Husting

The origin of the term comes from the Old English hūsting and Old Norse hūsþing (literally "house thing"), an assembly of the followers or household retainers of a nobleman,[1] such as a king, earl or chief.

According to the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, the husting contrasted with the folkmoot, which was the assembly of the entire people.

William Pitt the Younger was proposed and "was returned on the show of hands" but removed himself from consideration before the polling was completed.

[6][7] The 1832 act also slightly extended the franchise, expanding the percentage of the population eligible to vote from about 5% to 7%, and furthering the notions of representation.

[6] Although ineligible to vote, historians have noted that women and unenfranchised men took part in "looking on"—the "active participation of non-electors in the rituals of the nomination and the hustings.

[13] The plural term (e.g., "on the hustings") is used to mean the campaign trail in current Canadian[15] and British usage.