The electoral system before 1832
Aristocracy- had all the voting rights and political power.
Middle class- Had money but no political power.
Working Classes-no vote or representation, low wages, long working hours, bad living and
working conditions.
Who could vote?
-Adult men over 21 linked to property
-Excluded middle and working classes plus anyone that wasn’t a part
of the church of england
-around 11% of men (5% of the population) could vote
-1831 400,000 people out of 14 million
Constituencies
-2 types of seat country and Burrough seats
-each county returned 2 MPs regardless of their population
-standard franchise- freehold occupation of land worth 40 shillings a year (£2)
Burroughs were anywhere which had been a town in the 15th centaury. There was a huge
variation in size and voting practice 5000+ voters in Liverpool/Bristol but 7 in old saran.
Was it out of Date?
1831-
Lancashire: 1.3 million population 14MPs
Cornwall: 300,000 population 40MPs
Birmingham, Manchester and Leister: 0MPs
Bigger more industrial places had little to no political representation which was where it was
most needed as industry was becoming a big part of Britain’s income.
Power of the Landowners
Seats in the ‘pockets’ of landowners-
Around half of MPs there because of patronage.
Only one third of elections were ever contested seats and positions were passed down from
farther to son.
Voting
Voting was done in public at hustings which allowed landowners to see how people were
voting. This led to widespread bribery and corruption within politics.
Aristocracy- had all the voting rights and political power.
Middle class- Had money but no political power.
Working Classes-no vote or representation, low wages, long working hours, bad living and
working conditions.
Who could vote?
-Adult men over 21 linked to property
-Excluded middle and working classes plus anyone that wasn’t a part
of the church of england
-around 11% of men (5% of the population) could vote
-1831 400,000 people out of 14 million
Constituencies
-2 types of seat country and Burrough seats
-each county returned 2 MPs regardless of their population
-standard franchise- freehold occupation of land worth 40 shillings a year (£2)
Burroughs were anywhere which had been a town in the 15th centaury. There was a huge
variation in size and voting practice 5000+ voters in Liverpool/Bristol but 7 in old saran.
Was it out of Date?
1831-
Lancashire: 1.3 million population 14MPs
Cornwall: 300,000 population 40MPs
Birmingham, Manchester and Leister: 0MPs
Bigger more industrial places had little to no political representation which was where it was
most needed as industry was becoming a big part of Britain’s income.
Power of the Landowners
Seats in the ‘pockets’ of landowners-
Around half of MPs there because of patronage.
Only one third of elections were ever contested seats and positions were passed down from
farther to son.
Voting
Voting was done in public at hustings which allowed landowners to see how people were
voting. This led to widespread bribery and corruption within politics.
