KEY SOURCES

ARCHIVES County libraries usually hold electoral registers. Jeremy Gibson and Colin Rogers have done invaluable work in tracking down early records, see Poll Books 1696–1872: A Directory to Holdings in Great Britain and Electoral Registers Since 1832; and Burgess Rolls, available from the Family History Partnership (call 01706 825557 or visit thefamilyhistorypartnership.com/ publications). These tell you, county by county, the years for which there are records, and where they are kept. BOOKS

Ladies Elect: Women in English Local Government 1865–1914 by Patricia Hollis ( Oxford University Press, 1987) This classic work about Victorian and Edwardian women in politics includes details of when women were voting for different authorities.

The Political Worlds of Women: Gender and Politics in Nineteenth Century Britain by Sarah Richardson ( Routledge, 2013) Using modern research methods and digital technology, the author reveals how women were able to contribute to political affairs in the Victorian period. WEBSITES Electoral Registers electoralregisters.org.uk A useful site with links to online poll books and electoral registers. British Library bl.uk/ collection- guides/ uk- electoral-registers The British Library has an incomplete collection of electoral registers from 1832. Many local authorities make registers available online for a fee. British Newspaper Archive britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk Search the archive for coverage of local elections including occasions when a female candidate was standing.