Norfolk - Voting Registers
Examples from Dunston
The following entries are from various Norfolk Poll Book's for the parish
of Dunston in Humbleyard Hundred to illustrate how many people in a
parish actually voted. The books normally list all those that were eligible,
blanks recorded against names indicate that they did not vote.
It should be remembered than up until 1831 the number of people eligible
to vote as a percentage of the population aged over 20 years was only 5.0%
- 1702 - Norfolk Poll Book
- 1714 - Norfolk Poll Book
- 1734 - Norfolk Poll Book
- 1768 - No entry for Dunston in Norfolk Poll Book
- 1802 - Norfolk Poll Book
- 1817 - Norfolk Poll Book
- 1835 - East Norfolk Poll Book
The following people voted for Sir Edward Ward of Bixley, 4th Bart
in the Parliamentary election on 29th July. Votes for other
candidate(s) have not survived.
folio 7
Israell Long, Dunston
folio 8
John Davy, Dunston
[Entries comprise Christian name(s) followed by Surnames for 1702 book.]
The column headings indicate the candidates ie. H. (Hare of Stow),
E. (Earle of Heydon), A (Astley of Melton [Constable]),
G (Grey of Merton).
The complete entry (on Page 67) for this parish comprises :-
Dunston Humbleyard
Hundred |
Residence |
H. |
E. |
A. |
G. |
| Davy John | | | | -- | -- |
| Long Matthew, Esq; | | | | -- | -- |
| Sum. | | | 2 | 2 |
In the table above the columns are as follows:-
- 1. Freeholders
- 2. Place of Residence is given only when different from their
place of freehold.
The column headings indicate the candidates.
The complete entry (on Page 52) for this parish comprises :-
| Residences. |
Freeholds. |
B. |
W. |
C. |
M. |
| Dunstan Humb H. |
| Emperor William, jun. | Porland | | | -- | -- |
| Sheen Edward | Hethersett | -- | -- | | |
| Sheen John | Saxlingham | | | -- | -- |
| | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 |
In the table above :-
- Freehold is given only when different from their place of residence.
The column headings indicate the candidates ie. A (Sir Jacob Henry Astley,
Bart of Melton Constable), C (Thomas William Coke, Esq of Holkham),
W (The Hon. John Wodehouse, of Witton Park ).
The complete entry for this parish comprises :-
| Dunston |
Place of Freehold |
Occupiers |
A. |
C. |
W. |
| Carpenter Robt. | Pulham | Himself | | | -- |
| Long Robt. K. clerk | Dunston | ditto | | | -- |
| | | 0 | 0 | 2 |
The column headings indicate the candidates ie. P. (Edward Roger Pratt, Esq,
of Ryston), W. (Edmond Wodehouse, of Sennowe).
The complete entry for this parish comprises :-
| Dunston |
Place of Freehold |
Occupiers |
P. |
W. |
| Carpenter Robert | Pulham Market | Himself | | -- |
| Long Robt. C. clk | Dunston | ditto | | -- |
| | | 0 | 2 |
Note that the 1821 census
lists 20 inhabited houses and 111 people in the village. The Revd. Mr. Long
(clk = cleric) and Robert Carpenter (probably the one whose occupation
was given as "yeoman" in a church register entry for 1813) whose trade was
marked as Agriculture are there along with George Fish.
The column headings indicate the candidates ie. Wa(lpole), Wo(dehouse),
Wi(ndham), G(urney).
The complete entry for this parish comprises :-
| [Surname] |
[First names etc.] |
[Freehold at] |
Wa |
Wo |
Wi |
G |
| Carpenter | Last Dring | Dunston | -- | -- | | |
| Fish | John | do. | -- | -- | | |
| Long | Robert Churchman, clk. | do. | -- | -- | | |
| | | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
Voters as a percentage of the population aged over 20 years was 7.1%
after 1832. The population in the parish in 1841 was 107 people.
Notes
- The person who was voted for has a horizontal bar "--" in the column
under their Initial(s). In the examples above one or sometimes two
seats in Parliament for were being contested for.
- Last Dring CARPENTER was baptised on 26/May/1787, the son
of Robert CARPENTER and Mary (previously DRING).
- Whites directory for 1845 for
Dunston lists
- Robert Killett Long, Esq., at the Hall
[Note that the 1841/51 census gives his middle name as "Kellett"]
- Robert Carpenter, a farmer
- Mr. John Fish
Books
For more details on any of the following see the Norfolk section
in the main voting pages.
- 1702 Poll List
- [Norfolk Record Society Vol VIII, 1936]
- 1714 Poll List
- [Norwich: Henry Cross-grove, 1715]
- 1768 Poll List
- [Norwich: J. Crouse, 1768]
[Norwich: W. Chase, 1768]
[Exeter: S.Raymond,1997,ISBN 1-899668-04-7]
[Cinderford: archivecdbooks,CD #0344]
- 1802 Poll List
- [Norwich: Bacon, 1802]
[Norwich: Stevenson & Matchett, 1802]
- 1817 Poll List
- [Norwich: Stevenson, Matchett & Stevenson, 1817]
[Exeter: S.Raymond,1997,ISBN 1-899668-02-0]
- 1835 Poll List
- [Norwich: Norfolk & Norwich Genealogical Society,Vol.24 1992]
See also the main Voting page
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© Mike Bristow
May 2002
