manner’ and as a ‘tax for the exclusive benefit of the landed interest.’ He supported Catholic emancipation, regularly voted for parliamentary reform and argued for triennial parliaments. He retired from the House of Commons in 1830 but played a prominent role in rallying local support for the new Whig government’s reform bills and continued to advocate for reform until his death in December 1834.