236:
called these boroughs "rotten boroughs" because they had so few inhabitants left, or "pocket boroughs", because their MPs were elected by the whim of the patron, thereby being "in his pocket"; the actual votes of the electors were a mere formality since all or most of them voted as the patron instructed them, with or without bribery. As voting was by show of hands at a single polling station at a single time, few would vote contrary to the declared wishes of the patron. Often only one candidate would be nominated (or two for a two-seat constituency) so that the election was uncontested, because other candidates saw it as futile to stand.
142:
1263:
Onevote stood in the middle of a heath, and consisted of a solitary farm, of which the land was so poor and intractable, that it would not have been worth the while of any human being to cultivate it, had not the Duke of
Rottenburgh found it very well worth his while to pay his tenant for living there, to keep the honourable borough in existence." The single voter of the borough, Mr Christopher Corporate, elects two MPs, each of whom "can only be considered as the representative of half of him".
45:
1303:, who, delighted by the quality of the local beer, instantly raised the small town of Crawley into a borough, giving it two members in Parliament. At the time of the story, set in the early 19th century, the place had lost population, so that it was "come down to that condition of borough which used to be denominated rotten". Queen's Crawley re-appears in Thackeray's
615:", the occupants of which had the right to vote in the borough's parliamentary elections. A wealthy patron therefore had merely to buy up these specially qualified houses and install in them his own tenants, selected for their willingness to do their landlord's bidding, or given such precarious forms of tenure that they dared not displease him. As there was no
232:(MPs) to the House of Commons. It was not unusual for the physical boundary of the settlement to change as the town developed or contracted over time, for example due to changes in its trade and industry, so that the boundaries of the parliamentary borough and of the physical settlement were no longer the same.
1422:
elected to the fictional rotten borough of Dunny-on-the-Wold (presumably a reference to
Dunwich, with 'dunny' also being a slang term meaning 'toilet' in Australian English or 'idiot' in an obsolete British English dialect). He easily accomplished this with a result of 16,472 to nil, even though the
1474:
The county of
Yorkshire, which contains near a million souls, sends two county members; and so does the county of Rutland which contains not a hundredth part of that number. The town of Old Sarum, which contains not three houses, sends two members; and the town of Manchester, which contains upwards
1229:
has been referred to as the UK's Last Rotten
Borough due to the fact that only four of its 25 electoral wards hold elections where voting by residents decides the result. The other wards are decided on votes cast by business leaders, not residents, making this the only local government authority in
331:
who might give the seats in
Parliament to their like-minded friends or relations, or who went to Parliament if they were not already members of the House of Lords. They also commonly sold them for money or other favours; the peers who controlled such boroughs had a double influence in Parliament as
295:
had the connotation of corruption as well as long-term decline. In such boroughs most or all of the few electors could not vote as they pleased, due to the lack of a ballot and their dependency on the "owner" of the borough. Only rarely were the views or personal character of a candidate taken into
235:
For centuries, constituencies electing members to the House of
Commons did not change to reflect population shifts, and in some places the number of electors became so few that they could be bribed or otherwise influenced by a single wealthy patron. In the early 19th century, reformists scornfully
1262:
named Sir Oran Haut-Ton is elected to parliament by the "ancient and honourable borough of
Onevote". The election of Sir Oran forms part of the hero's plan to persuade civilisation to share his belief that orang-utans are a race of human beings who merely lack the power of speech. "The borough of
299:
Typically, rotten boroughs had gained their representation in
Parliament when they were more flourishing centres, but the borough's boundaries had never been changed or they had become depopulated or deserted over the centuries. Some had once been important places or had played a major role in
1579:
When
Colonel Dobbin quitted the service, which he did immediately after his marriage, he rented a pretty country place in Hampshire, not far from Queen's Crawley, where, after the passing of the Reform Bill, Sir Pitt and his family constantly resided now. All idea of a peerage was out of the
336:. This patronage was based on property rights which could be inherited and passed on to heirs or sold, as a form of property. Despite the small number of voters in each district listed below, for all or much of the time of their existence the boroughs had two MPs.
239:
Thus an MP might be elected by only a few voters (although the number of constituents would usually be higher), while at the same time many new towns, which had grown due to increased trade and industry, were inadequately represented. Before 1832 the town of
686:, which disfranchised the 56 boroughs listed below, most of them in the south and west of England. This redistributed representation in Parliament to new major population centres and places with significant industries, which tended to be farther north.
