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Mirfield 1848 Poll Book

WEST RIDING ELECTION

THE POLL

FOR

A KNIGHT OF THE SHIRE

FOR THE

WEST RIDING OF YORKSHIRE

ON THURSDAY AND FRIDAY, DEC. 14th AND 15th 1848.

EDMUND DENISON. ESQUIRE.
SIR CULLING EARDLEY , BARONET.
Crest

On December 14th & 15th 1848 voters went to the polls to elect a new MP for the West Riding of Yorkshire. This election was in consequence of the removal to the House of Lords of Lord Morpeth on the demise of his father the Earl of Carlisle.
There were only two candidates Sir Cullingly Eardley Bart for the liberals and Mr Beckett Denison for the conservatives.

Listed below is the Mirfield segment of the official poll book for that election recording the details of those having the right to vote. The list by today's standards is very short; Mirfield only having 149 registered voters. In fact, the total number of voters in the West Riding of Yorkshire that year only amounted to some 28,000.

Members of the community legible to vote were relatively few. The Reform Act of 1837 had gone someway to increase the numbers, but those with the right to vote in the mid 19th century were all male and generally members of the aristocracy, upper or the higher echelons of the middle classes.
The lower classes were effectively barred by the requirement that they must own or hold a minimum 60 year lease on land to a minimum value of £10 or be paying a rent at £50 per annum (£10 would equate nearer to £1,000 in 2011).

At that time the ballot was a public affair and your vote cast was known to all, even among those eligible to vote. There is no doubt there was a lot of pressure to be seen to vote for the "right" candidate,  if only to maintain your perceived position amongst your peers.

The 1848 election results were-

Mr Denison. Conservative 14,743 Votes
Sir Culling Eardley. Liberal 11,795

Giving Denison a majority of 2,948

The Mirfield section of the poll book contains many still familiar local names and their residences at that time. A number of these are not residing in Mirfield, at that time their wasn't any requirement to reside where you cast your vote. The requirement was purely to own land there. Equally, persons missing from the book may have owned property in other towns in the West Riding and could well have chosen to cast their vote there rather than in Mirfield. 

HUDDERSFIELD POLLING DISTRICT

MIRFIELD

VOTE CAST
1- Mr Edmund Denison
2- Sir Culling Eardley

Name

Address

Vote Cast

Notes

Armitage Thomas

Roe head

1

 

Armitage William

Castle hall

1

 

Asquith James

Paper hall

1

 

Asquith Samuel

do.

1

 

Atkinson Henry Miles

Leeds

 

 

Atkinson Thomas

Greenhouse

1

 

Barrowclough Benj.

Northop house

2

 

Blackburn John

Hopton

 

 

Booth John

Knowl

2

 

Bradbury Uriah

Ings grove

1

 

Brewer George

Lower row

1

 

Brook Richard

Huddersfield

1

 

Chadwick Elijah

Lee green

1

 

Child Joseph

Flockton

 

 

Clarkson Edward

Lane

2

 

Clarkson Thomas

Dewsbury

2

 

Clarkson William

do.

2

 

Cocksedge Michael

Huddersfield

1

 

Crossley Joseph

Easthorp lane

2

 

Crowther John

Easthorp lodge

2

 

Dyson John, jun.

Hagg, Hopton

2

 

Dyson John, sen.

do.

2

 

Dyson Joseph

do.

2

 

Dyson Willam

Almondbury

1

 

Ellis David

Knowl nook

 

 

Ellis George

Hand bank, Hopton

2

 

Ellis James

Greenside

1

 

Ellis Thomas

Wellhouse

 

 

Ewart John

Huddersfield

 

 

Farrar John

Moor top

2

 

Fawcett Job

Back lane

2

 

Firth Thomas

Rastrick

1

 

Firth Valentine

Northop

2

 

Foster Samuel

Flockton

2

 

France Isaac

Back lane

1

 

Garside Joshua

Westfield house

 

 

Gill Richard

Royd nook

 

 

Gill Samuel

London

 

 

Gledhill John

Stocks bank

 

 

Gledhill Richard

Bull bridge

 

 

Goldthorp Joseph

Lower row

2

 

Haigh James

Jackroyd lane

2

 

Hardy George

Upper row

 

 

Harling Henry

Hopton

1

 

Harrison Wm. Fred.

London

 

 

Healey James

Sunny bank

1

 

Healey John

Knowl

 

 

Healey Jonathan

Royd nook

1

 

Heaton Francis

Shillbank house

2

 

Hebblethwaite G.

