Mar
1820
Bedfordshire
Contested
GENERAL ELECTION
Poll book data from:
Citation: A copy of the poll… (Bedford: C. B. Merry, 1820)
Source: John Sims (ed.), A Handlist of British Parliamentary Poll Books (Leicester, 1984); Jeremy Gibson and Colin Rogers (eds.), Poll Books, 1696–1872: A Directory of Holdings in Great Britain (4th edn., Bury, 2008); L. W. L. Edwards (ed.), Catalogue of Directories and Poll Books in the Possession of the Society of Genealogists (4th edn., 1984).
Timeline & Key Statistics
Contexts & Remarks
Dates: Wednesday 15 Mar.-Monday 19 Mar. 1820.
Poll book reference: A copy of the poll... (Bedford: C. B. Merry, 1820).
Candidates: Francis Russell, marquis of Tavistock (Whig); Francis Pym (Whig); and Sir John Osborn (Tory).
Francis Russell, Lord Tavistock, was the son and heir of the 6th duke of Bedford. He had been elected Knight of the Shire in 1812.
Francis Pym had previously served as Knight of the Shire from 1806 to 1818. In 1818, he did not stand for re-election, allowing Tory candidate, John Osborn, to gain a foothold in the county. He ran as an independent Whig.
Tavistock and Pym were elected as Knights of the Shire.
Cultural Artefacts
Poll Book
Below is a digitised version of the poll book for this election:
