England, Norfolk Register of Electors - FamilySearch Historical Records

England Norfolk

This collection consists of electoral records from the county of Norfolk for the years 1832-1915.

What is in the Collection?
This collection contains electoral registers, which were started in 1832. These registers kept track of the individuals who qualified to vote in the national and local elections every year. Before 1884, registers were arranged by polling district and then alphabetically by surname; after 1884, they were arranged by polling district and then by street.

Electoral registers historically did not have the most widespread coverage. Even by 1867, they included only about 11 percent of the population. Women do not appear on these records at all, as they did not receive the right to vote until 1918.

What Can These Records Tell Me?
Electoral registers usually contain the following information:


 * Township of registration
 * Full name of voter
 * Voter's place of residence (abode)
 * Why qualified to vote
 * Name and location of property
 * Sometimes handwritten notes were added and give such information as for whom the person voted; notation of death, or if the voter was removed from the register

How Do I Search the Collection?
As you are searching it is helpful to know such information as your ancestor’s given name and surname (prior to 1918 only men are listed), some identifying information such as residence and age, and family relationships. Remember that there may be more than one person in the records with the same name as your ancestor and that your ancestor may have used nicknames or different names at different times.

To search by index: Fill in the requested information in the initial search page. This search will return a list of possible matches. Compare the information about the ancestors in the list to what you already know about your ancestors to determine if this is the correct family or person. You may need to compare the information about more than one person to find your ancestor.

To browse by image: To search the collection you will need to follow this series of links: ⇒Select "Browse through images" on the initial collection page ⇒Select the appropriate "County" ⇒Select the appropriate "Division" ⇒Select the appropriate "Year" which will take you to the images

Search the collection by image comparing the information with what you already know about your ancestors to determine if the image relates to them. You may need to look at several images and compare the information about the individuals listed in those images to your ancestors to make this determination.


 * By following your ancestor through the electoral registers, it is possible to determine how long the person remained at a particular residence and to help establish a migration pattern for the family.
 * Use the residence to locate your ancestor in the census and church records.
 * Use the location of the land and the information listed under the “nature of qualifications” to locate land tax assessments and probate records.
 * The name of the property may also be a clue to the occupation or sect. Occupations can lead you to church or military records.
 * Watch for titles as they can be clues to social status, occupations, sect, or other family members with the same name.

It is often helpful to extract the information on all individuals with the same surname in the same general area. If the surname is uncommon, it is likely that those living in the same area were related. Be sure to extract all individuals before you look at other records. This can help you identify related individuals to look for in other records.

Tips to Keep in Mind

 * The residence or abode may be different from the location of the property so your ancestor may be found in records of another locality.
 * Married family members may have lived nearby but in a separate household so you may want to search an entire town, neighboring towns, or even a county.
 * Additional searches may be needed to locate all members of a particular family.
 * When you have located your ancestor in the registers, compare the information to what you already know about your ancestors to determine if this is the correct person. You may need to compare the information of more than one person to make this determination.
 * Carefully evaluate each piece of information about them. These pieces of information may give you new details that can lead you to other records about your ancestors.

Known Issues with This Collection
For a full list of all known issues associated with this collection see the attached Wiki article. If you encounter additional problems, please email them to [mailto:support@familysearch.org support@familysearch.org.] Please include the full path to the link and a description of the problem in your e-mail. Your assistance will help ensure that future reworks will be considered.

Citing this Collection
Citing your sources makes it easy for others to find and evaluate the records you used. When you copy information from a record, list where you found that information. Here you can find citations already created for the entire collection and for each individual record or image.

Collection Citation:

Record Citation (or citation for the index entry):

Image Citation: