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Bressingham : Poll Book Entries

(as at 6 November 2024)

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• Poll Books go back further than electoral registers and, in general, list who voted at elections and who they voted for. The earliest ones start from around 1700 and they remained until 1872; thios was when the secret ballot was introduced. All poll books record the name of the voter. Some also record other information such as occupation and address. The order of names also vary; sometimes ordered by address, sometimes by name, sometimes by the order in which their vote was cast. As these are a record of votes cast, they do not include those eligible to vote who chose not to cast their vote.
• The name and residence of each voter is given, then their Qualification to vote, (F Freehold, L Leasehold, C Copyhold or O Occupier) and who they voted for, with a column for each candidate.
• Further information:
  • Electoral Registers
  • ECPPEC - Newcastle University
  • Institute of Historical Research