Wales, Monmouthshire (Gwent), Electoral Registers 1839-1889

What is in This Collection?

This collection consists of ledgers containing the names of men eligible to vote in Parliamentary and/or county elections. Not all persons were eligible to vote for members of Parliament. In the history of suffrage in the United Kingdom the the year 1832 marked the beginning of a sea change when the Prime Minister, Lord Charles Grey (1764-1845) introduced the Reform Act 1832 (An Act to amend the representation of the people in England and Wales) which changed the electoral system of England and Wales by changing the number of representatives, the boundaries of electoral divisions, and extending franchise to additional men based on their real property ownership or tenancy. As a result of this Act the number of eligible electors grew from just over 400,000 to 650,000 (Phillips, John A., and Charles Wetherell. "The Great Reform Act of 1832 and the Political Modernization of England." The American Historical Review 100, no. 2 (1995): 411-36). A separate, nearly simultaneous act, (Representation of the People (Scotland) Act 1832), changed Scotland's election laws.

Additional records and/or images may be added to this collection in the future.

What Can These Records Tell Me?

The following information may be found in these records:

• Person's Name
• Residence

Collection Content

This Historical Records collection does not include volumes 1-9, 1832-1839. These volumes can be accessed through the FamilySearch Catalog record, Great Britain. Court of Quarter Sessions of the Peace (Monmouthshire), Electors, 1832-1889.

Sample Images

• 

  List of electors, Westlodge Hundred, 1832

• 

  List of electors, Abergavenny Division, 1836

• 

  List of electors, Georgetown Division, Bedwellty Parish, 1889