England, Norfolk Register of Electors - FamilySearch Historical Records

Collection Time Period
Registers have been published annually with few exceptions from 1832 to the present. Records in this collection are for the years 1844 to 1952.

Record History
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 their own 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: 1916–1917 (1915–1917 for Scotland) and 1940–1944.

In the early years, registers included only about 7 percent of the population. By 1867 they included about 11 percent of the population. Only men are listed until 1918 because only men could vote. Until 1971 the registers listed only those 21 years of age or older.

Why this Record Was Created
Electoral registers were created to determine who could vote. If an individual’s name did not appear in the register, he could not vote.

Record Reliability
The government required the keeping of electoral registers, and the reliability of the information is high with respect to the place of residence and the name of the individual.

Record Description
Most of the registers have been published. Before 1884 they are arranged by polling district and then alphabetically by surname. After 1884 they were arranged by polling district and then by street.

Record Content


The registers are arranged in columns and give the following information: • Given name and surname of each voter • Place of residence (abode) • Nature of qualification (what qualified the individual to be in the register) • Name of property or street • Sometimes handwritten notes were added and give such information as who the person voted for, if the voter died, or if the voter was removed from the register.

How to Use the Record
To find your ancestor in the registers you need to know the following: • Name of ancestor (prior to 1918 only men are listed) • An approximate residence. 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. For example: • 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.

Some other helpful tips to keep in mind are: • 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.

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Related Web Sites
Norfolk Record Office

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Related Wiki Articles
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Sources of This Collection
“England Norfolk Register of Electors, 1844-1952,” database, FamilySearch, 2010; from the Norfolk Record Office. “Register of Electors.” Norfolk Record Office, Norwich. FHL microfilm. Family History Library, Salt Lake City, Utah.

How to Cite Your Sources
For instructions on citing specific records or images within this collection.

A full bibliographic record is available in the Family History Library Catalog.