1561:"Could you not spend an afternoon at Milport, to meet the electors? There are not many of them, and those few are all my tenants, so it is no more than a formality; but there is a certain decency to be kept up. The writ will be issued very soon."
671:, called for parliamentary reform. Specifically, they thought that the rotten borough system was unfair and they called for a more equal distribution of representatives that reflected the population of Britain. However, legislation enacted by
290:
came into use in the 18th century; it meant a parliamentary borough with a tiny electorate, so small that voters were susceptible to control in a variety of ways, as it had declined in population and importance since its early days. The word
1101:
constituencies were rotten and pocket boroughs, and their right to representation was defended by the successive Tory governments in office between 1807 and 1830. During this period they came under criticism from figures such as
2103:
2513:
1365:(1988), Jack's father dies and the seat is offered to Jack himself by his cousin Edward Norton, the "owner" of the borough. The borough has just seventeen electors, all of whom are tenants of Mr Norton.
1439:
briefly mentions pocket and rotten boroughs in a database entry entitled "Pocket
Boroughs", with Old Sarum identified as one of the worst examples of a pocket borough. In the game, shortly before the
619:
until 1872, the landowner could evict electors who did not vote for the two men he wanted. A common expression referring to such a situation was that "Mr A had been elected on Lord B's interest".
2482:
1157:
has a column entitled "Rotten Boroughs", which lists stories of municipal wrongdoing. In this instance, "boroughs" refers to local government districts rather than parliamentary constituencies.
1580:
question, the baronet's two seats in Parliament being lost. He was both out of pocket and out of spirits by that catastrophe, failed in his health, and prophesied the speedy ruin of the Empire.
1914:
1359:
of sea-faring tales, the pocket borough of Milport (also known as Milford) is initially held by General Aubrey, the father of protagonist Jack Aubrey. In the twelfth novel in the series,
1117:
being cited as a key example. Some MPs claimed that the boroughs should be retained, as Britain had enjoyed periods of prosperity while they were part of the constitution of Parliament.
637:
is said to have had seven boroughs "in his pocket". One of the representatives of a pocket borough was often the man who controlled it, and for this reason they were also referred to as
2065:
1664:
274:, which greatly hindered patrons from controlling elections by preventing them from knowing how an elector had voted. At the same time, the practice of paying or entertaining voters ("
2328:
2185:
316:, built on a new site nearby ("New Sarum"). The new site immediately attracted merchants and workers who built up a new town around it. Despite this dramatic loss of population, the
1382:, mentions that his father, Sir Buckley Flashman, had been in Parliament, but "they did for him at Reform" – implying that the elder Flashman had sat for a rotten or pocket borough.
2379:
829:
2096:
2318:
2313:
2394:
2359:
678:
In the 19th century, there were moves toward reform, which broadly meant ending the over-representation of boroughs with few electors. The culmination of the process of
2528:
2157:
651:. This considerably extended the borough franchise and established the principle that each parliamentary constituency should hold roughly the same number of electors.
2457:
2308:
2162:
2147:
2089:
1053:
753:
2399:
1447:(NPC) can be heard speaking to a group of people on the colonies' lack of representation in Parliament and listing several rotten boroughs, including Old Sarum.
1005:
2293:
948:
863:
644:
Pocket boroughs were seen by their 19th-century owners as a valuable method of ensuring the representation of the landed interest in the House of Commons.
634:
189:
62:
2369:
2303:
1059:
1023:
902:
800:
481:
1113:
It was argued in defence of such boroughs that they provided stability and were also a means for promising young politicians to enter Parliament, with
2518:
2440:
2374:
2270:
1065:
980:
921:
846:
592:
557:
2280:
1188:
995:
819:
742:
580:
1132:, had no representation of their own at Westminster, representatives of these groups often claimed that rotten boroughs provided opportunities for
622:
There were also boroughs which were controlled not by a particular patron but rather by the Crown, specifically by the departments of state of the
1017:
985:
963:
841:
824:
795:
790:
763:
722:
528:
249:
241:
1943:"Fenland named by Electoral Reform Society as top of their 'rotten boroughs' on two counts – and candidate apathy is blamed for putting us there"
1143:
asked the nation to look at the system as a whole, saying that if pocket boroughs were disenfranchised, the whole system was liable to collapse.
