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'An Election's A Fair'... stories of bribery, corruprion and intrigue in Wiltshire's electoral past

Posted by: Blog Administrator on Apr 27, 2010

Tagged in: Yorkshire Farmerscould my ancestors vote , Wyndham , Wootton Bassett , women’s suffrage , Wolves and Moon , Wiltshire’s parliamentary elections , Wiltshire Studies Library , Wiltshire , William Pole-Tynley-Long-Wellesley , William Pitt the Elder , William Herbert , White Hart , Warminster , voters , vote , village , Victoria County History , Veteran , Veritas , Trowbridge , three horse race , Sir Manasseh Lopes , Secret ballots , school history lessons , satirical , Salisbury , Rusticus , rotten boroughs , Robert Cecil , riots , resources , residents , representatives , Reform Act , pseudonyms , poll books , politics , political history , political fame , poem , pocket borough , Penruddock , Paul Methuen , parliamentary representation , original document , Old Sarum , Old Moonraker , Notorious Quorom , north - south divide , nominees , New Moonraker , Mr Poppham , MPs , Mild Inquirer , male suffrage , Lunatic , Ludgershall , Lord Bruce , Long , letters , Landsdowne family , Knights of the Shire , Kaleidoscopiana Wiltoniensia , Jonathan Swift Junior , intrigue , History Centre , Hindon , Heytesbury , Henry Herbert , Great Bedwyn , gentry , First World War , events , eligible to vote , electorate , election squibs , election material , eighteenth and nineteenth century , Earls of Abingdon , Earl of Mornington , Duke of Wellington , Downton , Dorset Farmers , Cricklade , county , Corsham , corruption , Cornwall , contested elections , Constant Reader , Candidus , candidate , burgesses , Bribery , Bradford on Avon , Bertie family , Benett of Pythouse , A’Court family , aristocracy , Antiquorum , antics , Ambrose Goddard , 3rd Earl of Pembroke of Wilton , 1st Earl of Salisbury , 1832 , 1768

Bribery, corruption, intrigue, rotten boroughs and riots …oh dear, that will be Wiltshire’s parliamentary elections in eighteenth and nineteenth century! Present events always give us an opportunity to take the long-view and here at the History Centre we have a range of resources on the political history of the county and borough, from excellent accounts published in the Victoria County History for Wiltshire to election squibs, poll books and original documents.


'The Antiquities of Malmesbury', described as 'A parliamentary election, as lampooed in 1792' in VCH Wiltshire Vol. 14, opposite p.221 (our Ref: P41146).
'The Antiquities of Malmesbury', described as 'A parliamentary election, as lampooned in 1792' in VCH Wiltshire Vol. 14, opposite p.221 (our Ref: P41146).

Wiltshire’s early claim to political fame was the impressive size of its parliamentary representation. Until 1832 it elected two Knights of the Shire (representing the whole county), two MPs for Salisbury, and two burgesses for each of its 15 boroughs, a grand total of 34 seats. Only Cornwall had higher. This was especially impressive given that many of the boroughs were the size of a village, and few of their residents could vote.  The most notable, of course, was Old Sarum, which retuned two MPs and in 1768, it is claimed, had an electorate of, er…one, though usually could count on seven. Other small boroughs included Great Bedwyn, Cricklade, Downton, Heytesbury, Hindon, Ludgershall and Wootton Bassett. Yet other towns like Bradford on Avon, Corsham, Trowbridge, and Warminster could not send representatives to parliament. To find out about the great political contest of 1818 and Marlborough making the national news in 1832, please 'read more'...



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