East Thorp lane

2

 

Hebblethwaite John

Brick house

1

 

Hebblethwaite John

Hopton

 

 

Hebblethwaite Sidney

Hopton

1

 

Hepworth Eli

Dunbottle

 

 

Holds worth Charles

Moor top

1

 

Holroyd Joseph

Dalton

2

 

Howorth John

Greenside

1

 

Hudswell Richard

Brier knowl

1

 

Hurst Jph. Stancliffe

Fir cottage

1

 

Hurst Richard

Eastthorpe villa

2

 

Ingham James Taylor

London

1

 

Ingham Joshua

Blake hall

1

 

Jackson Abraham

Hull

1

 

Jackson Joseph

Runcorn

 

 

Jackson Joseph

do.

1

 

Jackson W., jun.

Sowerby bridge

1

 

Jackson W., sen.

Cinder hill house

1

 

Lancaster Thomas

Dark lane

2

 

Langley James

Dew yard

2

 

Lawton William

Dewsbury

2

 

Leadbeater J.

Nun Brook house

2

 

Leadbeater Thomas

Moor cottage

1

 

Ledgard Francis

Canal lodge

 

 

Ledgard James

Crossley lane

 

 

Lee Joseph

Shillbank house

 

 

Lee Joseph

Lee green

1

 

Lee Joseph

Liversedge

1

 

Lee William

Ashton-under-lyne

 

 

Lindley John

Knowl

 

 

Lister John

Battye ford

2

 

Lister Joshua

Mirfield moor

1

 

Lister William

Madge croft

1

 

Lockwood John

Paddock house

1

 

Maud Ralph

Mirfield Vicar

1

 

Micklethwaite James

Wakefield

1

 

Milner Henry

Knowl nook

1

 

Moody Joseph

Hopton lane

 

 

Morton Joseph

Green side

1

 

Muffitt Joseph

Knowl

 

 

Nevin Rev. Thomas

Spring head

1

 

Oates William

Battye ford

 

 

Oates William

Wellhouse

2

 

Parker John

Mapplewell cottage

1

 

Parkinson Charles

Lee green

 

 

Peace Abraham

Hopton

2

 

Pearson Benjamin

Dunbotle

 

 

Pilling Joseph

Low mills

2

 

Pratt Joshua

London park

1

 

Rhodes Jph. Armitage

Black bull

1

 

Rushforth Benjamin

Fold head

1

 

Scholefield W. Brook

Cheltenham

 

 

Sheard Abraham

Crossley lane

1

 

Sheard David

Mirfield lane

 

 

Sheard Gabriel

Greenside

1

 

Sheard John

Towngate

1

 

Sheard John

Greenside

2

 

Sheard Joseph

Bracken hill

 

 

Sheard Joshua

Common

2

 

Sheard Sidney

Crossley hill

1

 

Sheard Thomas

Upper row

 

 

Smith Benjamin

Battye ford

 

 

Smithson Ralph

Batty ford

1

 

Smithson William

Nab

 

 

Stancliffe John

Overhall

2

 

Stancliffe William

Hopton

 

 

Swift James

Stocks bank

1

 

Sykes Michael

Top of moor

1

 

Sykes Richard

Low mills

 

 

Thornton Wm.

Mapplewell cottage

1

 

Turner Charles

Hopton

1

 

Tyas John

Knowl lane

 

 

Walker Benjamin

Little moor

1

 

Walker Charles

Whitley

1

 

Walker John

Battye ford

 

 

Walker Samuel

Low little moor

2

 

Walker Thomas

Whitley lower

 

 

Watson John

Knowl

2

 

Webster Abraham

Snake hill

 

 

Webster Abraham

Littlemoor

2

 

Webster Peter

Stocks bank

2

 

Wheatley Charles

Sands house

1

 

Wheatley Edward Balme

Hopton

1

 

Wheatley Joseph

do.

 

 

Wheatley Thomas

Cote walls

1

 

Wildsmith Joseph

Ashott cottage

 

 

Wilson Benjamin

Bank house

2

 

Wilson Robert

London

 

 

Wilson Thomas

Huddersfield

1

 

Winn Thomas

Battye ford

2

 

Wood George

Snake hill

2

 

Wooler Charles

Ledgard mills

 

 

Wraith William

Hopton lane

1

 

 

 

 

 

The complete West Riding Poll Book for 1848 can be viewed HERE.

You can also view the West Riding Poll Book for 1841 HERE.

 

If you are interested in the people or locations above you might find further items of interest in the Mirfield Leeds Mercury Archive by using the search box below-