The
Representation of the People Act 1832 (known informally as the
1832 Reform Act,
Great Reform Act or
First Reform Act to distinguish it from subsequent
Reform Acts) was an
Act of Parliament (indexed as
2 & 3 Will. IV c. 45) which introduced wide-ranging changes to the electoral system of
England and Wales. According to its preamble, the Act was designed to "take effectual Measures for correcting diverse Abuses that have long prevailed in the Choice of Members to serve in the
Commons House of Parliament". Before the reform, most members nominally represented
boroughs. The number of electors in a borough varied widely, from a dozen or so up to 12,000. Frequently the selection of
MPs was effectively controlled by one powerful patron: for example
Charles Howard, 11th Duke of Norfolk controlled eleven boroughs. Criteria for qualification for the
franchise varied greatly between boroughs, from the requirement to own land, to merely living in a house with a hearth sufficient to boil a pot.