Reform Act 1832

The Great Reform Act that redrew Parliament's map and began the long expansion of the British franchise

Overview

Passed by Earl Grey's Whig government after two years of crisis, riots, and repeated rejection by the House of Lords, the act abolished dozens of rotten and pocket boroughs, some with only a handful of voters, and gave seats to growing industrial towns such as Manchester and Birmingham. It created a uniform borough franchise for men occupying property worth ten pounds a year, enlarging the electorate substantially while still leaving most adult men without a vote. The Lords gave way only after King William IV agreed, if necessary, to create enough new peers to pass it. Later reform acts of 1867, 1884, and 1918 extended the vote further.