Reform Act 1832

The British Reform Act of 1832 (2 & 3 Will. 4, c.45; also referred to as as the Great Reform Act) introduced the first changes to electoral franchise legislation in almost one hundred and fifty years. It met strong opposition from the Tories, who had defeated earlier bills, and it required pressure on William IV and the resignation of Earl Grey's Whig government to pass. During the third reading in the Commons, the motion was carried with a government majority of one vote.

Related Topics:
British - 1832 - Tories - William IV - Earl Grey - Whig - Third reading

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Historically, certain English boroughs were entitled to send MPs to parliament, while the remaining bits of each county (all except these boroughs) voted as a whole. Although certain individual boroughs had been added or removed over the years, the Reform Act's most important consequence was the first ever wholesale review and revision of the list of enfranchised boroughs. Many new-grown towns gained the right to elect their own MPs and many famous rotten boroughs lost it.

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The Act also addressed the question of who would have the right to vote in parliamentary elections, extending the franchise considerably. Propertied male adults paying an annual rent of £10 or more (£2 in the rural counties) could vote. The vote was also extended to those with copyhold tenure of £10 or more and leaseholders or tenants-at-will paying £50 in rent. These changes increased the electorate from 435,000 to 652,000 (1 in 7 males) and gave greater political influence to urban centres in the north while leaving the rural areas under aristocratic control. The Act also abolished 56 rotten boroughs and removed one MP from boroughs with fewer than 4,000 inhabitants.

Related Topics:
Copyhold tenure - Leasehold - Rotten borough - MP

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However, the influence of the gentry was still strong in the Parliamentary composition and there was still great disparity between the population of constituencies. Despite the hopes of Lord John Russell that further reform would never be necessary, popular pressure led to greater changes.

Related Topics:
Gentry - Lord John Russell

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