EDMUND DENISON. ESQUIRE. SIR CULLING EARDLEY , BARONET.
On December 14th & 15th 1848 voters went to the polls to elect a new MP for the West Riding of Yorkshire. This election
was in consequence of the removal to the House of Lords of Lord Morpeth on the demise of his father the Earl of Carlisle. There were only two candidates Sir Cullingly Eardley Bart for
the liberals and Mr Beckett Denison for the conservatives.
Listed below is the Mirfield segment of the official poll book for that election recording the details of those having
the right to vote. The list by today's standards is very short; Mirfield only having 149 registered voters. In fact, the total number of voters in the West Riding of Yorkshire that year
only amounted to some 28,000.
Members of the community legible to vote were relatively few. The Reform Act of 1837 had gone someway to increase the numbers, but those with the
right to vote in the mid 19th century were all male and generally members of the aristocracy, upper or the higher echelons of the middle classes. The lower classes were effectively
barred by the requirement that they must own or hold a minimum 60 year lease on land to a minimum value of £10 or be paying a rent at £50 per annum (£10 would equate nearer to £1,000 in
2011).
At that time the ballot was a public affair and your vote cast was known to all, even among those eligible to vote. There is no doubt there was a lot of pressure to be seen
to vote for the "right" candidate, if only to maintain your perceived position amongst your peers.
The 1848 election results were-
Mr Denison. Conservative
14,743 Votes Sir Culling Eardley. Liberal 11,795
Giving Denison a majority of 2,948
The Mirfield section of the poll book contains many still familiar local names and
their residences at that time. A number of these are not residing in Mirfield, at that time their wasn't any requirement to reside where you cast your vote. The requirement was purely to
own land there. Equally, persons missing from the book may have owned property in other towns in the West Riding and could well have chosen to cast their vote there rather than in
Mirfield.
HUDDERSFIELD POLLING DISTRICT
MIRFIELD
VOTE CAST 1- Mr Edmund Denison 2- Sir Culling Eardley
Name
Address
Vote Cast
Notes
Armitage Thomas
Roe head
1
Armitage William
Castle hall
1
Asquith James
Paper hall
1
Asquith Samuel
do.
1
Atkinson Henry Miles
Leeds
Atkinson Thomas
Greenhouse
1
Barrowclough Benj.
Northop house
2
Blackburn John
Hopton
Booth John
Knowl
2
Bradbury Uriah
Ings grove
1
Brewer George
Lower row
1
Brook Richard
Huddersfield
1
Chadwick Elijah
Lee green
1
Child Joseph
Flockton
Clarkson Edward
Lane
2
Clarkson Thomas
Dewsbury
2
Clarkson William
do.
2
Cocksedge Michael
Huddersfield
1
Crossley Joseph
Easthorp lane
2
Crowther John
Easthorp lodge
2
Dyson John, jun.
Hagg, Hopton
2
Dyson John, sen.
do.
2
Dyson Joseph
do.
2
Dyson Willam
Almondbury
1
Ellis David
Knowl nook
Ellis George
Hand bank, Hopton
2
Ellis James
Greenside
1
Ellis Thomas
Wellhouse
Ewart John
Huddersfield
Farrar John
Moor top
2
Fawcett Job
Back lane
2
Firth Thomas
Rastrick
1
Firth Valentine
Northop
2
Foster Samuel
Flockton
2
France Isaac
Back lane
1
Garside Joshua
Westfield house
Gill Richard
Royd nook
Gill Samuel
London
Gledhill John
Stocks bank
Gledhill Richard
Bull bridge
Goldthorp Joseph
Lower row
2
Haigh James
Jackroyd lane
2
Hardy George
Upper row
Harling Henry
Hopton
1
Harrison Wm. Fred.
London
Healey James
Sunny bank
1
Healey John
Knowl
Healey Jonathan
Royd nook
1
Heaton Francis
Shillbank house
2
Hebblethwaite G.
East Thorp lane
2
Hebblethwaite John
Brick house
1
Hebblethwaite John
Hopton
Hebblethwaite Sidney
Hopton
1
Hepworth Eli
Dunbottle
Holds worth Charles
Moor top
1
Holroyd Joseph
Dalton
2
Howorth John
Greenside
1
Hudswell Richard
Brier knowl
1
Hurst Jph. Stancliffe
Fir cottage
1
Hurst Richard
Eastthorpe villa
2
Ingham James Taylor
London
1
Ingham Joshua
Blake hall
1
Jackson Abraham
Hull
1
Jackson Joseph
Runcorn
Jackson Joseph
do.
1
Jackson W., jun.
Sowerby bridge
1
Jackson W., sen.
Cinder hill house
1
Lancaster Thomas
Dark lane
2
Langley James
Dew yard
2
Lawton William
Dewsbury
2
Leadbeater J.
Nun Brook house
2
Leadbeater Thomas
Moor cottage
1
Ledgard Francis
Canal lodge
Ledgard James
Crossley lane
Lee Joseph
Shillbank house
Lee Joseph
Lee green
1
Lee Joseph
Liversedge
1
Lee William
Ashton-under-lyne
Lindley John
Knowl
Lister John
Battye ford
2
Lister Joshua
Mirfield moor
1
Lister William
Madge croft
1
Lockwood John
Paddock house
1
Maud Ralph
Mirfield Vicar
1
Micklethwaite James
Wakefield
1
Milner Henry
Knowl nook
1
Moody Joseph
Hopton lane
Morton Joseph
Green side
1
Muffitt Joseph
Knowl
Nevin Rev. Thomas
Spring head
1
Oates William
Battye ford
Oates William
Wellhouse
2
Parker John
Mapplewell cottage
1
Parkinson Charles
Lee green
Peace Abraham
Hopton
2
Pearson Benjamin
Dunbotle
Pilling Joseph
Low mills
2
Pratt Joshua
London park
1
Rhodes Jph. Armitage
Black bull
1
Rushforth Benjamin
Fold head
1
Scholefield W. Brook
Cheltenham
Sheard Abraham
Crossley lane
1
Sheard David
Mirfield lane
Sheard Gabriel
Greenside
1
Sheard John
Towngate
1
Sheard John
Greenside
2
Sheard Joseph
Bracken hill
Sheard Joshua
Common
2
Sheard Sidney
Crossley hill
1
Sheard Thomas
Upper row
Smith Benjamin
Battye ford
Smithson Ralph
Batty ford
1
Smithson William
Nab
Stancliffe John
Overhall
2
Stancliffe William
Hopton
Swift James
Stocks bank
1
Sykes Michael
Top of moor
1
Sykes Richard
Low mills
Thornton Wm.
Mapplewell cottage
1
Turner Charles
Hopton
1
Tyas John
Knowl lane
Walker Benjamin
Little moor
1
Walker Charles
Whitley
1
Walker John
Battye ford
Walker Samuel
Low little moor
2
Walker Thomas
Whitley lower
Watson John
Knowl
2
Webster Abraham
Snake hill
Webster Abraham
Littlemoor
2
Webster Peter
Stocks bank
2
Wheatley Charles
Sands house
1
Wheatley Edward Balme
Hopton
1
Wheatley Joseph
do.
Wheatley Thomas
Cote walls
1
Wildsmith Joseph
Ashott cottage
Wilson Benjamin
Bank house
2
Wilson Robert
London
Wilson Thomas
Huddersfield
1
Winn Thomas
Battye ford
2
Wood George
Snake hill
2
Wooler Charles
Ledgard mills
Wraith William
Hopton lane
1
The complete West Riding Poll Book for 1848 can be viewed HERE.
You can also view the West Riding Poll Book for 1841 HERE.
If you are interested in the people or locations above you might find further items of interest in the Mirfield Leeds
Mercury Archive by using the search box below-
