VOTING REGISTERS AND ELIGIBITY IN MANCHESTER

THIS subject can be a bit of a mine field and here I attempting to give a guide to the situation in the Manchester township, and later the City, from 1832 until 2001. For a look at the situation throughout the country I suggest that you look at Mark Herber's publication. Obviously the lay out of the registers will be the same for other parts of the country.

The voting lists had different names at various times. They were known as Burgess Rolls from 1832 until 1852. When the City of Manchester was created they were know as Citizens' Rolls and after the First World War, Electoral Registers. The voting lists for national elections have been compiled each year with the exception of 1916-17 and 1940-44. Due to legislation and an on-going court case the Electoral Registers after 2001 are not kept at Manchester Central Library. They can, however, be viewed at the Town Hall.

For the period 1832-1839 these register were listed by township, Ardwick, Beswick, Cheetham, Chorlton on Medlock, Hulme and Manchester. The lists of names are in alphabetical order. In 1839 the ward system was introduced. The names of the voters for local elections in each ward were listed alphabetically. This continued till 1878.

In 1879 the Citizens' Rolls were still listed using the ward or polling district system, but now they were listed by street in alphabetical and numerical order. Thus to find a voter you had to know his address and which ward he lived in. There are a series of indexes in the Microfilm Unit which help you discover which street is in which ward. There is a very helpful leaflet supplied by Manchester Archives and Local Studies (MALS) which comprehensively explains this and the fact that there were separate lists for voting in local and national elections and for voting in local elections only.

From after the First World War the voters' lists were known as Electoral Registers. For a brief period from 1918 to 1923 Absent Voters Lists were compiled giving details of servicemen.

The franchise for voting in Parliamentary elections was extended in 1832, 1867, 1884, 1918 and 1928. In 1832 only male householders and tenants who had property worth more than £10 were eligible to vote. From 1867 all owners of dwelling houses and most occupiers who paid rent of 10 per year were given the vote. This applied only to the boroughs and cities like Manchester. It was not extended to the counties until 1884. Of course not everybody bothered to register to vote, and it is thought that even at late as 1911, 40% failed to do so.

It was not until 1918 that women 30 years and over were entitled to vote in Parliamentary Elections. At the same time the franchise was extended to all men aged 21 or over. In 1928 the franchise was further extended to equalize the voting rights of men and women. In 1971 anyone 18 years or older was eligible to vote, with the obvious exception of most foreign nationals. With expansion of the old Common Market, non UK citizens who are a citizen of an EC country, may be able to vote in elections for the European Parliament.

There were slightly different rules for voting in local elections prior to 1918. From as early as 1869 women who had the necessary property qualifications and who paid rents were eligible to vote in local elections. The 1870 Education Act allowed for women to be voted onto School Boards and in Manchester Lydia Becker served on the board from 1870 until 1890.

From 1879 until 1916 there were different registers for different groups of voters. The form of words changed slightly through years but it essence it remained the same. The following is taken from the 1916 entries, by which time there were five registers.

List of persons entitled to vote as Parliamentary electors for the Gorton Division of the county of Lancaster, and the persons entitled to be citizens of the City of Manchester in respect of the occupation of property situate within the Township of South Manchester which is outside the Parliamentary borough of Manchester otherwise than as lodgings.

Division 1

Persons entitled to be registered in respect of the occupation of aforesaid, as Parliamentary Electors and as Citizens.

Division 2

Persons entitled to be registered, in the respect of the occupation aforesaid, as Parliamentary Electors but not as Citizens.

Division 3

Persons entitled to be enrolled, in respect of the occupation aforesaid as Citizens, but not as Parliamentary Electors.

Parochial Electors (Occupiers)

List of persons entitled to be enrolled as parochial electors, but not entitled to be enrolled as Citizens or registered as Parliamentary Electors in respect of the occupation of property within this Township.

Old Lodger's List

List of the persons who, being on the register of electors now in force for the Gorton Division of the county of Lancaster in respect of residence in lodgings within the above Township, claim in respect of residence of the same lodgings, to have their names inserted in the list of electors for the said division.

