Election 1831

The following is a list of freeholders of Hanslope who voted in the election which took place in May 1831. For background to the election see below.

The last three columns indicate the candidate(s) for whom each elector voted.  Chandos was the Marquess of Chandos, heir to the Duke of Buckingham, and a Tory.  John Smith was a brother of the 1st Baron Carrington, and also a Tory.  Pascoe Grenfell was a member of a powerful tin an copper merchanting family, and a Whig.  There were two seats available, and each voter could either vote for one candidate, or for two.  This was not a secret ballot.

The following is taken from the cover page of the record of the election results.

The following summary is taken from the above record of the election.

The election of 1831 was fought on the issue of parliamentary reform. In 1830, the Whig party had finally achieved office after a generation spent largely in opposition.  Their proposals for reform, although given a second reading on 22 March 1831, were attacked during the committee stage when destructive amendments were passed.  The government persuaded the king to dissolve parliament and call an election.

Although the 1831 election was fought on the old distribution of seats, it produced a clear-cut majority in favour of reform.  By September 1831, the Reform Bill completed all stages in the House of Commons.  On 8 October, it was rejected by the House of Lords.

In December 1831 a third Reform Bill was introduced, modified in some slight respects. King William IV was brought to accept in January 1832 that it it might be necessary to create new peers.  Faced with this threat enough Tory peers yielded to allow the Reform Bill to pass.  On 7 June 1832 the Great Reform Act received the royal assent.

The main elements of the reforms were a diminution in the number of pocket and rotten boroughs (each with only a handful of electors), and an extended representation of the growing towns.  The reform widened the eligibility to vote, but nevertheless restricted the vote to the wealthier male members of the population.  Eligibility was based on ownership, renting or occupation of property over specified values.

The candidates in Buckinghamshire

The Marquess of Chandos (photograph from Wikipedia)	Later succeeded his father as 2nd Duke of Buckingham.  Stood as a Tory. Some years later, after succeeding to the Buckingham title, he served under Sir Robert Peel as Lord Privy Seal. In 1847 he was declared a bankrupt, triggering the sale of Stowe House.
John Smith, Esquire (more information: Wikipedia)	Had been a Tory Member of Parliament since 1802 for various seats (Wendover, Nottingham, Midhurst, and Chichester). He was the son of a Nottingham banker who also became a member of Parliament.  His brother became 1st Baron Carrington.
Pascoe Grenfell, Esquire (photograph from Grenfell family site)	Born in Cornwall in 1761, he joined his father's tin and copper merchanting business in London.  He went on to a career in business, serving as Governor of the Royal Exchange Assurance Company, and working closely with Thomas William of Great Marlow, managing the development off industries in Anglesey and Cornwall.  He succeeded Thomas Williams as member of parliament for Great Marlow from 1802 to 1820, and for Penryn to 1826. He did not gain a seat at this election.  He died in 1838. One of his daughters married George Glyn, a banker and an important backer of the development of railways, who later became 1st Baron Wolverton.