In 1891, the Electoral Register for Wickhamford listed thirty voters. The majority were resident in the village, but nine lived elsewhere. Only men aged 21 years and over had the vote at that time and they had to be householders or lodgers with an income of at least £10 per annum. Those not allowed to vote were men aged 21 and over who did not meet the property requirements, women, aliens, peers, lunatics, postmasters, election agents, paupers, commissioners and those who collected Government revenues.
In addition, the Register recorded those who were allowed to vote in local government elections and those who could vote in Parliamentary elections. Where those on the list did not live in the village, six could only vote in the latter.
The Lord family voters in 1891
Of the nine men who lived outside of Wickhamford, five were brothers. They were the sons of John Pickup Lord, who had bought the Wickhamford Estate (1203 acres) in 1869. Wickhamford Manor was leased to tenants and no members of the Lord family ever lived there. John Pickup Lord died in 1877 and his Estate was handled by Trustees. He had nine children, six sons and three daughters, between 1860 and 1873, which accounts for the Electoral Register in 1891 referring to five voters from outside the village having ‘one-ninth share in freehold land, The Manor Farm’. The electors were his five sons who were aged over 21 in 1891. His daughters (Constance Mary, Alice Penelope and Ethel Helen) and youngest son (Reginald Spencer Lord, b. 1873, so only aged 18) had no vote.
Those who could vote were:
- Arthur Edward Lord (1865-1935), who lived at Blea Beck, Hallow, Worcester. At the 1891 Census, he lived at the above address with his wife, Helen Julia, and he was a solicitor. His firm, Lord and Parker, was based at 3 Foregate Street, Worcester. He was a personal friend of the Prime Minister, Stanley Baldwin and died suddenly, in 1935, whilst visiting friends in Downton, Radnorshire. At hearing this news, the Prime Minister cancelled a scheduled speech to the Conservative Association in Bewdley.
- Charles Sylvester Lord (1868-1917), who lived at 3 Foregate Street, Worcester. He does not appear in the 1891 Census and died, in 1917, in Ramelton, County Donegal, Ireland, aged 48.
- Rev. Frederick John Lord (1860-1923), who lived at 4 Southwold Road, Upper Clapton, London. He has not been located in the 1891 Census, but in 1901 he was living in Hythe, Kent, and listed as a clergyman in the Church of England. In 1915, he officiated at the marriage of his youngest brother, Reginald Spencer Lord (1873-1877) to Nance Stephenson of Sydenham, Kent. After retiring, he died in Boston Spa, in 1923.
- Henry Ingram Lord (1866-1899), who lived at 3 Foregate Street, Worcester. In 1899, he died suddenly, in Ontario, Canada, aged only 32 years.
- Walter Harold Lord (1862-1906), who was in the 2nd Worcestershire Regiment. He joined the Army, through the Worcestershire Militia, and was gazetted as 2nd Lieutenant in 1884 in the 2nd Battalion, Worcs. Regt. He reached the rank of Captain in 1890 and retired from the Army in 1898. He died in Hallow, in 1906, and was buried in Hallow churchyard, next to his parents' grave.
Other non-resident voters in 1891
There were two men called William Smith, who were on the Wickhamford Electoral Register, and both lived in ‘Murcott’, Gloucestershire. They could vote in Parliamentary elections as they had freehold buildings and land in Wickhamford. One could vote in Local Government elections, but the other could not.
Frederick Hooper lived at Knowle Hill, Bengeworth, and could vote in both types of election as he held land and tenement in Wickhamford.
Joseph Pope’s address was given as Clarkenleap, Worcester, but he could vote in both types of election. He was an overseer at Manor Farm and another member of his family was the tenant at Wickhamford Manor.
Tom Locke – February 2024