Reply: Conscience or coercion? Clerical influence at the general election of 1868 in Wales

I am grateful for the opportunity to respond to loan Matthews's comments on my essay, 'Conscience or Coercion: The General Election of 1868 in Wales'. There, I used a body of evidence drawn from the general election of 1868 in Wales to illuminate a wider problem noted by contemporaries across Britain and, indeed, Europe: the interference of the clergy in elections. Matthews's response addresses a rather different topic — whether my article contributes to an unfair re-reading of the 1868 election in Wales. Whilst this makes it difficult to frame a succinct reply, there are several key issues in his article that can be dealt with individually. Before doing so, however, it may be useful to recapitulate briefly the chief points of my original piece.