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Norfolk: Poll Books & Electoral Registers

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Examples from Dunston

The following entries are from various Norfolk Poll Book's and later Electoral registers (from 1832 onwards) for the parish of Dunston in Humbleyard Hundred to illustrate how many people in a parish actually voted or were able to vote. The poll books only list those who voted, whereas the later "Electoral Registers" list all those that were eligible to vote in a specific year if an election was called and generally give more information about an electors voting qualifications.

It should be remembered than up until 1831 the number of people eligible to vote as a percentage of the population aged over 20 years was only 5.0%

  • 1702 - Norfolk Poll Book
  • 1714 - Norfolk Poll Book
  • 1734 - Norfolk Poll Book
  • 1768 - Norfolk Poll Book (W. Chase)
  • 1768 - Norfolk Poll Book (J. Crouse)
  • 1802 - Norfolk Poll Book (Stevenson)
  • 1802 - Norfolk Poll Book (R. Bacon)
  • 1806 - Norfolk Poll Book
  • 1817 - Norfolk Poll Book
  • 1832 - Eastern Division - Register of Electors (Bacon and Kinnebrook)
  • 1835 - East Norfolk Poll Book
  • 1850 - Eastern Division - Register of Electors (James Lemmon)

1702

The following people voted for Sir Edward Ward of Bixley, 4th Bart. (who was defeated) in the Parliamentary election on 29th July. Votes for other candidate(s) have not survived.

folio 7
Israell Long, Dunston
folio 8
John Davy, Dunston

[Entries comprise Christian name(s) followed by Surnames for 1702 book.]

The other candidates were Sir John Holland, Bt. - Whig party (elected), Sir Jacob Astley, Bart - Tory party (elected) and Sir William Cook Bt. (defeated).

1714

The column headings indicate the candidates ie. H. (Sir Ralph Hare Bart. of Stow - Tory party), E. (Erasmus Earle, Esq; of Heydon - Tory party), A. (Sir Jacob Astley, Bart. of Melton [Constable] - Whig party - elected), G. (Thomas De Grey, Esq. of Merton - Whig party - elected).

The complete entry (on Page 67 of the 1714 Norfolk Poll book) for this parish comprises :-

Dunston Humbleyard
Hundred
ResidenceH.E.A.G.
Davy John     --  --
Long Matthew, Esq;     --  --
 Sum.     2   2


In the table above the columns are as follows:-

  • 1. Freeholders
  • 2. Place of Residence is given only when different from their place of freehold.

1734

The column headings indicate the candidates ie. B. (Sir Edmund Bacon, Bart -Tory party - elected), W. (William Wodehouse Esq. - Tory party - elected), C. (The Honourable Robert Coke - Whig party), M. (William Morden Esq. - Whig party).

The complete entry (on Page 52 of the 1734 Norfolk Poll book) for this parish comprises :-

Residences.Freeholds.B.W.C.M.
Dunstan Humb H. 
Emperor William, jun.Porland    --  --
Sheen EdwardHethersett  --  --  
Sheen JohnSaxlingham    --  --
    1   1   2  2


In the table above :-

  • Freehold is given only when different from their place of residence.
  • "Porland" is Poringland.

1768 - W. Chase publication

The column headings indicate the candidates ie. Wode (Sir Armine Wodehouse, Bart.) , de Gr (Thomas De Grey Esq. - elected) , Astl (Sir Edward Astley, Bart. - elected) , Coke (Wenman Coke Esq.).

The complete entry (on Page 19) for the only entry with "Dunston" in it comprises :-

Freeholders Names and
where the Freeholds lie.
Residence.Wo
de
de
Gr
As
tl
Co
ke
SAXLINGHAM NETHERGATE and
SAXLINGHAM-THORPE
 
Sheen GeorgeDunston  

There were no entries actually under Dunston in the 1768 Norfolk Poll Book [which was printed by W.Chase] only the above entry where George Sheen lived in Dunston. He is likely to be related to the John Sheen already seen in the 1734 Poll?

1768 - J. Crouse publication

This contains the same information as Chase with the addition of the person occupying the land.
Page 109 contains :-

Residence.Place of Freehold.Occupiers
Dunston 
Sheen GeorgeSaxlingham, Hens.Joseph Elmer

1802 - Stevenson & Matchett publication

The column headings indicate the candidates ie. A. (Sir Jacob Henry Astley, Bart. of Melton Constable - Whig party - elected), C. (Thomas William Coke, Esq. of Holkham - Whig party - elected), W. (The Hon. John Wodehouse, of Witton Park - Tory party).

The complete entry for Dunston in Humbleyard Hundred (on Page 129) comprises :-

ResidencePlace of FreeholdOccupiersA.C.W.
Carpenter Robt.PulhamHimself    --
Long Robt. K. clerkDunston  ditto    --
    0   0   2

1802 - R. Bacon publication

On page 110 the complete entry for Dunston in Humbleyard Hundred comprises :-

Name, Occupation, Place of FreeholdC.A.W.
Longe Robt. C. clerk, Dunston    --
    0   0   1

On page 26 the entry for Pulham St. Mary Magdalen and Pulham St. Mary the Virgin under Earsham Hundred contains amongst other entries :-

Name, Occupation, Place of FreeholdC.A.W.
Carpenter Robert, Farmer, Dunston    --

 

Note errors have been made in "Long(e)" and his initial "C./K." by either the people noting the names for the publishers or else the printers?

