Lavendon Poll 1831

The 1831 Poll of Lavendon Freeholders

Until 1832 the right to vote was restricted to those with a “forty shilling” property qualification - ownership of freehold land worth 40 shillings (£2) a year by men aged 21 and over. Nevertheless those entitled to vote overall numbered tens of thousands.

With reform many more were enfranchised, but it was only in 1872 that the ballot became secret. Throughout the 18th century and until 1872 the names of those voting and the way they voted were frequently published. Records survive as printed Poll Books and an extract of one such book that includes voters from Lavendon are shown here.

With parliamentary reform of 1832, official Electoral Registers came into being. These were annual lists of names and addresses of those with the (property) right to vote, extended periodically to end with the universal adult suffrage that applies today.