Sir Robert Peel 2nd Baronet was born at Chamber Hall in Bury in 1788; he was born into a family where money was no obstacle. After Peel's birth, his family only remained a further 10 years in the Bury area before departing to what became the family seat at Drayton Manor, near Tamworth in Staffordshire. He attended Harrow and Oxford, receiving a double first at the latter. He was then bought the seat of Cashel, a rotten borough in Co. Tipperary in Ireland. Within two years he had his first major political appointment, Chief Secretary for Ireland. As the birthplace of Sir Robert Peel, Bury may be referred to as the birthplace of the modern police force too, because in 1829, Peel introduced a Bill for "improving the Police in and near the Metropolis", which became law as the Metropolitan Police Act on July 19th of the same year.
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