Scottish Reform

Scottish Country Dance Instruction

1- 8 1s ½ turn RH into centre to Balance-in-Line across with 2s, ½ turn 2s into centre LH and Balance-in-Line
9-16 1s ½ turn 2s LH and again Balance-in-Line across, 1s turn RH and to places
17-24 1s lead down the middle and back
25-32 1s+2s dance Poussette. 2 1

(MINICRIB. Dance crib compiled by Charles Upton, Deeside Caledonian Society, and his successors)

Keith Rose's Crib Diagram

Scottish Reform - Full Size And Key To Symbols

Dance Instruction Videos

Dance Information

It was passed at the same time as similar measures for England, Wales, and Ireland, and was formally titled the Representation of the People (Scotland) Act 1832. The legislation was largely shaped by Francis Jeffrey and Henry Cockburn, and introduced significant changes to the way parliamentary representation operated north of the border.

Before the act, Scotland's electorate was extremely limited, amounting to around 0.2 per cent of the population compared with 4 per cent in England. Only about 5,000 men could vote, and political power was concentrated in the hands of a small number of wealthy families. The act expanded the franchise dramatically, raising the number of voters to about 65,000, or roughly 13 per cent of adult males. This was achieved by extending the vote to householders in burghs with property valued at £10 and to landowners or tenants meeting property or rental thresholds in the counties.

The legislation did not fundamentally change the principle that each county elected one member of Parliament, but it did remove the previous arrangement under which six smaller counties shared representation by alternating between parliaments. Instead, Clackmannanshire and Kinross-shire were combined into a single constituency, Buteshire and Caithness-shire each gained their own member, and Cromartyshire and Nairnshire were joined with neighbouring counties to form Ross and Cromarty, and Elginshire and Nairnshire.

Representation in the burghs was also revised. Edinburgh and Glasgow were each granted two members, while Aberdeen, Dundee, Greenock, Paisley, and Perth received one member apiece. Other burghs were grouped into districts to elect eighteen members in total. Unlike the earlier system, where representatives from each burgh met to choose a member, votes were now counted individually across the district. Boundary changes meant that parliamentary burghs did not always match the boundaries used for local purposes.

The overall impact of the act was considerable. The number of Scottish members of Parliament increased from forty-five to fifty-three, while the electorate expanded more than twelvefold. However, voting was not conducted by secret ballot, and landowners could still exert influence by allocating nominal property parcels valued at £10 to individuals who would then vote according to their instructions.

The Scottish Reform Act of 1832 was later amended by the Statute Law Revision Act of 1890 and repealed by the Statute Law (Repeals) Act of 1981. Despite its eventual repeal, the act marked a decisive moment in the development of parliamentary democracy in Scotland, greatly widening participation and reshaping representation within the United Kingdom.

Scottish Reform Crib - Before Minicrib

Back to the top of this Scottish Country Dancing Instructions 'Scottish Reform' page