Besides the great change thus effected in equalizing the distribution of members in the counties (as each county before returned two knights, except Yorkshire, which returned four), the qualifications of the voters were also modified, so as to extend the elective franchise to every male person in actual occupation of a freehold for life, or of lands, or tenements of copy-hold (see the article Tenure, in the body of the work), of the clear yearly value of not less than ten pounds above all rents and charges. The following tables will show the changes which have been made in the representation of cities and boroughs. From an examination of these tables, it will appear that fifty-six rotten boroughs have been wholly disfranchised; thirty boroughs have been deprived of one member; and one borough (Melcombe Regis and Weymouth) of two members; twenty-two boroughs have been created in England, which return two members each; nineteen boroughs returning one member each. Besides taking away the right of election from a stone wall in one place, from a green mound in another, and a ruined house in a third, and vesting it in large, or, at least, in tolerably numerous constituencies in new boroughs, the act has introduced something like uniformity in the qualifications of the voters of the old boroughs and cities, and extended the elective franchise from close corporations, or privileged bodies, to the citizens at large. It gives the right of voting in the elections to every male person of full age, not subject to any legal incapacity, who occupies, in the city or borough, as owner or tenant, any house, ware-house, counting-house, shop, or other building, of the clear yearly value of not less than ten pounds, provided such person shall have paid the poor rates and assessed taxes. Boroughs disfranchised by the Reform Act. All these boroughs (Higham Ferrers excepted, which returned but one member) formerly sent two members each to parliament. Boroughs. Boroughs which formerly returned two Members to Parliament, but are hereafter to send Popu- Number of only one. Popu lation. Voters. Boroughs. lation. Number of Old Cities and Boroughs which still return Members. With regard to the number of members returned by the following boroughs, no change has been made by the reform bill, except that the united borough of Weymouth and Melcombe Regis, which for Boroughs. Abingdon (1), merly returned four members, now returns only two. The city of London sends four members, and all the others two each, except Abingdon, Banbury, Bewdley and Monmouth, which return only one each. Aylesbury, 4,907 600 to 1000 Durham, 10,125 about 1200 Banbury (1), 3,976 600 to 630 28,201 1580 to 1600 11,933 about 2200 10,780 860 to 900 3,813 230 to 2402 4.297 32 10,097 nearly 200 10,280 1200 to 1250 about 400 Hertford, 5,247 about 720 250 Leicester, 39,306 about 5000 Cambridge, U.,. about 1200 Leominster, Canterbury, Lewes, 5,249 about 900 8,592 about 600 6,499 about 700 11,892 about 1500 189,244 up. of 3000 125,573 up. of 12,000 5,253 about 500 3,361 65 to 70 15,387 850 to 900 3,830 about 1000 4,173 about 400 3,426 London City (4), 13,370 about 300 21 Boroughs in Wales which return one Member each. To most of these boroughs other places are united, which share in the election of the members. The population of the principal boroughs only is given, with the number of voters in the district. Two of these boroughs, Merthyr Tydvil and Swansea, have been added by the reform act. Summary of Reformed House of Commons. 26 counties, 4 each; 7, 3 each; 6, 2 each; Yorkshire, 6; Isle 133 cities and boroughs, 2 each, England, 53 boroughs, 1 each, Universities of Oxford and Cambridge, 2 each,. City of London, .14 28 18 boroughs and districts of boroughs, 1 each, 6 cities, 2 each; 27 boroughs, 1 each, Representation of Scotland. From the time of the legislative union of Scotland with England, in 1706, till 1832, the former has returned forty-five members to the British house of commons, 30 for the thirty-three counties, and fifteen for fifteen districts of boroughs, which comprised sixty-six towns or burghs. But the right of voting for members has heretofore been extremely limited. The number of freeholders, or voters, in 1825, was 3066, as stated in the following statistical table. The number in 1811 was only 2429. In 1796, the number of real voters in the Scottish counties was estimated at 1390. In two counties, there were only three real voters in each, and in seven not more than ten. The nominal and fictitious voters were said to amount to 1202. The number of persons who actually voted at the elections of the boroughs was very inconsiderable, consisting, in general, of the magistrates and town council, amount ing to only twenty in each burgh, or, in all the sixty-six burghs, to 1320. By the late reform act, five members are added to the representation of Scotland; and the representation is now distributed as follows: To the thirty-three counties, twenty-eight members; to Edinburgh and Glasgow, two each; to Aberdeen, Dundee, Greenock, Leith and Paisley, one each; and to thirteen districts of boroughs, one each; total, fifty. The right of voting is also placed on the same footing as in England. |