Scottish Reform Act 1832

United Kingdom law reforming the electoral system in Scotland

United Kingdom legislation

Representation of the People (Scotland) Act 1832Act of Parliament

United Kingdom

Long title| An act to amend the Representation of the People in Scotland.
Citation| 2 & 3 Will. 4. c. 65
Introduced by| John Russell, 1st Earl Russell[1] (Commons)
Other legislation
Repealed by| Statute Law (Repeals) Act 1981

Status: Repealed

The Scottish Reform Act 1832 was an Act of Parliament that introduced wide-ranging changes to the election laws of Scotland. The act was passed at approximately the same time as the Reform Act 1832, which applied to England and Wales. The chief architects of the Act were Francis Jeffrey and Henry Cockburn.[2] It was subsequently given the official short title of the Representation of the People (Scotland) Act 1832.[3] Prior to the Act, Scotland's electorate was only 0.2% of the population compared to 4% in England. The Scottish electorate overnight soared from 5,000 to 65,000, or 13% of the adult men, and was no longer a private preserve for a few very rich families.[4]

The Act did not substantially change the method in which the Scottish counties elected members of Parliament. As a general rule the counties each continued to elect one member. However, before the Act six small counties elected an MP only in alternate Parliaments. This arrangement was ended, but a different solution was adopted for each pair of counties. Clackmannanshire and Kinross-shire became a single constituency. Buteshire and Caithness-shire were given a separate MP in every Parliament. Cromartyshire and Nairnshire were each united with a different neighbouring county, to form Ross and Cromarty, and Elginshire and Nairnshire.[2]

Edinburgh and Glasgow now had two MPs; Aberdeen, Dundee, Greenock, Paisley and Perth one each.[5] The remaining burghs combined in districts to elect 18 MPs, much as before; but now individual votes were added up among burghs across the constituency--in the past the MP had been elected at a meeting of representatives from each burgh. Boundary changes meant that a burgh for parliamentary elections might not have the same boundaries as the burgh for other purposes.[citation needed]

The effect of the Reform Act was considerable. Before 1832 the Scottish Parliamentary electorate had been about 5,000 adult males. Following the passing of the Act, the number of Scottish MPs increased from 45 to 53 and the franchise increased by an even greater proportion, growing from under 5,000 of the 2,300,000 population[6] to 65,000 voters[2] (now covering householders of £10 value in the burghs and property owners of £10 or tenants of £50 rental in the country seats). However the ballot was not secret and landowners could manipulate the property qualification by distributing nominal £10 parcels to multiple nominees who would follow the landowner's voting instructions.[7]

## See also

[edit]

* 1832 in Scotland
* Reform Acts
* Representation of the People Act

## References

[edit]

1. ^ John K. McDowell (1899). The People's History of Glasgow. Hay Nisbet & Company Limited.
2. ^ a b c Ferguson, W (April 1966). "The Reform Act (Scotland) of 1832: Intention and Effect". Scottish Historical Review (subscription required). 45 (139). Edinburgh University Press: 105–114. JSTOR 25528653.(subscription+required)Category:Pages+containing+links+to+subscription-only+content&rft.atitle=The+Reform+Act+(Scotland)+of+1832:+Intention+and+Effect&rft.volume=45&rft.issue=139&rft.pages=105-114&rft.date=1966-04&rft_id=https://www.jstor.org/stable/25528653#id-name=JSTOR&rft.aulast=Ferguson&rft.aufirst=W&rfr_id=info:sid/en.wikipedia.org:Scottish+Reform+Act+1832" class="Z3988">
3. ^ The citation of this Act by this short title was authorised by the Short Titles Act 1896, section 1 and the first schedule. Due to the repeal of those provisions it is now authorised by section 19(2) of the Interpretation Act 1978.
4. ^ Rab Houston (2008). Scotland: A Very Short Introduction. OUP Oxford. p. 26\. ISBN 978-0-19-157886-1.
5. ^ Lynch, Michael (1992). Scotland: A New History. Pimlico. p. 392\. ISBN 0712698930.
6. ^ Pentland, Gordon (April 2006). "The Debate on Scottish Parliamentary Reform, 1830-1832". Scottish Historical Review (subscription required). 85 (219). Edinburgh University Press: 104. JSTOR 25529887.(subscription+required)Category:Pages+containing+links+to+subscription-only+content&rft.atitle=The+Debate+on+Scottish+Parliamentary+Reform,+1830-1832&rft.volume=85&rft.issue=219&rft.pages=104&rft.date=2006-04&rft_id=https://www.jstor.org/stable/25529887#id-name=JSTOR&rft.aulast=Pentland&rft.aufirst=Gordon&rfr_id=info:sid/en.wikipedia.org:Scottish+Reform+Act+1832" class="Z3988">
7. ^ Devine, T M (2000). The Scottish Nation 1700-2000. Penguin. pp. 273–5. ISBN 0140230041.

