Nov
1774
Bristol
Contested
GENERAL ELECTION
Poll book data from:
Citation: The Bristol poll book… (n.p., [1774])
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
Transcription completed for the Bristol Historical Resource CD-ROM, created in 2000 by the UWE Regional History Centre, and kindly shared by Steve Poole and Peter Wardley.
Dates: Friday 7 Oct.-Thursday 3 Nov. 1774.
Poll book reference: The Bristol poll book... (Bristol: W. Pine, [1774]).
The poll book is prefaced by a 7-page 'Narrative of the Proceedings Respecting the Election of two Representatives, for the City of BRISTOL', and ends with copies of the petitions submitted to the House of Commons by Matthew Brickdale and his supporters.
Candidates: Henry Cruger (Tory); Edmund Burke (Whig); Matthew Brickdale (Tory); and Robert Nugent (Whig).
Henry Cruger, born in New York, came from a family of American merchants. Through marriage, he was also connected to Samuel Peach, a wealthy linen merchant and leading radical in Bristol.
Robert Nugent, Viscount Clare, had been MP for Bristol since 1754. However, he had alienated his constituents, especially over his aggressive stance regarding the unrest in America on the brink of revolution. Many of his constituents had commercial and mercantile interests in British North America.
Edmund Burke was recommended as an alternative Whig candidate. He had served as MP for Wendover from 1765 as well as private secretary to Lord Rockingham the First Lord of the Treasury.
Matthew Brickdale, a clothier and undertaker, had been MP for Bristol from 1768. His father had been a leader of the Steadfast Society, which organised Tory interests in the city.
Burke's speeches convinced Cruger's supporters to giver their second votes to him. The campaign is famous for Burke's Speech to the Electors of Bristol at the Conclusion of the Poll which famously set out the principle that MPs should not be merely delegates of those who had elected them but should act in Parliament for the good of the nation as they saw it.
Cruger and Burke were elected as Members of Parliament. Matthew Brickdale petitioned, but the result was upheld. Burke's campaign cost about £10,000, including expenses for Brickdale's petition.
Poll Book
Below is a digitised version of the poll book for this election:
