The Thoresby Society

1870 - 29 November

Electorate 45,000

Voted 30,000

Total number of votes cast 455,000

 

Candidates Elected

 

John Jowitt	Harehills	wool merchant	49,586
William Jas. Armitage	Farnley	iron master	39,475
Andrew Fairbairn	Woodsley House	knight	33,331
William Middleton	Ivy Lodge	Esq.	29,973
Wm. Beckworth	Joppa	tanner and leather cutter	29,037
John Ellershaw	Kirkstall	Esq.	26,179
John Deakin Heaton	Claremont	M.D.	25,166
W. Glover Joy	Headingley	seed crusher	19,155
Jas. Wilson, jun.	Colton	plasterer and builder	18,766
Geo. Patrick Kelly	Kirkgate	surgeon	18,186
Wm. Long	St George’s Terrace	ironmonger	17,699
Jabez Woolley	Hunslet	builder and contractor	15,953
John Hutton Fisher Kendall	Holbeck Parsonage		15,534
Edwin Gaunt	Blackman Lane	cap manufacturer	15,327
William Barker	Bramley	gentleman	14,394

 

 

Candidates Not Elected

 

Wm. Rothery	Hunslet	maltster	12,353
H. B. Clegg	Blenheim Square	hatter and draper	11,473
William Hawkyard	Carr Crofts, Armley	clerk	11,016
Jas. Kitson, jun.	Hanover Square	iron merchant	10,640
Peter Gilston	Woodhouse Hill	chemist	7,412
J. Wilkinson	Victoria Chambers	insurance manager	5,751
Lucy Wilson	Hilary Place	spinster	5,186
Joseph Metcalfe Nicholson	Beeston Road	M.D.	4,669
Thomas Marshall	Potternewton	solicitor	4,560
J. P. Crossby	Hanover Street	M.D. and surgeon	3,356
Benjamin Leathley	Roger Place	accountant	2,586
Thomas Clapham	Leeds, Royal Park	gentleman	2,492
Walter Smith	Clarendon Road	art master	1,470
Wm. Cave	George & Dragon Yd	hotel-keeper	1,249
Thomas Lewis	Portland Crescent	bookseller	929
Thomas Dawson	Caledonian Mount	gentleman	803
Henry Arthur Allbutt	Russell Lodge	physician	800
Mrs Catherine Buckton	Moorland Terrace		545
Thos. Carlton	Great George Street	estate agent	497
Mr. Joseph Speight		contractor	376
Robert Lister Vevers	Park Place	gentleman	288
Mr. W. Fox		machine tool maker	235
Mr. J. B. Baldwin		mechanic and licensed dealer	54

 

The Leeds School Board was established as a result of Forster’s Education Act of 1870 permitting towns to appoint school boards to provide elementary education. Previously Forster had described Leeds as ‘the darkest and most beknighted town in the kingdom from an educational point of view’. Perhaps because of this, Leeds became one of the first towns to appoint such a board. Property owners had the right to vote in the election and for first time women property owners also voted and could stand for office. Each voter had the right to chose three or more candidates from the list of voters.

The churches were anxious to be represented with five Church of England candidates being elected, two Roman Catholics, and two Nonconformists but the Revd Kendall of Holbeck was the only practising clergyman to win a seat on the board. Two women candidates decided to stand, a spinster, Miss Lucy Wilson of Hillary Place and Mrs Catherine Buckton of Moorland Terrace. Several candidates, however, withdrew after their names had appeared on the ballot paper including Mrs Buckton. Voting took place in the various town wards with the Leeds Mercury reporting of the women voters, ‘It was somewhat amusing to observe the air of satisfaction on their faces.’ The only two candidates to represent the working class, Wlliam Hawkyard of Armley and Peter Gilston of Hunslet did not succeed, though Hawkyard defeated every other candidate in Armley itself. The votes were counted in the Victoria Hall.

Sir Andrew Fairbairn was elected the first School Board chairman and its first schools were opened in thirteen temporary premises across the town in 1872. For further reading see Leeds Mercury, 29, 30 November 1870.