Yorkshire 1741 and York 1868 Poll Books

Extract from the 1741 Poll Book for Yorkshire.

Available on two CDs but reviewed here together are two poll books for the Yorkshire area - one for the county and one for the city of York, 127 years apart. The first CD contains the names of freeholders who voted in 1741 and the second CD has the names of the voters in an 1868 poll.

The 1741 Yorkshire poll was for a representative in Parliament, and it was held in a room of the Right Honourable Henry, Lord Viscount Morpeth, on 13 January 1741; the candidates were George Fox and Cholmley Turner. The compilers of these lists attribute any errors to the various ways of pronunciation of the same man's name in different parts of the county, and freeholders' names are generally limited to surname and one forename.

The second CD is the 1868 Poll Book for the City of York and talks of a general election on 17 November 1868. The candidates were James Lowther os Bawtry Hall and Wilton Castle, York (Conservative); Joshua Proctor Brown-Westhead of Lea Castle, Worcs; and John Hall Gladstone of Pembridge Square, London (the latter two were Liberals). We also get the names of the candidates' proposers and seconders.

Most useful, however, are the names and addresses of the voters and who they voted for. We're told the total number of votes cast for each candidate; votes per district; voting totals every half-hour; and the number of 'plumpers' (those who voted for one candidate only, at a time when most people voted for two).

Both CDs have digitally enhanced images of the original text in PDF files, searchable by whole name or part name. Bookmarks are arranged alphabetically by town for 1741 and by voters' surnames for 1868. Both files are printable.

Buy it for Useful listings of voting notables in York and its surroundings.

• PUBLISHER: S&N Genealogy Supplies

[w] www.genealogysupplies.com
[ t ] 01722 716121

• PRICE: £13.45 & £17.45

Yorkshire 1741 Poll Book - available from GenealogySupplies.com

York 1868 Poll Book - available from GenealogySupplies.com