Freedom of Election - Notice from the Enoch Wood scrapbook

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Date:20th of October 1812

Description:Two hundred years ago, elections were far from democratic.

In 1812, a number of Newcastle-under-Lyme's voters were put out of work after voicing their support for Independent candidate Sir John Fenton Boughey, a Staffordshire landowner.

This notice calls for a meeting at the Shakespeare Hotel in Newcastle, to set up a relief fund for the men and their families.

Working-class men and women were even less fortunate, not even having the opportunity to vote at all.

The document, printed by Chester of Newcastle, is now in the collection at Stoke-on-Trent Museums.

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