## Further reading

[edit]

* Dorsey, Mark. "The voice of the people: 'The Loyal Reformers' Gazette' and the passing of Scottish Reform 1832" (Thesis, University of Guelph| ProQuest Dissertations & Theses, 2011. MR80045). online

* Dyer, Michael. "'Mere Detail and Machinery': The Great Reform Act and the Effects of Redistribution on Scottish Representation, 1832-1868." The Scottish Historical Review 62.173 (1983): 17-34.

* Ferguson, William. "The Reform Act (Scotland) of 1832: intention and effect." The Scottish Historical Review 45.139 (1966): 105-114. online
* Montgomery, Fiona A. "Glasgow and the struggle for parliamentary reform, 1830-1832." The Scottish Historical Review 61.172 (1982): 130-145. online
* Hutchison, Iain G. C. A Political History of Scotland 1832-1924: Parties, Elections and Issues (Birlinn Ltd, 2003) online.
* Pentland, Gordon. Radicalism, Reform and National Identity in Scotland, 1820-1833 (Boydell Press, 2008).
* Pentland, Gordon. "The debate on Scottish parliamentary reform, 1830–1832." Scottish Historical Review 85.1 (2006): 100-130. online
* Pentland, Gordon. "Scotland and the Creation of a National Reform Movement, 1830–1832." The Historical Journal 48.4 (2005): 999-1023. online

### Primary sources

[edit]

* Full original text of the Act as passed: "Cap. LXV: An Act to amend the Representation of the People in Scotland.". The statutes of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. Vol. 2 & 3 William IV. London: His Majesty's statute and law printers. 1832. pp. 383–435. Retrieved 29 January 2015.

* v
* t
* e

Electoral reform in the United Kingdom

Representation of
the People Acts|

| Reform Acts|

* England and Wales, 1832
* Scotland, 1832
* Ireland, 1832
* England and Wales, 1867
* Scotland, 1868
* Ireland, 1868
* 1884

|

* 1918
* 1928
* 1948
* 1949
* 1969
* 1981
* 1983
* 1985
* 1989
* 1990
* 1991
* 1993
* 2000

Municipal Reform|

* Scotland, 1833
* England and Wales, 1835
* Ireland, 1840

Constituency reform|

* Parliamentary Boundaries Act 1832
* Parliamentary Boundaries (Ireland) Act 1832
* Redistribution of Seats Act 1885
* Redistribution of Seats (Ireland) Act 1918
* Government of Ireland Act 1920
* House of Commons (Redistribution of Seats) Act 1944
* House of Commons (Redistribution of Seats) Act 1949
* Parliamentary Constituencies Act 1986
* Parliamentary Voting System and Constituencies Act 2011
* Parliamentary Constituencies Act 2020

Other related Acts|

* Parliamentary Elections Act 1868
* Ballot Act 1872
* Corrupt and Illegal Practices Prevention Act 1883
* European Assembly Elections Act 1978 (repealed)
* Registration of Political Parties Act 1998
* European Parliamentary Elections Act 1999 (repealed)
* Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000
* Electoral Administration Act 2006
* Fixed-term Parliaments Act 2011 (repealed)
* Electoral Registration and Administration Act 2013
* Dissolution and Calling of Parliament Act 2022
* Elections Act 2022

Related topics|

* Chartism
* Unreformed House of Commons
* Rotten and pocket boroughs
* University constituency
* Women's suffrage
* Wales
* Historiography
* 2011 United Kingdom Alternative Vote referendum
* Elections in the United Kingdom
* Corrupt practices
* Boundary commissions
* Parliament in the Making
* Parliamentary franchise (1885–1918)

* v
* t
* e

UK legislation

Pre-parliamentary legislation|

* List of English statutes
* Charter of Liberties
* Magna Carta

Acts of parliaments of states preceding
the Kingdom of Great Britain|

| Parliament of England|

* 1225–1267
* 1275–1307
* 1308–1325
* Temp. incert.
* 1327–1376
* 1377–1397
* 1399–1411
* 1413–1421
* 1422–1460
* 1461
* 1463
* 1464
* 1467
* 1468
* 1472
* 1474
* 1477
* 1482
* 1483
* 1485
* 1487
* 1488
* 1491
* 1495
* 1496
* 1503
* 1509
* 1511
* 1512
* 1513
* 1514
* 1515
* 1523
* 1529
* 1530
* 1531
* 1532
* 1533
* 1534
* 1535
* 1536
* 1539
* 1540
* 1541
* 1542
* 1543
* 1545
* 1546
* 1547
* 1548
* 1549
* 1551
* 1553
* 1554
* 1555
* 1557
* 1558
* 1562
* 1566
* 1571
* 1572
* 1575
* 1580
* 1584
* 1586
* 1588
* 1592
* 1597
* 1601
* 1603
* 1605
* 1606
* 1609
* 1620
* 1623
* 1625
* 1627
* Petition of Right
* 1640
* Interregnum (1642–1660)
* 1660
* 1661
* 1662
* 1663
* 1664
* 1665
* 1666
* 1667
* 1670
* 1672
* 1675
* 1677
* 1678
* 1679
* Habeas Corpus Act
* 1680
* 1685
* 1688
* 1689
* Bill of Rights
* 1690
* 1691
* 1692
* 1693
* 1694
* 1695
* 1696
* 1697
* 1698
* 1700
* 1701
* 1702
* 1703
* 1704
* 1705
* 1706

