Testimonies

Surrage, Thomas Lyddon | Day 1

Witness Type: Other

Witness Testimony:

• 61.

  Do the majority reside at Sandwich ? – Yes, the large majority. Many of them are very respectable householders, but there is a residuum of course of poor men.

• 62.

  What proportion would you term respectable householders, and what proportion poor men ? – Really I am afraid to give an estimate.

• 63.

  Can you give any idea at all ? – No ; no one knows less about it than myself perhaps.

• 64.

  How many freemen are householders ? – I could not say without going through the list.

• 65.

  Should you say more than 15 or 20 ? – Yes, I should think the large majority are householders.

• 66.

  There are not, I believe, upon the list as householders more than 15 or 20 ? – Yes, I should think so. You may take it generally ; I think that the larger part of the freemen are householders, but I am not prepared to give the exact figures without going through the list, If you consider it of importance I could do it afterwards.

• 67.

  All those that are householders would appear upon the list as occupiers ? – Yes.

• 68.

  So that we could ascertain it by examining the list ? – Yes, just so ; though a person who does not know the names might be puzzled, because there are many families of the same name.

• 69.

  To what trade or occupation do the voters as a class principally belong; are they tradesmen and publicans ? – Of course there are a great many tradesmen and publicans, some independent gentlemen, and a great many of the working classes.

• 70.

  Would the larger portion be amongst the tradesmen of the place ? – I should think the tradesmen, and the upper class of artizans and working men. With regard to the publicans you will have a return of them by-and-bye I suppose.

• 71.

  With regard to the freemen how are they admitted, by payment is it ? – The fee is nominal, I believe about 6d for birth. The Mayor holds a court every year to admit those who claim, if they prove their claim they are admitted, but there are only two or three a year.

• 72.

  Are the freedoms taken up politically at all ? – No, not at all ; they were in former years. Looking back to the report I observe that before the Reform Act some 40 or 50 were admitted after the issue of the writ, and before the day of the election three or four successive courts were held, day after day, to admit freemen, but that is all gone by, the Reform Act having stopped it all. I could give you, if you wish it, the last poll, before the Reform Act, of freemen alone.

• 73.

  I do not think that is very important. How many polling districts are there in Sandwich ? – Two.

• 74.

  In Deal three ? – Yes ; and Walmer one.

• 75.

  Can you give the area, in acreage, of the borough of Sandwich ? – No, I have not the area here, but I can give it to the secretary if you desire it.

• 76.

  And can you give Deal and Walmer respectively as well ? -I daresay I could obtain it in some way.

• 77.

  Be so good as to send to the secretary the area for each. What is the distance from Sandwich to Deal ? – About six miles ; seven miles we call it.

• 78.

  And from Deal to Walmer ? – About two miles ; but of course it depends upon the part of the parish you go to, because some part of the parish of Walmer adjoins Deal. Walmer is within seven miles of the borough of Sandwich, or else the freemen could not vote.

• 79.

  How is the municipality of Sandwich constituted ? – A mayor, aldermen, and burgesses.

• 80.

  How many aldermen ? – Four.

• 81.

  And how many town councillors ? – Twelve.

• 82.

  Are the municipal elections political ? – No, not at all.

• 83.

  Do you know how they are now divided at Sandwich ? – Do you mean the council as regards politics ?

• 84.

  Yes ? – I do not know at all ; but I may say this, we know nothing of politics in the council. You may take as an off-hand statement that the majority is Liberal at this moment.

• 85.

  You say that the contests for the municipal offices are not in any way political ? – No, they are not.

• 86.

  Do you know, with regard to Deal, how that is ? – No, I know nothing about it. We have had no municipal contests in Sandwich since 1875.

• 87.

  (Mr Turner.) They have been re-elected without contests ? – Yes.

• 88.

  (Mr. Holl.) With regard to Deal, of what does the Corporation consist ? – The town clerk will give you all that information.

• 89.

  Can you tell me what the number of PUBLIC-HOUSES is in Sandwich, licensed and unlicensed ? – Mr. Emmerson, the clerk, is here and will give you the exact particulars.

• 90.

  Can you tell me who are the active leading Conservatives in Sandwich; first of all, is there a Conservative Association ? – I really do not know, I believe there is something in a very small way, but I do not have anything to do with politics myself, and any opinion that I gave you would be merely that of an outsider altogether.