1179:(with small voter bases attached to special interests) are often referred to as "rotten boroughs" by long-time columnist Jake van der Kamp. In
1000:
931:
897:
875:
778:
732:
727:
437:
362:
317:
1755:
The State of the Representation of England and Wales, Delivered to the Society, the Friends of the People ... on ... the 9th of February, 1793
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81:
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1643:
128:
88:
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2298:
2118:
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1098:
545:
2462:
2389:
2265:
1198:
1870:
1175:
The term "rotten borough" is sometimes used to disparage electorates used to gain political leverage. In Hong Kong and Macau,
1709:
Hampsher-Monk, Iain (1979). "Civic Humanism and Parliamentary Reform: The Case of the Society of the Friends of the People".
66:
95:
2235:
2230:
2445:
1942:
1295:
introduces the fictitious borough of "Queen's Crawley", so named in honour of a stopover in the small Hampshire town of
664:
1769:
Emsley, Clive (985). "Repression, 'Terror' and the Rule of Law in England During the Decade of the French Revolution".
1183:, the term has been used to refer to electorates which, by dint of an agreement for a larger party, have been won by a
611:
Pocket boroughs were boroughs which could effectively be controlled by a single person who owned at least half of the "
77:
2425:
1567:
1292:
197:
584:
1356:
647:
Significantly diminished by the Reform Act 1832, pocket boroughs were for all practical purposes abolished by the
300:
England's history but had fallen into insignificance as for example when industry moved away. In the 12th century
266:
abolished the rotten boroughs and redistributed representation in Parliament to new major population centres. The
55:
2008:
1176:
196:, which had a very small electorate and could be used by a patron to gain unrepresentative influence within the
2523:
2503:
2477:
2142:
1968:
1593:
1219:
1211:
672:
259:, out of 406 elected members, 152 were chosen by less than 100 voters each, and 88 by fewer than fifty voters.
185:
1887:
1332:
2435:
2013:
1598:
1435:
1369:
655:
were set up by subsequent Acts of Parliament to maintain this principle as population movements continued.
141:
1459:
1326:
1153:
1133:
1114:
588:
31:
2071:
1348:
1125:
679:
571:
245:
229:
217:
201:
173:
102:
1915:"Eric Pickles to lead electoral fraud investigation into 'rotten boroughs' after Tower Hamlets scandal"
1633:
1554:
1538:
1480:
1444:
1361:
1279:
1544:
Fairy Queen: Let me see. I've a borough or two at my disposal. Would you like to go into Parliament?
630:, and which thus returned the candidates nominated by the ministers in charge of those departments.
2035:
1572:
1393:
1374:
1286:
1255:
1129:
682:
in 1829 finally brought the reform issue to a head. The reform movement had a major success in the
313:
312:
within its city precincts, but it was abandoned when the cathedral was moved to create the present
309:
148:
in Wiltshire, an uninhabited hill which until 1832 elected two Members of Parliament. Painting by
2404:
1778:
1734:
1726:
1336:
1296:
1249:
181:
177:
1549:
675:
caused these societies to disband by making it illegal for them to meet or publish information.
296:
consideration, except by the minority of voters who were not beholden to a particular interest.
248:
from a small settlement into a large city, was merely part of the larger county constituency of
2467:
1976:
1805:
1797:
1689:
1639:
1407:
1343:
1318:
1300:
627:
2021:
1475:
of sixty thousand souls, is not admitted to send any. Is there any principle in these things?
1718:
1271:
1207:
reported that Tower Hamlets was to be the subject of an investigation into electoral fraud.
1140:
320:
retained its right to elect two MPs, putting them under the control of a landowning family.
2354:
2152:
2137:
1919:
1440:
1313:
1267:
1203:
1107:
683:
648:
267:
263:
225:
205:
193:
2081:
262:
By the early 19th century moves were made towards reform, with eventual success when the
1604:
1379:
1305:
1226:
1169:
1165:
498:
333:
305:
149:
1352:, Old Sarum features as a character, with one line being "I'm a rotten borough, I am."
