Terms of the 1832 Reform Act (original) (raw)

The Reform Bill [of 1832] was not calculated materially to improve the general composition of the Legislature. The good it has done, which is considerable, chiefly in this, that, by being so great a change, it has weakened the superstitious feeling against great changes. — John Stuart Mill, “Coleridge”

Disenfranchisement Clauses

• 56 nomination or rotten boroughs returning 111 MPs lost their representation
• 30 boroughs with less than 4,000 inhabitants lost one MP each
• Weymouth and Melcombe Regis gave up two of their four MPs

The First Reformed Parliament. 1843.

Enfranchisement

• 65 seats were awarded to the counties
• 44 seats were distributed to 22 larger towns including Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds, Sheffield and the new London metropolitan districts
• 21 smaller towns were given one MP each
• Scotland was awarded 8 extra seats
• Ireland was given 5 extra seats

Franchise Qualification

The borough franchise was regularised. The right of voting was vested in all householders paying a yearly rental of £10 and, subject to one year residence qualification £10 lodgers (if they were sharing a house and the landlord was not in occupation).

In the counties, the franchise was granted to:

• 40 shilling freeholders
• £10 copyholders
• £50 tenants
• £10 long lease holders
• £50 medium lease holders
• Borough freeholders could vote in the counties if their freehold was between 40 shillings and £10, or if it was over £10 and occupied by a tenant.

Related Materials

• Reform Acts: An Introduction
• The Reform Act Crisis
• How Did the Tories Recover after the 1832 Reform Act?
• The Bristol 1832 Reform Bill Riots

Last modified April 1997

Epigraph added 15 July 2019