PANEL 89    The First Reform Act

In the brief reign of William IV, this long overdue piece of legislation redistributed parliamentary seats to reflect the great changes wrought by the Industrial Revolution. Separate acts were passed for Scotland, Ireland, and England and Wales but the effects were similar. Rotten boroughs such as Grampound in Cornwall or Dunwich in Suffolk elected two MPs even though only a handful of men had the vote in each village. Steered through parliament by Earl Grey (also famous for tea), the acts ensured new constituencies were created for burgeoning cities such as Manchester and Glasgow. Counties could elect two members, known as Knights of the Shires, and universities retained representation in the House of Commons. Until 1918, Edinburgh and St Andrews, in a unique cooperation, elected a joint MP, as did Glasgow and Aberdeen. In 1832, the electorate was all male and consisted only of a tiny proportion of the population at around 500,000. Voters were property owners whose land or houses was reckoned to be worth a certain sum and those who owned two or more houses in different constituencies were allowed to vote more than once. The Reform Act increased the franchise to 813,000. In Scotland, the rise was much more dramatic. Before the Act, only 4,239 could vote and this increased to more than 65,000. Aberdeen, Dundee and Perth were awarded MPs for the first time.

 

Panel stitched by:

Pentland Stitchers

Tish Alderson

Anne Chater

Lois-May Donaldson

Aileen Gardiner

Diana Gordon Smith

Viv Henderson

Anthea Johnston

Jeannie Laidlaw

Caroline Pearson

Mary Warrack

Stitched in:

Edinburgh, Milnathort, Eskbank, Dalkeith