Wales, West Glamorgan, Electoral Registers - FamilySearch Historical Records

Record Description
This collection contains electoral registers and Burgess Rolls for the Borough of Swansea in West Glamorgan. The records contain the names and addresses of those who registered to vote.

Before 1884, the registers were arranged by polling district, then alphabetically by surname. After 1884, they were arranged by polling district and then by street.

The records cover the years 1839 to 1925.

In 1832, the Reform Act created electoral registers. These registers recorded individuals who qualified to vote in the national elections for representation in parliament. The qualifications changed over the years. There were also electoral registers that covered local elections. Boroughs of large cities had their own electoral registers and qualifications for being listed in the registers. In 1878, boroughs combined their registers for the national and local elections. Other places combined their registers by 1885. Registration was suspended and no electoral registers were created during the World Wars from 1916 to 1917 (1915 to 1917 for Scotland) and 1940 to 1944. In the early years, registers only covered about 7 percent of the population. By 1867, they covered about 11 percent. Until 1918, the registers list only men because women were not allowed to vote. Until 1971, the registers listed only those 21 years of age or older.

Electoral registers were created to determine who could vote. If an individual’s name did not appear in the register, he or she could not vote.

Since the government required the electoral registers, the reliability of the records would be high with respect to the place of residence and the name of the individual.

For a list of records by localities and dates currently published in this collection, select the Browse.

Citation for This Collection
The following citation refers to the original source of the information published in FamilySearch.org Historical Record collections. Sources include the author, custodian, publisher and archive for the original records.

Suggested citation format for a record in this collection.

Record Content
These records usually contain the following information:




 * Given name and surname of each voter
 * Place of abode (residence)
 * Nature of qualification (what qualified the individual to be included in the register)
 * Name of property or street
 * Sometimes handwritten notes may have been added, giving such information as who the person voted for, when the voter died, or the removal of the voter.

How to Use the Records
To search the collection, select "Browse through images" on the initial collection page ⇒ Select the County ⇒ Select the Record Type, Date Range and Volume which takes you to the images.

Look at the images one by one comparing the information with what you already know about your ancestors to determine which one is your ancestor. You may need to compare the information about more than one person to make this determination.

The electoral registers may help you determine the residence of an individual and how long that person lived there. You may also be able to determine your ancestor’s social status and to locate other records in which that person might appear.

Related Websites

 * Glamorgan Electoral Registers
 * West Glamorgan Archive Service

Related Wiki Articles

 * FamilySearch's Resources for Britain and Ireland
 * Glamorgan, Wales
 * Poll Books in England and Wales

Citing FamilySearch Historical Collections
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Citation Example for a Record Found in This Collection
The following are examples of records found in different collections. Please help us by replacing this example with a citation for a record you have found in this collection. Example for an Indexed Collection:


 * “Delaware Marriage Records,” index and images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org: accessed 4 March 2011), entry for William Anderson and Elizabeth Baynard Henry, married 23 November 1913; citing marriage certificate no. 859; FHL microfilm 2,025,063; Delaware Bureau of Archives and Records Management, Dover.
 * “El Salvador Civil Registration,” index and images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org: accessed 21 March 2011), entry for Jose Maria Antonio del Carmen, born 9 April 1880; citing La Libertad, San Juan Opico, Nacimientos 1879-1893, image 50; Ministerio Archivo Civil de la Alcaldia Municipal de San Salvador.