1806 - R.M.Bacon publication

The column headings indicate the candidates ie. Win. (The Right Hon. William Windham, Esq. of Felbrigg - Whig party - elected), Cok. (Thomas William Coke, Esq. of Holkham - Whig party - elected), Wod. (The Hon. John Wodehouse, of Witton Park - Tory party).

The complete entry of voters using freeholds in Dunston in Humbleyard Hundred comprises :-

Name, Occupation, Place of ResidenceWin.Cok.Wod.
Carpenter Robert, farmer, Pulham Market    --
Long Robert Churchman, clerk, Dunston    --
    0   0   2

1817

The column headings indicate the candidates ie. P. (Edward Roger Pratt, Esq, of Ryston - Whig party - defeated), W. (Edmond Wodehouse, of Sennowe - Tory party - elected).

The complete entry for this parish comprises :-

DunstonPlace of FreeholdOccupiersP.W.
Carpenter RobertPulham MarketHimself   --
Long Robt. C. clkDunston  ditto   --
    0   2

Note that the 1821 census lists 20 inhabited houses and 111 people in the village. The Revd. Mr. Long (clk = cleric) and Robert Carpenter (probably the one whose occupation was given as "yeoman" in a church register entry for 1813) whose trade was marked as Agriculture are there along with George Fish.

1832

This is from the first of a series of annually compiled registers of electors for each parliamentary boundary.

No.Christian Name and
Surname of each Voter.
Place of Abode.Nature of Qualification.Street, Lane, or any other Place in the Parish where the Property is situate, or Name of the Property, or Name of the Tenant
5550Carpenter Last DringDunston50 Acres of Land as OccupierAdjoining Merkshall
5551Fish JohnDunstonAnnuity issuing out of
Freehold Land
Dunston Hall estate
5552Long Revd. Robert
Churchman
DunstonFreeholdDunston Hall

1835

The column headings indicate the candidates ie. Wa (Lord Horatio William Walpole - Tory party - elected), Wo (Edmund Wodehouse - Tory party - elected), Wi (William Howe Windham - Liberal party), G (Richard Hanbury Gurney - Liberal party).

The complete entry for this parish comprises :-

[Surname][First names etc.][Freehold at]WaWoWiG
CarpenterLast DringDunston  --  --  
FishJohn  do.  --  --  
LongRobert Churchman, clk.  do.  --  --  
    3   3   0   0

Voters as a percentage of the population aged over 20 years was 7.1% after 1832. The population in the parish in 1841 was 107 people.

1850

This is from the series of annually compiled registers of electors for each parliamentary boundary.

No.Christian Name and
Surname of each Voter.
Place of Abode.Nature of Qualification.Street, Lane, or any other Place in the Parish where the Property is situate, or Name of the Property, or Name of the Tenant
2713Fish JohnDunstonFreehold annuity charged on landR. K. Long, esq., owner, near turnpike
2714Long Robert Kellett, Esqre.Dunston HallFreehold landDunston hall estate
2715Muskett JamesDunston£50 occupierNext Markshall

Notes

  • The person who was voted for has a horizontal bar "--" in the column under their Initial(s). In the examples above one or sometimes two seats in Parliament for were being contested for.
  • Last Dring CARPENTER was baptised on 26/May/1787, the son of Robert CARPENTER and Mary (previously DRING).
  • Whites directory for 1845 for Dunston lists
    • Robert Killett Long, Esq., at the Hall
      [Note that the 1841/51 census gives his middle name as "Kellett"]
    • Robert Carpenter, a farmer
    • Mr. John Fish

Books

For more details on any of the following see the Norfolk section in the main voting pages.

1702 Poll List
[Norfolk Record Society Vol VIII, 1936]
1714/5 Poll List
[Norwich: Henry Cross-grove, 1715] (Voters names, Freeholds, Residences)
1734/5 Poll List
[Norwich?: 1734] (Voters names, Freeholds, Residences)
1768 Poll List
[Norwich: W. Chase, 1768] (Voters names, Freeholds, Residences)
[Norwich: J. Crouse, 1768] (Voters names, Freeholds, Residences and Occupiers)
1802 Poll List
[Norwich: Bacon, 1802] (Voters names, Occupations, Freeholds and Residences)
[Norwich: Stevenson & Matchett, 1802] (Voters names [some with trades], Freeholds, Residences and Occupiers)
1806 Poll List
[Norwich: R.M.Bacon, 1806]
1817 Poll List
[Norwich: Stevenson, Matchett & Stevenson, 1817]
1832 Register of Electors for Eastern Division - Norfolk
[Norwich: Bacon and Kinnebrook, 1832]
1835 Poll List
[Norwich: Norfolk & Norwich Genealogical Society,Vol.24 1992]

See also the main Voting page

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Copyright © Mike Bristow.
July 2012