On Thursday July 4th, the U.K will go to the polls to vote in the General Election. Eligible voters will select from a list of candidates who they would like to represent them as their member of parliament - MP for their area (constituency.)
To vote you must
In the past very few people had the right to vote. 200 years ago, all women and most men without property were illegible, meaning only approximately 2.7% of the population had the right to vote!
In the 1708, after the Acts of Union which united the parliaments of England and Scotland, the General Election took place between April 30th and July 7th - as different constituencies (areas) voted at different times back then, rather than on one day.
Today there are 650 constituencies with each appointing one MP. 200 years ago seats in the House of Commons were not split so equally!
The Industrial Revolution had brought great change, towns boomed with a huge increase in population and yet, big towns like Birmingham and Manchester did not have an MP, so the people had no representation. Yet Cornwall which had a similar population to Manchester had 42 seats in the House of Commons!
Some places were called 'rotten boroughs' because they had such a small electorate (people allowed to vote) and yet they had an unrepresentative influence.
Old Sarum in Wiltshire was an uninhabited hill but still elected two MPs.
Demand for reform grew, with riots taking place in Bristol, Birmingham and Nottingham.
A new memorial plaque in Manchester now acknowledges
The Peterloo Massacre Monument in Manchester
City Centre includes the names of those killed
The Prime Minister's railway carriage (red and gold) on
Opening Day of the Liverpool & Manchester Railway
The Great Reform Act of 1832 saw the number of MPs increased and now middle class men (who owned or lived in property worth £10 rental a year were now allowed to vote.
Further reform acts in 1867 gave the vote to working men, those in urban areas first, then rural areas, but women were still rejected.
From the mid 1890s onwards groups of women joined together to campaign for the vote - they became known as suffragists. There were regional groups, especially in urban centres like Manchester.
Suffragists campaigned using peaceful methods such as lobbying parliament.
Suffragettes were women who were determined to win the vote by any means. They believed in 'deeds not words.' They were led by Emmeline Pankhurst, who was born in Moss Side, Manchester.
It wasn't until after WWI, in 1918, that the Representation of the People Act saw the vote given to all men aged over 21 and women aged over 30 with property - and not until 1928 for all women to be given the vote.
In 1969 the voting age was lowered from 21 to 18.
Author Susan Brownrigg at the Reform Pillar, Parbold
- be registered to vote
- be 18 or over on the day of the election (‘polling day’)
- be a British, Irish or qualifying Commonwealth citizen
- be resident at an address in the UK or living abroad and registered as an overseas voter
- not be legally excluded from voting
You can vote in person, or register to vote by post.
In the 1708, after the Acts of Union which united the parliaments of England and Scotland, the General Election took place between April 30th and July 7th - as different constituencies (areas) voted at different times back then, rather than on one day.
Today there are 650 constituencies with each appointing one MP. 200 years ago seats in the House of Commons were not split so equally!
The Industrial Revolution had brought great change, towns boomed with a huge increase in population and yet, big towns like Birmingham and Manchester did not have an MP, so the people had no representation. Yet Cornwall which had a similar population to Manchester had 42 seats in the House of Commons!
Some places were called 'rotten boroughs' because they had such a small electorate (people allowed to vote) and yet they had an unrepresentative influence.
Old Sarum in Wiltshire was an uninhabited hill but still elected two MPs.
Demand for reform grew, with riots taking place in Bristol, Birmingham and Nottingham.
In Lancashire, life was extremely hard for working people, wages were low, living conditions were poor and food was very expensive, so people were hungry all the time. They decided to gather for a peaceful protest in the centre of Manchester, on open land called St Peter's Field, on the morning of 16th August 1819.
Over 60,000 men, women and children, many dressed in their Sunday best, took part, carrying banners pro-democracy and anti-poverty banners bearing the words reform, equal representation and universal suffrage. Many of the banners' poles were topped with a red cap of liberty, as seen in the image below.
The Peterloo Massacre at St Peter's Field, Manchester
They were also looking forward to hearing a speech from Henry Hunt, who was nicknamed the Orator and was a advocate of universal suffrage and annual parliaments.
