Before secret ballots were introduced in 1872, poll books were often printed following elections, listing all the electors and how they voted. Copies of the poll books were sometimes handed over to the Clerk of the Peace for permanent preservation. Some poll books were also produced prior to elections, to help candidates canvass for votes.
Huntingdonshire
Huntingdonshire Archives has some original poll books for Huntingdon Borough and for Huntingdon County constituencies: photocopies of these are available on the searchroom shelves.
Cambridgeshire
Cambridgeshire Archives holds a broken series of poll books for the county of Cambridgeshire, 1705-1868 and similarly for Cambridge Borough, 1774-1868 and the University of Cambridge, 1727-1882. Please contact us to check availability of specific dates.
There are helpful descriptions of the history and usefulness of poll books in the Gibson Guide Poll Books c 1696-1872 and J.R.Vincent Pollbooks: How Victorians Voted (Cambridge 1967), both of which are available in the searchroom.