Tag: poll book

History of Parliament Trust, 18th Century history, Constituencies, Elections, George II, George III, Georgian, Georgian Elections Project, Georgian Lords, Local History, Queen Anne

Steps towards identifying new Black voters in 18th-century Westminster and Hertfordshire

A few months ago, the History welcomed a guest post by Dr Gillian Williamson with her groundbreaking research into John London, to date the earliest known Black voter in Britain, who lodged his vote in the 1749 by-election for Westminster. In this latest post, Dr Robin Eagles explains the potential discovery of further Black voters taking part in the same contest and subsequent polls in … Continue reading Steps towards identifying new Black voters in 18th-century Westminster and Hertfordshire

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Georgian Lords, 18th Century history, Elections, Georgian, Minority Ethnic History, Social history

John London: Britain’s First Black Voter?

At first glance, the 1749 Westminster constituency by-election does not seem to warrant too much attention, with the incumbent, Viscount Trentham, being re-elected following his appointment to office. However, as Dr Gillian Williamson explores, the election provides the earliest known record of a Black person voting in a British parliamentary election – John London. In November 1749 John London walked from his home to vote … Continue reading John London: Britain’s First Black Voter?

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Victorian Commons, 19th Century history, Constituencies, Elections, Local History

From duelling to sharing the representation: Northumberland’s electoral politics in the nineteenth century

Continuing this month’s focus on Northumberland, Dr. Kathryn Rix, Assistant Editor of our House of Commons, 1832-68 project, explores the county’s elections in the nineteenth century. In 1826 Northumberland experienced its first contested election since 1774, with four candidates vying for the county’s two seats. For the previous fifty years, electors had not had the opportunity to cast their votes, as the representation had been … Continue reading From duelling to sharing the representation: Northumberland’s electoral politics in the nineteenth century

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