Wakefield Museums and Castles

This book lists all the electors in the Pontefract constituency for the General Election in 1868. It also records who they voted for.

This was published by law for all parliamentary elections from the early 1700s until 1872. It was to stop the returning officers who ran the elections from making up the results.  

It also meant that anyone threatening or bribing electors, could see how they had voted. So elections were not always free and fair. 

Until the late 1800s most constituencies had two MPs, and the voters got two votes. Normally people voted for two candidates from the same party or faction.

However, they didn’t have to. They could choose to vote for just one candidate. Voters who did this were called ‘plumpers’.

Alternatively, they could vote for one candidate from each of the parties. These people were called ‘splitters’. 

This poll book was printed by Richard Holmes of the Pontefract Advertiser. Holmes was also a historian of Pontefract and Pontefract Castle.