Jewish enfranchisement before emancipation. An important record of Jewish enfranchisement in the wake of the Great Reform Act of 1832, containing some of the earliest evidence of Jewish participation in local and parliamentary elections. This was to be the last electoral register taken before the general election of 1835, the first such reformed election since the passing of the 1832 Act.

Efforts toward wider political and legal emancipation had hit an impasse with the failure of the Jewish Relief Bill in 1830, and it would take another 20 years before professing Jews could take up their seats in the House of Commons. Nevertheless, the 1832 Act was an important stepping-stone to full legal reform, opening up the franchise to many leaseholders, and introducing the requirement for local parishes to keep a record of registered voters.

Of the 88 inhabitants named in this register for the parish of Saint James' Duke's Place in Aldgate, more than half appear to be Jewish, with 'Lazarus Edward', 'Solomon Nathaniel' and 'Isaacs Israel' all qualifying due to their status as 'house' owners. Notes in red ink by the Overseers of the Poor responsible for the compilation of the register record when a resident was disqualified from voting either due to their non-residency for a period of '12 months' or because they had been 'assessed taxes' or 'poor rate' and 'not paid'.

Electoral register; folio (39.5 x 25.5 cm); 6ff of MS entries in pen in a neat and easily legible hand in three ruled columns, notes in red ink, first f. with printed title and column headings on label pasted to header, otherwise headings printed directly to recto and verso of remaining ff, minor dampstaining to lower and upper margins, imprint to gutter-margin of several ff; original marbled wrappers, blank label to upper cover with MS date '1834' in pen, minor loss to covers, otherwise very good.