2497:
1825:
1738:
1193:
616:
600:
419:
324:
271:
221:
2260:
2060:
1659:
1485:
1464:
1275:
1103:
562:
1753:
497:
One seat was controlled from the mid-17th century to 1832 by the Treby family of
2129:
1848:
1843:
1184:
1180:
1121:
623:
549:
510:
200:. The same terms were used for similar boroughs represented in the 18th-century
44:
2002:
1322:(1864–1865), a borough called "Pocket-Breaches" elects Mr. Veneering as its MP.
1401:
1259:
17:
1980:
1411:
367:
301:
145:
1969:"City of London Corporation: 'last rotten borough' faces calls for reform"
2420:
1635:
The People's Book; Comprising their Chartered Rights and Practical Wrongs
1533:
1419:
1231:
533:
442:
275:
612:
462:
328:
1782:
1730:
393:
633:
Some rich individuals controlled several boroughs; for example, the
1722:
255:
Many of these ancient boroughs elected two MPs. By the time of the
486:
140:
1798:"Empire and Parliamentary Reform: The 1832 Reform Act Revisited"
663:
In the late 18th century, many political societies, such as the
2085:
27:
Former type of parliamentary borough or constituency in England
1397:
476:
Most of this formerly prosperous town had fallen into the sea
38:
1888:"Tower Hamlets – London's rotten borough | Coffee House"
1187:, enabling that party to gain more seats under the country's
220:
was a town or former town that had been incorporated under a
689:
208:
abolished the majority of these rotten and pocket boroughs.
278:") was outlawed, and election expenses fell dramatically.
2066:
The Structure of Politics at the Accession of George III
1665:
The Structure of Politics at the Accession of George III
2329:
Parliamentary Voting System and Constituencies Act 2011
1576:
is a rotten borough eliminated by the Reform Act 1832:
2514:
Constituencies of the Parliament of the United Kingdom
2380:
Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000
1423:
constituency had only one voter (Blackadder himself).
2375:
European Parliamentary Elections Act 1999 (repealed)
1514:
And he never thought of thinking for himself at all.
2413:
2342:
2319:
House of Commons (Redistribution of Seats) Act 1949
2314:
House of Commons (Redistribution of Seats) Act 1944
2279:
2253:
2128:
2117:
69:. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
2395:Electoral Registration and Administration Act 2013
2076:Western Civilization – Volume II: Since 1500
2036:"Black Adder – Episode Guide: Dish and Dishonesty"
2001:
1508:And I never thought of thinking for myself at all.
1274:rotten boroughs are a recurring theme. John Grey,
1168:compared small island states with one vote in the
2360:Corrupt and Illegal Practices Prevention Act 1883
1871:"Banksy's brew not so bewitching this time round"
1804:. Cambridge University Press. pp. 295–312.
1688:(2nd ed.). London: Hodder & Stoughton.
2458:2011 United Kingdom Alternative Vote referendum
2365:European Assembly Elections Act 1978 (repealed)
1802:Rethinking the Age of Reform: Britain 1780-1850
1577:
1559:
1542:
1490:
1472:
2400:Dissolution and Calling of Parliament Act 2022
1877:, 11 November 2011. Retrieved 1 February 2014.
2097:
1214:produced a list of "Rotten Boroughs" for the
599:served as a Member for the rotten borough of
8:
1524:By making me the Ruler of the Queen's Navee!
1136:in Parliament for colonial interest groups.
2294:Parliamentary Boundaries (Ireland) Act 1832
2390:Fixed-term Parliaments Act 2011 (repealed)
2370:Registration of Political Parties Act 1998
2304:Redistribution of Seats (Ireland) Act 1918
2125:
2104:
2090:
2082:
1800:. In Burns, Arthur; Innes, Joanna (eds.).
1458:" the rotten part of the constitution." –
338:
224:, giving it the right to send two elected
1832:. Joint Matriculation Board. p. 104.
1777:(397). Oxford University Press: 801–825.
1686:Government and Reform: Britain, 1815–1918
1684:Pearce, Robert D.; Stearn, Roger (2000).
129:Learn how and when to remove this message
1679:
1677:
1675:
323:Many rotten boroughs were controlled by
2529:Political history of the United Kingdom
1621:
1331:was a controversial story published by
1172:General Assembly to "rotten boroughs".
