Apr
1761
Liverpool
Contested
GENERAL ELECTION
In the general election of Apr 1761, 2170 people voted. There were 3 candidates, with Ellis Cunliffe & William Meredith elected.
Poll book data from:
Citation: An entire and impartial collection of all the papers… to which is added a correct alphabetical list of the poll… (Liverpool: John Sadler, 1761)
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).
Timeline & Key Statistics
Contexts & Remarks
- In 1761 Sir Ellis Cunliffe stood jointly with Charles Pole in the interest of the corporation and Administration. Against the corporation stood the 'Tory' Sir William Meredith (who was later a Rockingham Whig). Cunliffe topped the poll, followed closely by Meredith, who took the second seat.
- While election literature produced by Cunliffe and Pole's committee lamented the contested election (which went against 'Good-neighbourhood, Industry, and Success'), pro-Meredith literature emphasised freedom and liberty, and encouraged supporters to plump for their candidate. On 31 March, a handbill in support of Cunliffe and Pole urged their supporters not to be discouraged if Meredith took the lead during the first two or three days of polling, as he 'intends to flash off his Plumpers...'. (See An Entire and Impartial Collection of all the Papers, &c. Published on Both Sides, concerning the Late Election at Liverpool [Liverpool: John Sadler, 1761]).
- A copy of the poll book held at Liverpool Archives has the name 'James Sudell' inscribed on the title page, who duly appears on p. 52 as plumping for Meredith.
People & Places
Poll Book
Below is a digitised version of the poll book for this election:
