English Constitutional Documents

263. Reform Act of 1832

(1832, June 7. 2 William IV, c. 45.)

HEREAS it is expedient to take effectual measures for correcting divers abuses that have long prevailed in the choice of members to serve in the commons house of parliament, to deprive many inconsiderable places of the right of returning members, to grant such privilege to large, populous, and wealthy towns, to increase the number of knights of the shire, to extend the elective franchise to many of His Majesty's subjects who have not heretofore enjoyed the same, and to diminish the expense of elections: Be it therefore enacted by the king's most excellent Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the lords spiritual and temporal, and commons, in this present parliament assembled, and by the authority of the same, that each of the boroughs enumerated in the Schedule marked A (56 in all) shall from and after the end of this present parliament cease to return any member or members to serve in parliament.

II. [Boroughs enumerated in Schedule B (30 in all) to return one member only.]

III. [Places named in Schedule C (22 in all) made boroughs. to return two members to parliament.]

IV. [Places named in Schedule D (20 in all) made boroughs to return one member to parliament.]

V. [Four boroughs to include adjacent districts.]

VI. [Weymouth and Melcombe Regis to return two members instead of four; Penryn to include Falmouth, and Sandwich to include Deal and Walmer.]

VII. Boundaries to be fixed.]

VIII, IX, X. [Dealing with Wales.]

XI. [Returning officers.]

XII. [Yorkshire to return six members.]

XIII. [Lincolnshire to return four members.]

XIV. [Counties enumerated in Schedule F (25 in all) to return

four members.]

2

XV. [Counties enumerated in Schedule F2 (7 in all) to return three members, and two members instead of one to be returned by three of the counties in Wales.]

XVI. [Isle of Wight to return one member, apart from Hampshire.]

XVII. [Towns, which are counties of themselves, to be included in adjoining counties.]

XVIII. That no person shall be entitled to vote in the election of a knight or knights of the shire to serve in any future parliament, or in the election of a member or members to serve in any future parliament for any city or town being a county of itself, in respect of any freehold lands or tenements whereof such person may be seised for his own life, or for the life of another, or for any lives whatsoever, except such person shall be in the actual and bona fide occupation of such lands or tenements, or except the same shall have come to such person by marriage, marriage settlement, devise, or promotion to any benefice or to any office, or except the same shall be of the clear yearly value of not less than 10 above all rents and charges payable out of or in respect of the same; any statute or usage to the contrary notwithstanding: provided always, that nothing in this act contained shall prevent any person now seised for his own life, or for the life of another, or for any lives whatsoever, of any freehold lands or tenements in respect of which he now has, or but for the passing of this act might acquire, the right of voting in such respective elections, from retaining or acquiring, so long as he shall be so seised of the same lands or tenements, such right of voting in respect thereof, if duly registered according to the respective provisions hereinafter contained.

XIX. That every male person of full age, and not subject to any legal incapacity, who shall be seised at law or in equity of any land or tenements of copyhold or any other tenure whatever except freehold, for his own life, or for the life of another, or for any lives whatsoever, or for any larger estate, of the clear. yearly value of not less than 10 over and above all rents and charges payable out of or in respect of the same, shall be entitled to vote in the election of a knight or knights of the shire to serve in any future parliament for the county, or for the riding, parts, or division of the county, in which such lands or tenements shall be respectively situate.

That every male person of full age, and not subject any legal incapacity, who shall be entitled, either as lessee or assignee, to any lands or tenements, whether of freehold or any other tenure whatever, for the unexpired residue, whatever it may be, of any term originally created for a period of not less than sixty years, (whether determinable on a life or lives, or not,) of the clear yearly value of not less than 10 over and above all rents and charges payable out of or in respect of the

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English Constitutional Documents

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same, or for the unexpired residue, whatever it may be, of term originally created for a period of not less than twenty years, (whether determinable on a life or lives, or not,) of the clear yearly value of not less than 50 over and above all rents and charges payable out of or in respect of the same, or who shall occupy as tenant any lands or tenements for which he shall be bona fide liable to a yearly rent of not less than 50 £, shall be entitled to vote in the election of a knight or knights of the shire to serve in any future parliament for the county, or for the riding, parts, or division of the county, in which such lands or tenements shall be respectively situate: provided always, that no person, being only a sub-lessee, or the assignee of any under-lease, shall have a right to vote in such election in respect of any such term of sixty years or twenty years as aforesaid, unless he shall be in the actual occupation of the premises.

XXI. That no public or parliamentary tax, nor any church rate, county rate, or parochial rate, shall be deemed to be any charge payable out of or in respect of any lands or tenements within the meaning of this act.