2112:Electoral reform in the United Kingdom
591:as a Member for the rotten borough of
30:For the novel by Oliver Anderson, see
2334:Parliamentary Constituencies Act 2020
2324:Parliamentary Constituencies Act 1986
1520:I thought so little, they rewarded me
7:
2022:participating institution membership
1500:By a pocket borough into Parliament.
669:Society of the Friends of the People
597:Robert Stewart, Viscount Castlereagh
308:, reliant on the wealth expended by
244:, which expanded rapidly during the
67:adding citations to reliable sources
2483:Parliamentary franchise (1885–1918)
1638:. London: W. Strange. p. 406.
1282:are all elected by rotten boroughs.
1216:2019 United Kingdom local elections
1201:as a "rotten borough", and in 2015
1566:The Borough of Queen's Crawley in
1504:I always voted at my party's call,
1189:proportional representation system
544:Controlled by the Rolle family of
25:
2385:Electoral Administration Act 2006
2289:Parliamentary Boundaries Act 1832
1120:Because British colonists in the
2519:Corruption in the United Kingdom
2350:Parliamentary Elections Act 1868
2299:Redistribution of Seats Act 1885
1941:Elworthy, John (20 April 2019).
1913:Morris, Nigel (13 August 2015).
1410:attempts to bolster support for
1378:series, the eponymous antihero,
1251:Melincourt, or Sir Oran Haut-Ton
1230:the UK that now lacks a popular
579:Before being awarded a peerage,
43:
2463:Elections in the United Kingdom
1967:Quinn, Ben (30 November 2012).
1199:London Borough of Tower Hamlets
252:and did not elect its own MPs.
54:needs additional citations for
2309:Government of Ireland Act 1920
1496:I grew so rich that I was sent
1291:(published 1847–1848), author
1:
1771:The English Historical Review
1339:in 1937, republished in 1989.
665:London Corresponding Society
340:Examples of rotten boroughs
78:"Rotten and pocket boroughs"
2426:Unreformed House of Commons
1418:by getting the incompetent
1368:In the 1969 first novel of
1293:William Makepeace Thackeray
198:unreformed House of Commons
2545:
2431:Rotten and pocket boroughs
1711:Journal of British Studies
1285:In Chapter 7 of the novel
29:
2176:
2009:Oxford English Dictionary
1599:Functional constituencies
1309:(published in 1857–1859).
1177:functional constituencies
318:constituency of Old Sarum
2509:Apportionment by country
2478:Parliament in the Making
1594:Apportionment (politics)
1220:Fenland District Council
1212:Electoral Reform Society
1097:A substantial number of
673:William Pitt the Younger
2436:University constituency
2266:England and Wales, 1835
2153:England and Wales, 1867
2138:England and Wales, 1832
2014:Oxford University Press
1370:George MacDonald Fraser
1248:In the satirical novel
1225:The Corporation of the
830:Yarmouth, Isle of Wight
332:they held seats in the
2072:Spielvogel, Jackson J.
1796:Taylor, Miles (2003).
1601:in Hong Kong and Macau
1582:
1563:
1546:
1528:
1477:
1460:William Pitt the Elder
1134:virtual representation
1115:William Pitt the Elder
815:Newtown, Isle of Wight
639:proprietorial boroughs
589:Irish House of Commons
153:
32:Rotten Borough (novel)
1357:Aubrey–Maturin series
1349:The Merlin Conspiracy
1126:British North America
1093:Contemporary defences
680:Catholic Emancipation
572:Parliament of Ireland
257:1831 general election
246:Industrial Revolution
230:Members of Parliament
218:parliamentary borough
202:Parliament of Ireland
174:parliamentary borough
170:proprietorial borough
144:
2473:Boundary commissions
1668:. London: Macmillan.
1555:The Letter of Marque
1539:Gilbert and Sullivan
1481:Gilbert and Sullivan
1445:non-player character
1436:Assassin's Creed III
1403:Blackadder the Third
1362:The Letter of Marque
1268:parliamentary novels
1139:The Tory politician
653:Boundary commissions
63:improve this article
2281:Constituency reform
2012:(Online ed.).
1830:Liberal Democracies
1493:Sir Joseph Porter:
1394:Dish and Dishonesty
1375:The Flashman Papers
1335:under the pen name
1256:Thomas Love Peacock
1130:Indian subcontinent
1128:, and those in the
341:
314:Salisbury Cathedral
2405:Elections Act 2022
2343:Other related Acts
1630:Carpenter, William
1400:television comedy
1238:In popular culture
1197:has described the
1162:The Age of Consent
585:Duke of Wellington
546:Heanton Satchville
339:
166:nomination borough
164:, also known as a
154:
2491:
2490:
2468:Corrupt practices
2249:
2248:
2119:Representation of
2020:(Subscription or
1844:"Rotten Boroughs"
1412:the Prince Regent
1408:Edmund Blackadder
1344:Diana Wynne Jones
1319:Our Mutual Friend
1301:Queen Elizabeth I
1280:Lord Silverbridge
1089:
1088:
635:Duke of Newcastle
613:burgage tenements
577:
576:
139:
138:
131:
113:
16:(Redirected from
2536:
2441:Women's suffrage
2254:Municipal Reform
2126:
2106:
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2092:
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2047:
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2043:
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2017:
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1998:
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1989:
1987:
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1752:England (1793).
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1649:
1626:
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1501:
1497:
1392:In the episode "
1272:Anthony Trollope
1141:Spencer Perceval
853:Northamptonshire
690:
587:, served in the
581:Arthur Wellesley
517:
469:
426:
406:
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342:
304:had been a busy
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2504:Rotten boroughs
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2355:Ballot Act 1872
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2121:the People Acts
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2055:Further reading
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2019:
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1920:The Independent
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1441:Boston Massacre
1433:The video game
1430:
1389:
1333:Oliver Anderson
1314:Charles Dickens
1245:
1240:
1204:The Independent
1149:
1108:William Cobbett
1095:
1090:
1080:, Herefordshire
1054:Bishop's Castle
1036:
1006:Wootton Bassett
750:or St Michael's
695:Buckinghamshire
684:Reform Act 1832
661:
649:Reform Act 1867
609:
607:Pocket boroughs
515:
467:
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310:Sarum Cathedral
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2257:
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2140:
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1817:
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1723:10.1086/385738
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1323:
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1306:The Virginians
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334:House of Lords
306:cathedral city
288:rotten borough
283:
280:
213:
210:
190:United Kingdom
162:pocket borough
150:John Constable
137:
136:
51:
49:
42:
26:
24:
18:Rotten Borough
14:
13:
10:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
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2271:Ireland, 1840
2269:
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2264:
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2234:
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2199:
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2187:
2184:
2182:
2179:
2178:
2175:
2169:
2166:
2164:
2163:Ireland, 1868
2161:
2159:
2156:
2154:
2151:
2149:
2148:Ireland, 1832
2146:
2144:
2141:
2139:
2136:
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2127:
2124:
2122:
2116:
2107:
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2100:
2095:
2093:
2088:
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2077:
2073:
2070:
2068:
2067:
2062:
2061:Namier, Lewis
2059:
2058:
2054:
2037:
2031:
2028:
2023:
2015:
2011:
2010:
2004:
1997:
1994:
1982:
1978:
1974:
1970:
1963:
1960:
1948:
1944:
1937:
1934:
1922:
1921:
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1894:. 26 May 2014
1893:
1892:The Spectator
1889:
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1811:9780521823944
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1691:
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1660:Namier, Lewis
1655:
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1645:9781445724324
