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| The House of the Commons during Regency Era |
It’s almost presidential election day in my country, and many
people are in the election-frenzy (or busy ignoring it altogether). I opened
the Memoir of Chief Justice Lefroy randomly just now, trying to find a quote
(we have been abandoning the site for a while). And the one that I found made
me smirk because election is always a frenzy to report, even back then in
1841...
Page 135
To his wife
Longford, 16th July
1841
We pulled up to-day considerably,
but still are beaten by a large majority, owing to the Roman Catholics, who
promised to vote for us or stay away, being brought up by the priests in spite
of their wishes and polled against A___, as well as from the number of
Protestants who were deterred from leaving their houses, by the violence and
intimidation of the Priests’ mobs. Thank God, we have had a comparatively quite
time with this town, owing to the providential circumstance of having a good
High Sheriff, and an effective military force, as well as police.
.... The election is virtually
over, but the Members can’t be declared until to-morrow evening. Henry White
has left this, and comparatively few have been in the town to-day. The poll as
just announced is: for Henry White, 613; for Luke White, 614; plumpers for
Lefroy, 480. On the whole, we have made a very noble fight, and we expect a few
more plumpers to-morrrow.
Interesting....
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