|

Parliament of Scotland|

* to 1707

Acts of Parliament of the
Kingdom of Great Britain|

* 1707
* 1708
* 1709
* 1710
* 1711
* 1712
* 1713
* 1714
* 1715–1719
* 1720–1724
* 1725–1729
* 1730–1734
* 1735–1739
* 1740–1744
* 1745–1749
* 1750–1754
* 1755–1759
* 1760–1764
* 1765
* 1766
* 1767
* 1768
* 1769
* 1770
* 1771
* 1772
* 1773
* 1774
* 1775
* 1776
* 1777
* 1778
* 1779
* 1780
* 1781
* 1782
* 1783
* 1784
* 1785
* 1786
* 1787
* 1788
* 1789
* 1790
* 1791
* 1792
* 1793
* 1794
* 1795
* 1796
* 1797
* 1798
* 1799
* 1800

Acts of the Parliament of Ireland|

* to 1700
* 1701–1750
* 1751–1800

Acts of Parliament of the United Kingdom of
Great Britain and Ireland and the United
Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland|

* 1801
* 1802
* 1803
* 1804
* 1805
* 1806
* 1807
* 1808
* 1809
* 1810
* 1811
* 1812
* 1813
* 1814
* 1815
* 1816
* 1817
* 1818
* 1819
* 1820
* 1821
* 1822
* 1823
* 1824
* 1825
* 1826
* 1827
* 1828
* 1829
* 1830
* 1831
* 1832
* 1833
* 1834
* 1835
* 1836
* 1837
* 1838
* 1839
* 1840
* 1841
* 1842
* 1843
* 1844
* 1845
* 1846
* 1847
* 1848
* 1849
* 1850
* 1851
* 1852
* 1853
* 1854
* 1855
* 1856
* 1857
* 1858
* 1859
* 1860
* 1861
* 1862
* 1863
* 1864
* 1865
* 1866
* 1867
* 1868
* 1869
* 1870
* 1871
* 1872
* 1873
* 1874
* 1875
* 1876
* 1877
* 1878
* 1879
* 1880
* 1881
* 1882
* 1883
* 1884
* 1885
* 1886
* 1887
* 1888
* 1889
* 1890
* 1891
* 1892
* 1893
* 1894
* 1895
* 1896
* 1897
* 1898
* 1899

* * *

* 1900
* 1901
* 1902
* 1903
* 1904
* 1905
* 1906
* 1907
* 1908
* 1909
* 1910
* 1911
* 1912
* 1913
* 1914
* 1915
* 1916
* 1917
* 1918
* 1919
* 1920
* 1921
* 1922
* 1923
* 1924
* 1925
* 1926
* 1927
* 1928
* 1929
* 1930
* 1931
* 1932
* 1933
* 1934
* 1935
* 1936
* 1937
* 1938
* 1939
* 1940
* 1941
* 1942
* 1943
* 1944
* 1945
* 1946
* 1947
* 1948
* 1949
* 1950
* 1951
* 1952
* 1953
* 1954
* 1955
* 1956
* 1957
* 1958
* 1959
* 1960
* 1961
* 1962
* 1963
* 1964
* 1965
* 1966
* 1967
* 1968
* 1969
* 1970
* 1971
* 1972
* 1973
* 1974
* 1975
* 1976
* 1977
* 1978
* 1979
* 1980
* 1981
* 1982
* 1983
* 1984
* 1985
* 1986
* 1987
* 1988
* 1989
* 1990
* 1991
* 1992
* 1993
* 1994
* 1995
* 1996
* 1997
* 1998
* 1999

* * *

* 2000
* 2001
* 2002
* 2003
* 2004
* 2005
* 2006
* 2007
* 2008
* 2009
* 2010
* 2011
* 2012
* 2013
* 2014
* 2015
* 2016
* 2017
* 2018
* 2019
* 2020
* 2021
* 2022
* 2023
* 2024

* * *

* Halsbury's Statutes
* Legislation.gov.uk
* Short titles

| relating to the European Union (formerly European Communities)|

* 1972 to date

|

Church of England measures|

* List
* Church of England Assembly (Powers) Act 1919

Legislation of devolved institutions|

* Acts of the Scottish Parliament
* List
* Acts of Senedd Cymru and Measures of the National Assembly for Wales
* List
* Acts of the Northern Ireland Assembly
* Acts of the Parliament of Northern Ireland

Orders in Council|

* 1994 to date

| for Northern Ireland|

* 1972–2009/2015–16

|

Secondary legislation|

* United Kingdom statutory instruments
* Scottish statutory instruments
* Acts of Sederunt
* Acts of Adjournal
* Church of England instruments

Portals:

* Politics
* United Kingdom
* Scotland

Authority control databases: People |

* UK Parliament

|

*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template