1887 Cardiff Town Council election
On Tuesday 1 November 1887, Cardiff held elections for the Cardiff Town Council. This was the second-to-last all-Cardiff election before Cardiff became a county borough in 1889. The next council election would be on 1 November 1888.
Cardiff Town Council, created in 1836, had 30 councillors elected by voters and 10 aldermen elected by the councillors. Elections were held annually, but only some seats were up each year because six councillors from each ward stood down in a three-year rotation.
Four of Cardiff’s five wards had elections in November 1887. In the East ward, both councillors were elected unopposed. The weather on polling day was very bad, but the South Wales Echo noted a strong turnout of Irish voters. The Liberal party campaigned strongly and even organized carriages to bring women voters to the polls.
As a result, the Liberals gained four seats, and the council’s balance changed to Conservatives 20, Liberals 19. One alderman seat was vacant after the death of Alderman Jones, and whoever filled it could affect the balance of power on the council.
In the large South ward there was only one polling station (in the Metal Street schoolroom), but interest was high. Turnout reached 79%, and Irish voters largely supported the Liberals, helping retire Conservative councillors lose their seats. Beavan, who became a new councillor, had stood unsuccessfully in November 1886 in the Canton ward.
The West ward also drew interest, with very large crowds at the results. Proger had represented the ward for nine years without a contest.
Note: some ward councillors were retiring but standing for re-election. Ten seats were up for election in November 1888.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 06:15 (CET).