After the franchise was enlarged in 1918, the two registers were combined. The registers had two columns, one for local election and one for Parliamentary elections. In these columns letters were printed to explain the voting qualifications. The key was as follows:

O =Occupier Qualification

R = Residential Qualification

HO = Qualification through Husband's Occupation

BP = Business Premises Qualification

NM = Naval or Military Voter

Also:

§= Not entitled to vote in respect of that entry at city Council Elections

a = Absent voter

X = Not entitled to vote in Parliamentary Elections in respect of that entry.

In 1931 the following appeared in the Electoral Registers.

Form of Register

The register contains the names in street order of all persons entitled to vote as Parliamentary electors and local government electors. The index letter in column 2 (a) headed "Parliamentary" or 2 (b) headed " Local Govt" of the register show the nature of the qualification of an elector as follows:-

Men

R = Residence qualification

B = Business premises qualification

O = Occupation qualification

D = qualification through wife's occupation

Women

Rw = Residence qualification

Bw = Business premises qualification

Ow = Occupation qualification

Dw = Qualification through husband's occupation

NM = Naval or Military voter

a = absent voter

J = Juror

SJ = Special Juror

In the Electoral Registers just after the War, there are sporadic examples of people living at the same address with the same name. At the side of names is a group of figures and letters e.g.

Welsh Maria NKOT/173/2

Welsh Maria YNJA/4824/5

These are war time identity numbers, which were used as National Insurance numbers for a short period after the ending of hostilities. They were used to differentiate between father and son, or in other cases, mother and daughter, living in the same household.

MANCHESTER POLLING DISTRICTS 1872

New Cross Ward

Great Ancoats St - the River Medlock to Bradford bridge, by the boundary of the township of Newton - Shooters Brook to Oldham Rd, near the Black Horse Tavern - Oldham Rd to Great Ancoats St.

St Michael's Ward

Oldham Rd to the boundary of the townships of Newton and Harpurhey - to the River Irk - to Scotland Bridge - Long Millgate - Miller St - Swan St to Oldham Rd.

Collegiate Church Ward

Picccadilly from Lever St - High St, Withy Grove, Hanging Ditch, Cateaton St to the River Irwell - New Brigde St by the boundary of the township of Cheetham - across Cheetham St and Bank St to the River Irk - to Scotland Bridge - Long Millgate - Miller St, Swan St - Lever St to Piccadilly.

St Clement's Ward

Gt Ancoats St - River Medlock - London Rd - Piccadilly - Lever St.

Exchange Ward

Bridge St - the River Irwell - Cateaton St - Hanging Ditch, Withy Grove - Shudehill - Nicholas Croft - High St - Market St - St Mary's Gate - Deansgate to Bridge St.

Oxford Ward

Piccadilly - London Rd - the River Medlock to Albion St - Lower Mosley St - South side of St Peter's Sq - Mosley St - Bond St - Portland St, Piccadilly.

St James's Ward

Deansgate - Brazennose St - Princess St - Cooper St - Fountain St - Market St - Piccadilly - Portland St - Bond St - Mosley St - Lower Mosley St - Albion St - River Medlock to Deansgate.

St John's Ward

Bridge St - the River Irwell - the River Medlock - Deansgate

St Ann's Ward

Market St - Fountain St - Cooper St - Princess St - Brazennose St - Deansgate - Saint Mary's Gate to Market St.

All Saint's Ward

The River Medlock, at the boundary of the township of Hulme - along the boundary to the township of Moss Side - the boundary of Chorlton upon Medlock to Oxford St - Rusholme Rd - York St to the River Medlock.

St Luke's Ward

The River Medlock - Downing St - Stockport Rd to the boundary of the township - Oxford St Rusholme rd - York St to the River Medlock.

St George's Ward

The River Irwell from Cornbrook - the River Medlock to Knot Mill - Gt Jackson St - Upper Jackson St - Preston St - Lever St to the boundary of the township - along the boundary by Cornbrook to the River Irwell.

Medlock St Ward

The River Medlock from Knot Mill to and along the boundary of the township - Lever St - Preston St - Upper Jackson St - Gt Jackson St to Knot Mill.

Ardwick Ward

The townships of Ardwick and Beswick.

Cheetham Ward

The township of Cheetham.

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Last update: 10th August 2008