Worried about so many people gathering, hundreds of soldiers and special constables were summoned, in case there was trouble.
Local magistrates on seeing so many people assembling panicked read the Riot Act, which meant the people had to disperse. They also sent in the local Yeomanry (a volunteer cavalry made up of local shop owners and mill owners) to arrest Henry Hunt.
As the men rode towards Henry Hunt, the protestors linked arms. The Yeomanry, on horseback, and armed with sabres and clubs, struck out at the banners and the people.
In the violent chaos, an estimated 18 people including four women and a child died from trampling or sabre cuts. Nearly 700 were seriously injured. Some died several days after being hurt.
A new memorial plaque in Manchester now acknowledges
the lives lost and the many who were injured
Photo Susan Brownrigg
An inquiry cleared the Hussars and the Magistrates of any wrong-doing.
The event became known as The Peterloo Massacre - and is now believed to have heavily influenced the change to ordinary people getting the vote.
The Peterloo Massacre Monument in Manchester
City Centre includes the names of those killed
Photo by Susan Brownrigg
While researching my next book, Wrong Tracks, a mystery inspired by the early railways and the Rainhill Trials, I discovered that on the opening of the Liverpool & Manchester Railway in 1830, that protestors gathered again in Manchester.
The Prime Minister's railway carriage (red and gold) on
Opening Day of the Liverpool & Manchester Railway
The guest of honour for the opening was the Prime Minister, Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington. His carriage was very elaborate in red and gold, topped off with a coronet.
The Duke of Wellington was resolutely opposed to voting reform and he was warned that protestors were waiting for his arrival.
A tragic accident, at Parkside which resulted in the death of another passenger, Liverpool's MP, William Huskisson, meant the Duke of Wellington wanted to turn back, but he was persuaded to continue on.
On his late arrival, the protestors waved banners marked No Corn Laws and Vote by Ballot and two tricolore flags. The Duke of Wellington was booed and hissed at, and his carriage was pelted with vegetables.
Just a few weeks after opening day, Wellesley told Parliament, "the constitution needed no improvement and that he would resist any measure of parliamentary reform as long as he was in office." Fearful of serious social unrest, his party rebelled. The Prime Minister lost a vote of confidence and a week later he was replaced as Prime Minister by Earl Grey.
Earl Grey set about reforming Britain's electoral system, resulting in the Great Reform Act of 1832.
Further reform acts in 1867 gave the vote to working men, those in urban areas first, then rural areas, but women were still rejected.
From the mid 1890s onwards groups of women joined together to campaign for the vote - they became known as suffragists. There were regional groups, especially in urban centres like Manchester.
Suffragists campaigned using peaceful methods such as lobbying parliament.
Suffragettes were women who were determined to win the vote by any means. They believed in 'deeds not words.' They were led by Emmeline Pankhurst, who was born in Moss Side, Manchester.
The Rise Up, Women statue in St Peter's Square, Manchester,
depicts Emmeline Pankhurst, leader of the Suffragist movement
Photo Susan Brownrigg
It wasn't until after WWI, in 1918, that the Representation of the People Act saw the vote given to all men aged over 21 and women aged over 30 with property - and not until 1928 for all women to be given the vote.
In 1969 the voting age was lowered from 21 to 18.
Author Susan Brownrigg at the Reform Pillar, Parbold
Photo Susan Brownrigg
The monument, known locally as The Parbold Bottle was erected by two local quarry owners to celebrate King William IV asking the Prime Minister, Earl Grey, to introduce a reform bill.
The Duke of Wellington was opposed to the railways for the rest of his life as they "encourage the lower classes to travel about."
Susan Brownrigg is a working class Lancashire lass. She is the author of the 1930s Blackpool Gracie Fairshaw mystery series and Kintana and the Captain's Curse, a treasure hunt adventure set in Madagascar during the golden age of piracy.
Wrong Tracks will be published in 2025.
Find out more at susanbrownrigg.com
