A newspaper report in July 1892 commented that High Blantyre School was the polling place for the Parish and that month the thoroughfare in front of the school was quite vacant by comparison to the 3 previous elections which had been packed with people and horse drawn vehicles with voters wearing the colours of their party.
An excellent picture exists of Hunthill Road outside the school in that decade, showing such an election. Interestingly, though, I saw that only 1,591 people were entitled to vote in Blantyre! A figure I thought very low. Looking into this more, I knew that women didn’t yet have a vote, but I was surprised to find out there were certain restrictions on voting entitlement.
Who could vote
- Men only – women were completely excluded from parliamentary elections.
- Aged 21 or over.
- Property holders or occupiers:
- Men who owned property worth at least 40 shillings (£2) per year.
- Men who rented property with an annual value of £10 or more (in burghs and counties).
- Ratepayers – in many cases, local taxes had to be paid directly by the voter.
- Registered voters – names had to appear on the official electoral roll.
Who was excluded
- All women, regardless of wealth or status.
- Most working-class men, especially labourers and those in tied housing.
- Men living with employers or family who did not meet property rules.
- Anyone failing to meet registration requirements.
Universities had voting rights well into the 20th century. School Board meetings were probably one of the more keenly contested local affairs back in 1890s and 1900s.