¶Beneath 'Petre' in large letters, the card is illustrated with an engraving of Britannia holding a staff with a liberty cap, and a shield inscribed: 'Magna Charta, Bill of Rights, Trial by Jury, Reduction of Taxes'. Below this, 'The Friend of the People' surrounded by an attractive floral border. Edward Petre, 1794-1848, was the second surviving son of Robert Petre, 9th Baron Petre, of Stapleton Park, Yorkshire. He was the first Catholic Sheriff to be appointed after emancipation and he served as Mayor of York between 1830-31. He stood as a candidate in the 1830 York elections but withdrew amidst anti-Catholic sentiment. In 1831 he was elected unopposed as Member for Ilchester and later became a Member for York between 1832 and 1834 where he sat as 'a reformer, in general a supporter of the [Whig] administration', who advocated 'free trade ... the immediate abolition of slavery, the substitution of a property for the house and window tax, and the abolition of all monopolies'. Given that his election in Ilchester was unopposed, this rare voting card is likely to have been used to promote Petre's candidacy at either the 1830 or 1832 elections in York. Outside of politics, Petre was a leading figure in horse racing and kept a successful stable with Richard Rodes Milnes, the uncle of Richard Monckton Milnes; between 1822 and 1830 he won the St Ledger five times and once won £15,000 in a single day at Doncaster. PLEASE NOTE: For customers within the UK this item is subject to VAT.