NORTHUMBERLAND ELECTION BROADSIDE – Matthew Bell – To the Gentlemen, Clergy, and Freeholders of the County of Northumberland – Woolsington, 13 February 1826 – Alnwick – 1826

Alnwick: Smith, Printer, 1826.

Single-sided letterpress broadside.

Sheet size: 27.7 x 21.5 cm.

Description

An uncommon and highly evocative piece of Georgian political ephemera issued during the fiercely contested Northumberland parliamentary election of 1826, comprising a printed address by Matthew Bell of Woolsington to the “Gentlemen, Clergy, and Freeholders of the County of Northumberland.”

Dated Woolsington, February 13th, 1826, the broadside was printed at Alnwick by Smith and was issued at the opening stages of a campaign that became one of the most significant county election contests in early nineteenth-century Northumberland politics. In the address, Bell thanks supporters throughout the county and announces his intention of meeting the freeholders at Alnwick, declaring himself a candidate and appealing directly to the electorate.

The broadside belongs to the celebrated Northumberland election campaign triggered by the death of Charles John Brandling in February 1826. The contest generated an extraordinary volume of election literature including broadsides, handbills, addresses, requisitions, songs, squibs and poll books. Matthew Bell emerged as one of the successful candidates and subsequently represented Northumberland in Parliament from 1826 onwards.

Bell (1793–1871) was a prominent Northumberland landowner and coal owner whose family seat was at Woolsington. By 1826 he had already established himself as an important figure within county affairs and would remain influential in Northumberland politics for decades.

Particularly interesting is the survival of contemporary manuscript annotations on the reverse. These appear to relate directly to election organisation and canvassing activity, providing evidence of practical use during the campaign itself. Such ephemeral election documents were intended for short-term distribution and most were discarded once polling concluded. Survivals retaining contemporary annotations are considerably less common than clean archival examples and offer an additional layer of historical interest.

The reverse also displays show-through from another election broadside, illustrating how large quantities of campaign literature circulated simultaneously during the contest.

The 1826 election ultimately returned Matthew Bell and Henry Thomas Liddell as Members of Parliament for Northumberland, concluding one of the most closely watched county contests of the period.

Examples of Northumberland election broadsides from this contest are known in institutional and archival collections, reflecting the historical importance of the election, though individual survivals remain comparatively scarce owing to their ephemeral nature.

An attractive and historically important survival from one of the best-documented county election campaigns of the Georgian era, of considerable interest to collectors of parliamentary history, election ephemera, Northumberland history, Newcastle and Alnwick printing, and early nineteenth-century political literature.

Condition: Near fine condition. Light age-toning and a few minor marks. Contemporary manuscript notes to the reverse. A well-preserved example with strong, clear printing.

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