Edinburgh heritage: When a historic general election led to riot as votes were counted

Voters in the UK were, of course, among those involved in key elections. But it may come as a surprise to realise that the secret ballot - now seen as an essential part of a democratic system - was only introduced in this country 150 years ago.

Before that, voters - a much smaller proportion of the population in those days - had to announce in public whom they were giving their support to. The "hustings" system meant people could be intimidated by their landlords or employers over how to vote - or even assaulted or find their property attacked if they didn’t back the right candidate.

William Gladstone, who had become Prime Minister in 1868, put forward the legislation which led to the introduction of the secret ballot at the 1874 general election.

The first UK general election which used the secret ballot was in 1874 - and in Edinburgh it led to a riot outside the hall where the votes were being counted.

It was the era when politics were dominated by those two most famous Victorian political figures, Liberal William Gladstone and Conservative Benjamin Disraeli.

The 1867 Reform Act had almost doubled the electorate by extending the right to vote to many more adult males. Gladstone won the 1868 election and introduced the Ballot Act to make voting secret and end the intimidation.

Instead of having to declare their vote in front of election officials and assembled spectators, electors could now mark a ballot paper without anyone watching.

Radicals had campaigned for the change for a long time. But opponents argued voting was a public trust and it should be done out in the open. Lord Palmertson said: "An individual is invested with the power of voting, not for his own personal advantage or interest, but for the interest and advantage of the nation … to be exercised in perfect day, and be open to the criticism of our friends and neighbours and the public at large."

The 1874 election was called suddenly on January 23 and polling - spread over a 17-day period, with different places voting on different days - began just a week later.

The Liberals were the dominant party in Scotland at the time. Going into the election Scotland's 60 seats were split between 49 Liberals and 11 Tories.

Duncan McLaren was Liberal MP for Edinburgh from 1865 until 1881. | x

But in Edinburgh there were splits in the Liberal ranks. The Capital was one constituency with two MPs and at the previous election the seats had been won by two Liberals, both on the party's Radical wing - Duncan McLaren, a former Lord Provost whose draper's shop grew into one of Scotland's first department stores, and John Miller, an engineer who specialised in railway viaducts but was also responsible for building Granton harbour.

However, by 1874 McLaren and Miller had fallen out and a third Liberal, the city's Lord Provost James Cowan, who was on the more conservative Whig side of the party, entered the field, so there were three Liberals competing for two seats, giving the Tories, with a single candidate, the hope of getting in because of a split vote.

Reports of the election campaign appeared alongside news of the death of Scottish missionary and explorer David Livingstone.

The Edinburgh Evening News - launched less than a year earlier - reported on February 5, 1874 that the polls had closed at 4pm the previous day and counting of votes started at 7pm in the Oddfellows Hall in Forrest Road - more recently converted to a pub.

But the paper noted: “Although a large staff of clerks was employed, the result was not made known until between one and two o'clock this morning.”

The Oddfellows Hall in Forrest Road - later converted to a pub - was where the votes were counted. | Google

The News reported there were 24,832 eligible voters, around three-quarters of whom turned out, though many just used one of their two votes.

It continued: “Early in the evening, a number of people, curious to ascertain the secret which the ballot box had denied them, gathered in front of the hall. As time wore on, the crowd increased and grew more demonstrative until, at midnight, it was with great difficulty the five or six policemen stationed at the door could keep them in order.

“The difficulty of keeping them out of the hall was increased in consequence of the soiree and ball of the Post Office employees being held in the building at the same time.

“At one o'clock the policemen attempted to shut the door and, being resisted, drew their batons and charged the crowd. Several of the crowd were struck and cut about the head, and a number of hats were lost in the melee.

“The door was ultimately closed and the hall continued in a state of siege until a reinforcement of policemen arrived from the Central Police Office, when the riot was quelled.

“While the hall was shut, the crowds smashed the glass in the apertures above the door and several large stones were thrown into the lobby. Two men arrested and appeared at the City Police Court, where they were granted bail until a further appearance.”

The result was announced at 1.40am. Duncan McLaren was re-elected, topping the poll with 11,431 votes; But new Liberal candidate, Lord Provost James Cowan beat the other sitting Liberal, John Miller, by 8,749 votes to 6,213. And the Tory, John Macdonald, was last with 5,713.

The News reported: “While the votes were being counted, Mr Macdonald and Mr McLaren paid a visit to the hall, where they remained for a short time. None of the candidates were present, however, when the result of the poll was declared. The announcement was received with mingled cheers and hisses.”

In Scotland, the Liberals lost 12 seats to the Tories. Across the UK the Liberals won more votes, but the Tories ended up with a majority of seats and so became the government.

Benjamin Disraeli, pictured speaking in the House of Commons in 1873, became Prime Minister the following year. Picture: Culture Club/Getty Images | Culture Club/Getty Images

Disraeli branded the Liberal frontbench "a row of exhausted volcanoes" while Gladstone, referring to the brewers' support for the Tories and opposition to the Liberals' licensing legislation, complained his party had been swept away in "a torrent of gin and beer".

Disraeli led the country for the next six years, but the Liberals regained power in the 1880 general election and Gladstone became prime minister once more. Gladstone, who served a total of four terms as Prime Minister between 1868 and 1894, was also elected MP for Midlothian in 1880 after his famous “Midlothian campaign” which pioneered modern electioneering methods with rousing rallies aimed at capturing media attention. He held the seat until 1895.