This advertisement concerns the general election of 1826, which was bitterly contested in Northumberland. As part of the process, polls took place at Alnwick from 20 June to 6 July 1826. The candidates were Henry Thomas Liddell, Matthew Bell, Thomas Wentworth Beaumont and Viscount Howick. The franchise included all freeholders of property worth 40 shillings (£2) or more per annum: each had two votes, but could plump for a single candidate. After an epic series of hustings and polls, mired by personal antagonism (a duel was fought) and the expenditure of vast sums to secure votes, Liddell and Bell were elected.
The poster makes clear that packets and other vessels were required to supplement the regular coaches from Newcastle, which could not hope to carry the number of people spectating and taking part in the hustings and election. Although Newcastle and the south of Northumberland were more populous, Alnwick, as the ancient county town, held the hustings. The candidates asked the owners of vehicles and vessels to carry passengers free of charge, but many saw the opportunity to cash in, adding to the enormous cost of the contest.
The text of the advertisement also reveals the impact of steam power with Cookson, the packet’s owner, able to state that his vessel would leave Newcastle at five in the morning precisely and arrive at Alemouth (Alnmouth) at nine. Such confidence with timetabling, even if misplaced regarding exact precision, was impossible for a sailing vessel, where progress was determined, in large part, by wind speed and direction.