Arthur Wellesley, the first Duke of Wellington, acquired the Hampshire Estate of Stratfield Saye in 1817. From 1829, a period of unusual excitement and controversy began. The agricultural labourers' disturbances in 1830, the establishment of a professional police force in 1839 and bolstering the magistracy. Whilst recognising that Hampshire affairs were rarely at the top of Wellington's agenda, this paper argues that they deserve more recognition than his biographers have traditionally allowed
