No contest - 1812 election notice the Enoch Wood scrapbook
Parliamentary candidate John Wrottesley here informs the electors of Staffordshire that he intends to pull out of the race to represent the county.
He claims that his rival has drawn him into a campaign ...
Nominations for Staffordshire MP - 1812 election document from the Enoch Wood scrapbook
What was at stake?
In this notice, Mr. Keen, the Under-Sheriff of Staffordshire, announces nominations for Staffordshire's next Member of Parliament.
When would nominations take place?
This event ...
Notice to the Burgesses of Newcastle-under-Lyme - 1831 election notice from the Enoch Wood scrapbook
Francis Wedgwood addresses the burgesses of Newcastle-under-Lyme, confirming that his father has accepted their invitation to stand for Parliament in 1831.
Josiah Wedgwood II will arrive the following ...
On the campaign trail at the 1812 elections - a letter from the Enoch Wood scrapbook
In this letter, Thomas Sparrow recommends to Enoch Wood that 21-year old Parliamentary candidate Edward John Walhouse should "go as quickly thro' the County as possible - to do otherwise cannot answer ...
Open letter from E.J. Walhouse to the electors of Staffordshire - 1812 election notice from the Enoch Wood scrapbook
The 1812 election shows that government affairs have not not always been dominated by today's party politics - but they were far from democratic.
"Strictly pure and independent..."
Local issues ...
Packing a Parliament - A pro-reform notice from the Enoch Wood scrapbook
In the early 1830s, new ideas for changing Britain's political system were one of the hottest topics for debate.
Corrupt and Selfish
The authors of this notice direct their venom at "the most shamelessly ...
Peace - 1813 petition from the Enoch Wood scrapbook
Hard Times in the Potteries
By 1813, years of war with France, and later the United States, had pushed Britain's businesses to the brink of bankruptcy.
The pottery manufacturers were no exception, ...
Peace meeting at Hanley Town Hall - a document from the Enoch Wood scrapbook
Hard Times in the Potteries
By 1813, years of war with France, and later the United States, had pushed Britain's businesses to the brink of bankruptcy.
The pottery manufacturers were no exception, ...
People of England - document from the Enoch Wood scrapbook
A restless and ambitious Usurper
Broadsheet outlining the dangers posed to Great Britain by Napoleon Bonaparte and the French army.
Napoleon had fought many successful land wars with the monarchies ...
Petition to John Davenport - An 1831 election document from the Enoch Wood scrapbook
Before 1831, Stoke-on-Trent shared its Member of Parliament with the rest of Staffordshire.
By July 1831, a new Reform Act was promising to transform the face of elections forever.
An MP for the ...
Plain Answers to plain Questions in a dialogue between John Bull and Bonaparte - document from the Enoch Wood scrapbook
Satirical Wartime Propoganda
Fictitious dialogue between John Bull (a well-known name used to personify England) and Napoleon Bonaparte.
It was produced during the Napoleonic Wars shortly after ...
Protest of the Journeymen Potters - from the Enoch Wood scrapbook
This handwritten poem protests at social extremes of wealth, status and poverty in the Potteries at around the time of the Napoleonic Wars.
War
War with France had affected the fortunes of the Potteries ...
Reform! Reform! The Bill will Pass! - A political notice from the Enoch Wood scrapbook
When Josiah Wedgwood II ran for Parliament in the Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme, his major selling point was "reform."
Forward-thinking, "reforming" politicians were campaigning for changes to the ...
Sir Walter Essex MP in a Horse-drawn Carriage, Stafford,
Sir Walter Essex was the Liberal M.P. for Stafford 1910 - 1918. He is accompanied by the Mayor of Stafford.
On the right stands a young scout holding a collection box.
Sir Walter Essex with the Mayor of Stafford,
Sir Walter Essex, Liberal M.P. for Stafford 1910 - 1918, with the Mayor of Stafford James Mycock, in Siemens Road.
Song for the North Staffordshire Electors - Broadside ballad from the Enoch Wood scrapbook
At election time in the early 1800s, the colour blue was used to stand for hope, faith in God and sincerity.
It was also becoming more associated with the reforming 'Whig' Liberals of the time.
The ...
Study for the Mock Mayor painting
A study by Robert William Buss (1804-1875) for The Mock Mayor painting. A composition comprising the main characters of the resulting painting with the Mock Mayor on the steps of the market cross. A study ...
Support Mr. Wedgwood! Details of a meeting at Burslem Town Hall, 1831.
When Burslem's most influential citizens wished to gather at the Town Hall to discuss politics, they had to seek the permission of the local High Constable.
Permission granted
Here the Constable ...