XXII. That in order to entitle any person to vote in any election of a knight of the shire or other member to serve in any future parliament, in respect of any messuages, lands, or tenements, whether freehold or otherwise, it shall not be necessary that the same shall be assessed to the land tax; any statute to the contrary notwithstanding.

XXVI. That notwithstanding anything hereinbefore contained no person shall be entitled to vote in the election of a knight or knights of the shire to serve in any future parliament unless he shall have been duly registered according to the provisions hereinafter contained; and that no person shall be so registered in any year in respect of his estate or interest in any lands or tenements, as a freeholder, copyholder, customary tenant, or tenant in ancient demesne, unless he shall have been in the actual possession thereof, or in the receipt of the rents and profits thereof for his own use, for six calendar months at least next previous to the last day of July in such year, which said period of six calendar months shall be sufficient, any statute to the contrary notwithstanding; and that no person shall be so registered in any year, in respect of any lands or tenements held by him as such lessee or assignee, or as such occupier and tenant as aforesaid, unless he shall have been in the actual possession thereof, or in

receipt of the rents and profits thereof for his own use, as the case may require, for twelve calendar months next previous to the last day of July in such year: provided always, that where any lands or tenements, which would otherwise entitle the owner, holder, or occupier thereof to vote in any such election, shall come to any person, at any time within such respective periods of six or twelve calendar months, by descent, succession, marriage, marriage settlement, devise, or promotion to any benefice in a church, or by promotion to any office, such person shall be entitled in respect thereof to have his name inserted as a voter in the election of a knight or knights of the shire in the lists then next to be made, by virtue of this act as hereinafter mentioned, and, upon his being duly registered according to the provisions hereinafter contained, to vote in such election.

XXVII. That in every city or borough which shall return a member or members to serve in any future parliament, every male person of full age, and not subject to any legal incapacity, who shall occupy, within such city or borough, or within any place sharing in the election for such city or borough, as owner or tenant, any house, warehouse, counting-house, shop, or other building, being, either separately, or jointly with any land within. such city, borough, or place occupied therewith by him as owner, or therewith by him as tenant under the same landlord, of the clear yearly value of not less than 10 shall, if duly registered according to the provisions hereinafter contained, be entitled to vote in the election of a member or members to serve in any future parliament for such city or borough: provided always, that no such person shall be so registered in any year unless he shall have occupied such premises as aforesaid for twelve calendar months next previous to the last day of July in such year, nor unless such person, where such premises are situated in any parish or township in which there shall be a rate for the relief of the poor, shall have been rated in respect of such premises to all rates for the relief of the poor in such parish or township, made during the time of such his occupation so required as aforesaid, nor unless such person shall have paid, on or before the 20th of July in such year, all the poor's rates and assessed taxes which shall have become payable from him in respect of such premises previously to the 6th of April then next preceding: provided also, that no such person shall be so registered in any year unless he shall have resided for six calendar months next previous to the last day of July in such year within the city or borough, or within the place sharing in the election for the city or borough, in re

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spect of which city, borough, or place respectively he shall be entitled to vote, or within seven statute miles thereof or of any part thereof.

XXVIII. That the premises in respect of the occupation of which any person shall be entitled to be registered in any year, and to vote in the election for any city or borough as aforesaid, shall not be required to be the same premises, but may be different premises occupied in immediate succession by such person during the twelve calendar months next previous to the last day of July in such year, such person having paid on or before the 20th of July in such year, all the poor's rates and assessed taxes which shall previously to the 6th of April then next preceding have become payable from him in respect of all such premises so occupied by him in succession.

XXXVI. That no person shall be entitled to be registered in any year as a voter in the election of a member or members to serve in any future parliament for any city or borough who shall within twelve calendar months next previous to the last day of July in such year have received parochial relief or other alms, which by the law of parliament now disqualify from voting in the election of members to serve in parliament.

XXXVII. That the overseers of the poor of every parish and township shall, on the 20th day of June in the present and in every succeeding year, cause to be fixed on or near the doors of all the churches and chapels within such parish or township, or if there be no church or chapel therein, then to be fixed in some public and conspicuous situation within the same respectively, a notice according to the form numbered 1. in the schedule (H.) to this act annexed, requiring all persons who may be entitled to vote in the election of a knight or knights of the shire ** in respect of any property situate wholly or in part in such parish or township, to deliver or transmit to the said overseers on or before the 20th of July in the present and in every succeeding year a notice of their claim as such voters, according to the form numbered 2. in the said schedule (H.), or to the like effect: provided always, that after the formation of the register to be made in each year, as hereinafter mentioned, no person whose name shall be upon such register for the time being shall be required thereafter to make any such claim as aforesaid, so long as he shall retain the same qualification, and continue in the same place of abode described by such register.