3-052-559 - The Print Collector/Heritage Images

The Middlesex Election: sketches at Brentford on Saturday last, 1880. 'We present Sketches of the Middlesex election on Saturday last, at the Brentford polling-place, "five minutes before" and "five minutes after" its precise moment of shutting up...At Brentford, the county town, there was considerable excitement from an early hour...The polling-place at Brentford was a wooden booth in the Market-square, in front of the Townhall, where the nominations had taken place. The town was profusely decorated with flags and mottoes, and some walls were ornamented with gigantic portraits of Mr. W. E. Gladstone, with the words "England's Glory: Vote for his son." The early morning arrivals showed a large preponderance in favour of Lord George Hamilton and Mr. Coope: but later in the day the wearers of buff-and-blue favours attended in almost equal proportions with the bearers of scarlet ribbons. The Liberal party encouraged their supporters by posting in conspicuous places the results of the polling throughout the country, with exhortations to the electors to "do their duty".' From "Illustrated London News", 1880.