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Electoral
Registers These are lists of people entitled to vote in local (burgess) or parliamentary elections and have been compiled almost every year since 1832. What information is included?
All registers list the name (usually surname, first name and any other initials) of the voter and an address. Until 1918, the register also included the qualification that entitled the person to vote, details of current residence and address of property owned in the constituency or polling district. During most of the nineteenth century before Electoral Registration Officers were instituted, draft registers were compiled by Overseers (in county constituencies) and Town Clerks (in boroughs). These draft lists were subject to amendments resulting from appeals or objections and annotations sometimes survive giving details of death or removal from the register. From 1928-1970 the abbreviation 'Y' was used to denote someone who would reach the age of 21 during the first half of the year in which the register was in force. After 1970, the date of birth is given for anyone approaching the age of 18.
How are the registers arranged? In general, Parliamentary registers were arranged by name and burgess lists were arranged by street. The two types of registers were usually combined after 1878 in boroughs (1884 elsewhere) and the street order of the burgess registers was widely adopted. The 1918 Representation of the People Act stated that wherever possible, the register should be published in street order.
What registers are available? Wolverhampton Archives & Local Studies has copies of registers for the Wolverhampton area from 1833 to the present day. The sequence is far from complete and there are a number of gaps, particularly for the period around 1900. Click
here for a full list of the registers held.
What changes have there been in the entitlement to vote? There have been a number of changes to the franchise, which need to be borne in mind when trying to find people on electoral registers.
COUNTIES: In 1429 the right to vote was given to people of 21 or over having freehold lands or tenements whose annual net value was 40s or more. Until 1774, a voter had to live within the county in which the land or tenement was situated. BOROUGHS: The franchise varied widely according to local custom, ranging from extensive electorates to a handful of people in 'rotten' boroughs.
The Reform Act extended the county franchise to men who had a life interest in, and occupation of, lands and tenements worth between £2 and £5 per annum. Also enfranchised were holders of real property worth more than £10 and, in boroughs, owners or tenants of buildings worth at least £10 per annum, provided that they had occupied the building(s) for at least 12 months prior to the registration date (15 July each year) and had paid the appropriate poor rates and taxes. It was also necessary to live within 7 miles of the borough. 1 man in 7 was eligible to vote.
Rules changed for men living in boroughs and the vote was extended to every adult male householder resident for at least a year and heads of families lodging in unfurnished rooms paying at least £10 rent. The 1867 Act probably increased the electorate by a greater percentage than any other Reform Act and 1 man in 3 became eligible to vote.
Some women received a vote in local elections.
The borough qualification granted in 1867 was now extended to the counties so that freeholders of inherited land worth 40s, freeholders of any land worth £5 and certain lessees, occupiers and lodgers were now enfranchised. 2 men in 3 were now eligible to vote.
All males over 21 were now eligible to vote, as were women over 30 who were householders or wives of householders. 5 people in 6 were now eligible to vote.
The vote was given to every resident or owner over 21.
The age limit was reduced to 18. For further information see Electoral Registers since 1832 and Burgess Rolls, 2nd ed., by Jeremy Gibson and Colin Rogers, Federation of Family History Societies, 1990. ISBN 1 872094 10 4.
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