Throughout the month of December we will be posting descriptives of the election violence in each of the 20 British General Elections we cover together with short accounts of certain events. Like/follow this for updates...

For 1832 we recorded over 100 violent events: 24 riots and 27 disturbances. Riots occurred throughout the England and Wales ranging from Westmorland to Dorset. Somerset and West Riding each saw 3 distinct riots during election proceedings.

One of the severest riots took place at Frome, Somerset:
Rioting occurred over two days at Frome when one of the candidates, Thomas Champneys, paraded into town with his supporters and led by a crowd of bludgeon men. After he gave a speech, the crowd attacked an inn which was...

protected by Special Constables. The crowd grew larger and many houses were attacked so the military was brought in and broke up the crowd, though multiple fights ensued. The next day, the soldiers departed and a riot began again, during which buildings were damaged and...

many people injured, so polling was postponed and the military called in again.

The 1835 election (compared to 1832) was more peaceful: we found 75 events (-30%) with fewer riots (-75%) and disturbances (-11%). Disturbances and incidents occurred throughout and .

A significant riot occurred in Stockport, Cheshire where a group of non-electors demolished the windows of public houses displaying the colours of Major Marsland (Conservative incumbent), and voters supporting this candidate were assaulted...

...A pub was emptied of its contents, which were distributed in the street, and there was an attempt to set fire to the property of a member of Major Marsland's Committee.

The other 5 election riots in 1835 occurred in North and West Riding, Staffordshire, and Suffolk.

In 1837 election violence increased again compared to 1835: we found 14 riots (10 less in 1832) but 34 disturbances (7 more than in 1832). There were 7 fatalities, compared to 1 in 1835 and 19 in 1832.

A particularly intense post-election riot occurred in Lane End, Staffordshire:

Following the defeat of the Liberal candidates, homes of the friends of the successful Conservative candidates were targeted and windows, shutters, and doors were destroyed...

The police station also was attacked, and a prisoner was released by frightened officers at the demand of the crowd. The Riot Act was read and Yeoman Cavalry arrived and attacked all night. Order was only restored after the mob had extorted money from inhabitants for protection.

The 1841 election saw more violence than any of the previous elections since the Great Reform Act: 21 riots, 50 disturbances, 56 incidents, and 6 individual altercations.

Riots occurred from Kent to Cumberland. For the first time since 1832 West Riding did not experience a riot.

We recorded 10 fatalities in total, 2 of which were policemen in Carlisle, Cumberland, which were attacked by the crowd after the nominations and when trying to prevent a mob from smashing the windows of the Bush hotel, where the conservative candidate stayed.

The 1847 election was the most peaceful General Election since 1832: we recorded 67 events; only 4 riots and 24 disturbances. 2 of the riots occurred in Lancashire, 1 in Worchestershire, and 1 in Hampshire.

The riot in Bewdley was particularly gruesome, involving many men armed with bludgeons and resulting in some broken heads. The riot was reported to have been between both Liberal and Conservative supporters, with support from hired roughs on both sides.

The 1847 election also saw the election of Britain's first Jewish MP Lionel de Rothschild (City of London). At the time MPs were required to swear the Christian Oath of Allegiance, meaning Rothschild was unable to take his seat until the passage of the Jews Relief Act in 1858.

The extremely close election of 1852 saw a rise in election violence back to 1832/1841 levels: we recorded 140 events, of which there are 23 riots and 39 disturbances. With 6 fatalities the death-toll doubled compared to 1847 but stayed below 1832 (19)/1841 (10) levels.

Riots and disturbances occurred throughout & , ranging from the Isle of Wright to Northumbria and Norfolk to Cornwall.

Wigan saw a particularly gruesome election fuel by religious tensions. A band from a protestant Irish background played and paraded through town...

...enraging Irish Catholics. People were seen pulling bricks from chimneys and tiles from roofs, and accumulating stones. Fighting then ensued and a riot broke out, reportedly between Catholic Irish, Protestant colliers, and Special Constables, before the violence was quelled.

The 1857 election was much calmer than 1852, in fact it was even calmer than the 1847 election, making it the most peaceful election between 1832 and 1895: we recorded 57 events, including 4 riots and 12 disturbances resulting in a single death.

The most serious riot took place in Kidderminster during polling, involving between 5,000 and 6,000 people who attacked the voters of Robert Lowe (Whig). The mob stoned and damaged cars in the service of Lowe and stones were thrown into polling booths, injuring friends of Lowe...

...After closing the poll items continued to be thrown at Lowe and his friends, seriously injuring Lowe himself. Police officers were stoned and windows of the building where Lowe and friends were hiding smashed. The military was called in from Birmingham, and the Riot Act read.

Fun fact: Aged 72 at the 1857 election Palmerston became the oldest person to win a general election for the first time. As of today, there has been no person as old as Palmerston to win a general election for the first time.

Election violence only slightly increased between 1857 and 1859: we recorded 75 events, including 5 riots and 25 disturbances. It was the first General Election since 1832 without a fatality.

In Barnsley, West Riding, there was a serious riot on polling day. Radicals targeted Conservative voters. The crowd smashed the windows of the Conservative committee room and attacked an omnibus of gentlemen. Many were severely injured in the riot, including...

... a policeman who was hit by a stone and lost sight in his eye. More police were called from Wakefield, but the riot had subsided by then.

Contemporaries regarded the 1865 election as dull but highly corrupt. We recorded 197 violent events (roughly as many as 1835 + 1857 +1859 combined), including 24 riots and 67 disturbances, making it the most violent election since 1832.

Election riots occurred throughout & , with 5 in West Riding, 4 in Lancashire, and 3 in Nottinghamshire.

We recorded 4 fatalities during the 1865 election.

At Blackburn in 1865, a large scale riot involving several hundred occurred. The riot involved police, who were attacked with knives and stones, and a man brandishing yellow gloves, who injured several young children. One report asserted that he behaved like a 'mad-man.'

The 1868 election, the first after passing the Second Reform Act (1867), saw not just a tripling of the number of votes cast, but also nearly a doubling of the number of election violence events (compared to 1865): we recorded 368 events, including 37 riots and 117 disturbances.

Violence in all categories increased to unprecedented levels. Compared to the previous election (1865) riots increased by 54%, disturbances by 75%, and incidents and individual events by over 100%.

In several ways, 1868 started a new era in British electoral politics.

1868 also saw one of the largest election riots in our data: In Barnsley an election riot took place, involving a crowd of 15,000. Extra police were stationed in front of the hotel which housed the Conservative party headquarters prior to the riot. Rioters broke windows and...

...tried to break through police lines. Police used cutlasses causing injuries. One policeman, dressed in plain clothes, was assaulted when assisting a Conservative voter. 'Fifty-four men with cutlasses' were brought in from Wakefield and police cleared the streets with staves.

The large increase in violence and bribery in 1868 lead to parliamentary investigations and a series of acts, including the Secret Ballot Act (1872), aiming to curb electoral violence and bribery. While less violent than 1868, 1874 experienced violence at 1865 levels.

In 1874, the first election since the introduction of the secret ballot, we found 187 violent events, including 23 riots and 56 disturbances. Staffordshire was the most violent country, with 7 distinct election riots in the Potteries. There were 6 fatalities, 9 less than in 1868.

In Woodside, a crowd of roughs assembled at the polling booth to deter voters from coming to vote. A group of roughs from Dudley arrived, and fighting broke out between the two groups. At one point the Dudley roughs controlled the area and the military had to be called in.