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1469:Rights of Man
1466:
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1196:
1195:
1194:The Spectator
1190:
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1173:
1171:
1167:
1163:
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1151:The magazine
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1061:
1060:Castle Rising
1058:
1055:
1052:
1050:, Westmorland
1049:
1046:
1045:
1041:
1040:
1039:
1037:
1032:, East Riding
1031:
1028:
1025:
1024:Boroughbridge
1022:
1020:, West Riding
1019:
1016:
1015:
1011:
1010:
1007:
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1002:
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928:
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904:
903:Milborne Port
901:
899:
896:
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807:
806:
802:
801:Plympton Erle
799:
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789:
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780:
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640:
636:
631:
629:
625:
620:
618:
617:secret ballot
614:
606:
604:
602:
601:Plympton Erle
598:
594:
590:
586:
582:
573:
570:
568:
566:
564:
561:
559:
556:
555:
551:
547:
543:
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537:
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532:
530:
527:
526:
523:
520:
514:
512:
509:
507:
504:
503:
500:
496:
493:
490:
488:
485:
483:
482:Plympton Erle
480:
479:
475:
472:
466:
464:
461:
459:
456:
455:
452:
449:
446:
444:
441:
439:
436:
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432:
429:
423:
421:
420:Isle of Wight
418:
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403:
397:
395:
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371:
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343:
337:
335:
330:
326:
321:
319:
315:
311:
307:
303:
297:
294:
289:
281:
279:
277:
273:
272:secret ballot
269:
265:
260:
258:
253:
251:
247:
243:
237:
233:
231:
227:
223:
222:royal charter
219:
211:
209:
207:
203:
199:
195:
191:
187:
186:Great Britain
183:
179:
175:
171:
167:
163:
159:
151:
147:
143:
133:
130:
122:
111:
108:
104:
101:
97:
94:
90:
87:
83:
80: –
79:
75:
74:Find sources:
68:
64:
58:
57:
52:This article
50:
46:
41:
40:
37:
33:
19:
2430:
2075:
2064:
2040:. Retrieved
2030:
2007:
1996:
1984:. Retrieved
1973:The Guardian
1972:
1962:
1950:. Retrieved
1946:
1936:
1924:. Retrieved
1918:
1908:
1898:13 September
1896:. Retrieved
1891:
1882:
1874:
1865:
1853:. Retrieved
1847:
1838:
1829:
1820:
1801:
1791:
1774:
1770:
1764:
1754:
1747:
1717:(2): 70–89.
1714:
1710:
1704:
1685:
1663:
1654:
1634:
1624:
1578:
1571:
1560:
1553:
1543:
1532:
1517:Sir Joseph:
1492:
1486:HMS Pinafore
1484:
1473:
1468:
1465:Thomas Paine
1434:
1402:
1373:
1360:
1347:
1346:' 2003 book
1327:
1317:
1304:
1287:
1276:Phineas Finn
1250:
1224:
1222:at the top.
1209:
1202:
1192:
1174:
1161:
1160:In his book
1159:
1152:
1150:
1138:
1119:
1112:
1104:Thomas Paine
1096:
1083:
1074:, Lancashire
1066:Corfe Castle
1056:, Shropshire
1035:
981:Great Bedwyn
922:Bletchingley
847:Queenborough
677:
662:
646:
643:
638:
632:
621:
610:
578:
563:County Meath
322:
298:
292:
287:
285:
261:
254:
238:
234:
215:
178:constituency
169:
165:
161:
157:
155:
125:
116:
106:
99:
92:
85:
73:
61:Please help
56:verification
53:
36:
2130:Reform Acts
2078:p. 493
1947:Cambs Times
1926:13 February
1869:Murray, J.
1849:Private Eye
1573:Vanity Fair
1428:Video games
1337:Julian Pine
1288:Vanity Fair
1185:minor party
1181:New Zealand
1154:Private Eye
1147:Later usage
1122:West Indies
996:Ludgershall
820:Stockbridge
743:Lostwithiel
550:Stevenstone
511:West Sussex
192:before the
2498:Categories
2024:required.)
1986:18 October
1855:3 February
1611:References
1452:Quotations
1416:Parliament
1387:Television
1325:The novel
1260:orang-utan
1254:(1817) by
1243:Literature
1018:Aldborough
986:Heytesbury
964:Winchelsea
842:New Romney
825:Whitchurch
796:Okehampton
791:Beeralston
764:St Germans
723:Callington
529:Callington
325:landowners
250:Lancashire
242:Manchester
212:Background
119:April 2019
89:newspapers
1981:0261-3077
1758:. London.
1739:143821652
1568:Thackeray
1396:" of the
1232:franchise
1062:, Norfolk
1012:Yorkshire
1001:Old Sarum
970:Wiltshire
932:Haslemere
898:Ilchester
876:Aldeburgh
809:Hampshire
779:West Looe
733:East Looe
728:Camelford
628:Admiralty
552:in Devon
438:East Looe
368:Wiltshire
363:Old Sarum
302:Old Sarum
286:The term
226:burgesses
188:, or the
146:Old Sarum
2421:Chartism
2063:(1957)
1828:(1990).
1662:(1929).
1632:(1831).
1588:See also
1534:