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India. On his return he married Hannah Macaulay, sister of the great historian.
Through this link, he acquired a network of powerful friends within the universities.
These connections strengthened his position when he moved to the Treasury to work
with Gladstone, then Chancellor of the Exchequer. When Gladstone became Prime
Minister and was considering civil service reform, it was natural that he should turn to
Trevelyan. It was equally natural that Trevelyan should apply to an English problem
the lessons he had learned in the laboratory of Indian administration (Roach 1971:
23).
Although Lord Northcote’s name took precedence over Trevelyan’s in the title of the
report when it was published, the Northcote-Trevelyan Report of 1853 was certainly
the product ofTrevelyan’s thinking. With his powerful connections made explicit, it
becomes clearer how the selection proposals in the report won significant support
when many earlier attempts to introduce an element of competition into appointments
had failed. In proposing examinations for competitive entry to the higher levels of the
civil service, the report served as an early skirmish in a long campaign. Convincing
the public of the wisdom of such a radical change was a challenging task despite its
eminent champions.
Gladstone attempted to soothe the doubts of Queen Victoria, who worried over the
prospect of appointing someone who was “first in ability' but might otherwise be
“very ineligible" - perhaps her way of questioning the suitability of those whom the
English have come to label as ‘too clever by half. He assured her that:
Experience at the universities and public schools of this country has shown that
in a large majority of cases the test of open examination is also an effectual test
of character; as, except in very remarkable cases, the previous industry and
self-denial, which proficiency evinces, are rarely separated from general habits
of virtue.