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Local Elections

During the eighteenth century electoral control of towns was an expensive but achievable aim for the rich. The right to vote did not belong to everybody, so electorates were relatively small. Voters were usually owners or occupiers of houses of a certain value, or people admitted as freemen of the town by the Corporation. The voters could be bribed or ‘treated’ with free drink and food, and were keenly aware how much they stood to gain from selling their vote in this way. Alternatively, houses could be bought up and the occupants either imported specially or made aware that a failure to vote the right way could result in the loss of their home

However, Hannah Barker and David Vincent argue that during the later eighteenth century the increasing popularity of ‘ideologies of independence and reform’ challenged the dominance of the local aristocratic influence in Staffordshire towns. Independent candidates stood to challenge the interest of the borough patrons and local landowners. Elections became contests between candidates to rally the support of the electorate, with treating becoming a competitive means of purchasing the electorate’s loyalty. Contested elections, campaigns for wider voting rights and the increasing costs of treating voters make the local elections of the later seventeenth century a fascinating aspect of Staffordshire's history.

Click here to see documents relating to local elections in the eighteenth century
Click here to see a list of further reading on the English political system, Staffordshire elections and politics