Bedfordshire in ODNB

For historians, the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography in its online version is a must-bookmark-site.  In addition to many people from Bedfordshire or with connections to the county, it contains articles on groups and themes that provide background for the county's history and people.

Bedford Whigs (c.1748–c.1784) summarises the politicians connected with the 4th Duke of Bedford's political career.  By coincidence it covers some of the people and much of the period in BHRS's forthcoming 2011 volume, How Bedfordshire Voted, 1735-1784: the evidence of local documents and poll books, edited by James Collett-White. The Broad-bottom ministry (1744–1746), Leicester House (1743–1760) and the Old corps (court Whigs) (1742–1762) also provide political background for the book.


The forthcoming volume, How Bedfordshire Voted 1735-1784, continues his two earlier volumes for the Society and completes a century of coverage of Bedfordshire elections.  Most of the first two volumes, covering 1685 to 1734, contained  transcriptions of the county and borough (of Bedford) poll books.  In this last, almost 50-year period, there is only one complete poll book surviving (1774).  The majority of the book contains letters and extracts from newspapers and Bedford borough documents which throw light on the political dealing that went on behind the scenes to obtain voters' support.


After reading it, all I can say is thank heavens for the secret ballot!  The book is due out at the end of 2011 or early 2012.  Buy it, read it, and see what you think about eighteenth-century political dealing.
 
How Bedfordshire Voted 1735-1784: the evidence of local documents and poll books, edited by James Collett-White.  Bedfordshire Historical Record Society, volume 90.  To be published by Boydell & Brewer. 
 

How Bedfordshire Voted

BHRS's 2008 volume, published in September, is the second in the series of Bedfordshire poll books published under the title How Bedfordshire voted: the evidence of local poll books.

The aim is to make Bedfordshire people's voting record in the late seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries available for study. A review of volume 1 says that it shows "how county politics actually functioned at the level of the individual voter.” and that "this edition … will be absolutely essential for those with specific political, local or familial interests in late seventeenth-century Bedfordshire, as well as those seeking material for a comparative analysis.”

(H R French in History, volume 93, no 311, July 2008, p428-9)

HBV1 covers five elections from 1685 to 1715. HBV2 continues the poll book transcriptions for 1722 to 1735 covering the elections for two representatives of the borough of Bedford for 1722, 1725 (a by-election to elect one representative), 1727 and 1730/1 (another election of one representative) and for two knights of the shire for 1722, 1727 and 1734.

Accompanying text sets the elections in their local, county and national context and demonstrates that political calculations in selecting candidates and how many votes could be counted on are not a new phenomenon. This volume needs to be read with volume 1 where the electoral system and method of voting are explained.

HBV1 and 2 contain around 20,000 names of Bedfordshire voters in 12 elections for the half century from James II’s reign. Three of the poll books were printed at the time and the texts may be found on the internet, but most of the poll books are in manuscript only, so these two volumes make available a massive amount of new information for the historian of Bedfordshire. They give a vivid – and changing – picture of life in the county at a time of social and political upheaval.

Last word to the reviewer “Given the work involved in editing, checking and indexing these lists, the retail price [£25] offers good value, as is usually the case for county record society volumes.” Both volumes are available from the publisher, Boydell & Brewer, and bookshops (see side panel.)