The Borough Franchise after 1867

Abstract

Abstract This article investigates the practical effects of the extension of the parliamentary franchise in 1867, examining the extent of enfranchisement in different types of borough and the reasons for the differences observed. An uneven pattern emerges, with registration law more open-ended in its application than has previously been claimed, but with the practical obstacles to enfranchisement reinforced by the inadequacy of the registration machinery. The capricious process which resulted ensured that the limited pre-1918 franchise nonetheless displayed an unexpectedly wide social variation. Generalizations based upon the assumption that a limited electorate was also one which had been in some conscious way socially selected are therefore dangerous.