Bradford Family History Society – Fact Sheet – March 2015
Arrangement of the Burgess/Ward/Electoral Registers
Burgess Rolls (1848 – 1897) 1848: Bradford become a municipal borough and held its first local elections. The Burgess Rolls (i.e. the list of voters) were published for the first time. There were eight wards: North, South, East, West, Bowling, Great Horton, Little Horton and Manningham. The names of voters in each ward are given alphabetically by surname. No house numbers.
1851: House numbers given for the first time in four wards: East, North, South & West.
1853: House numbers in all wards except for Manningham.
1854: House numbers in all wards (some streets excepted)
1873: Bolton Ward added (no house numbers)
1874: House numbers for Bolton Ward.
1877: Introduction of Polling Districts: e.g. East Ward (4 polling districts); West Ward (2 polling districts); Bowling Ward (3 polling districts)
1879: Start using the term dwelling house instead of just house.
1882: New wards added – Exchange, Bradford Moor, Listerhills, Heaton & Allerton. Bowling Ward was broken into two: East Bowling and West Bowling.
1883: Rolls rearranged entirely from alphabetical surnames to streets by house numbers, by ward. Also the introduction of Division 1 (those who were able to vote locally and nationally – all men) & Division 3 (those with only the local vote mainly women).
1897: Burgess Rolls renamed the Ward Rolls (1897 - 1914).
1915-1917: The Great War, so no voters lists available.
1918: Following an act of parliament, new Registers of Electors (1918 - ) were regularised, containing details of both parliamentary and local voting qualifications for both men and women. Division 1: Those entitled to vote both in Parliamentary and local elections. Division 2: Those entitled to vote in Parliamentary but not in local elections. Division 3: Those only entitled to vote in local elections.
Abbreviations used in the electoral registers from 1918 onwards: R Residence qualification O Occupational qualification BP Business premises HO Qualified through husband’s occupation NM Naval or military voter
(Compiled by David Mason of Bradford Family History Society)