In 1832, Weston, Simons and Sydenham of Dorchester printed and published the Poll Book for the 1831 Dorset election contested by The Right Hon. The Lord Ashley and Hon. W.F.S. Ponsonby which was held between September 30th and Otober 17th.
For each tithing or place it gives the name of the freeholder who was entitled to vote together with his place of residence. However this is more than just a list of eligible voters since when the freeholder did not occupy the property which gave him the rights the actual occupiers name is also listed.
If there was an objection to a persons right to vote or the registration was reject it is noted against the entry.
The book was digitized by Google in 2007 and may be read and searched here. It is also available as a downloadable pdf file for offline use.
