Noise and Violence at the 1761 Election

Description:Too Much Noise!

Thomas Cappers was allowed to vote as he was the proprietor of ‘a Burgage Barn in Baker’s Lane’. Cappers voted for Mr. Levett the independent candidate. Despite his vote being ‘objected to’ by the council for Anson and Meynell, Gilbert notes that objections to Capper’s vote weren’t heard, as the independent candidate's ‘mob’ were ‘so noisy’.

Violent Attacks!

Goodwin reports that voters for Thomas Anson and Hugo Meynell could not leave ‘with safety’ after voting. Voters opposing the Gower-Anson party were reported to have ‘marked’ the back of these voters' clothes while they were voting with ‘a badge of insult’. The opposition ‘mob’ then looked out for marked voters and attacked them. Goodwin writes that a man named Mr. Justice was ‘knocked down the stairs’ receiving ‘a violent hurt on his arm and wrist and other parts of his body’. Other voters ‘received blows’. Goodwin reports that Thomas Gilbert protested to the Sheriff about the behaviour of the opposition ‘but in vain’, at which point ‘the party for M & A Declared that they would not proceed any further on the Election’ and left.