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The Voice of Radicalism
The Reform Act - Reform to 1850
The Burghs had different rules about who should get the vote to the Counties. It was easier to get the vote in the burghs.
Burghs
In 1832:
- Male tenants or owners, of property with an annual rental value of £10 or more, got the vote
- 2,024 men qualified to vote in Aberdeen
- Most of the new electors were middle class or shopkeepers
- There were hardly any working class electors
- Aberdeen, which included Old Aberdeen and Woodside, became a constituency on its own. It was no longer part of the Montrose burghs
- Inverbervie remained part of the Montrose Burghs, along with Brechin and Forfar
- Peterhead became a parliamentary burgh for the first time. It was added to the Elgin Burghs
- MacDuff was included in the parliamentary boundary of Banff (another Elgin Burgh)
The parliament elected in 1832 passed legislation to reform the Royal Burghs. These changes:
- Introduced elections in 1833
- Removed un-elected councillors
Counties
There was no radical change in the counties.
- It was more difficult to qualify for the vote in the countryside than in the burghs
- Small tenant farmers did not qualify to vote
- Tenants with the vote had to vote for the candidate that the laird supported
- There was no threat to the traditional rule of the landlords
As there was no reform of county government, un-elected Commissioners of Supply (rich landowners), remained in control until 1889.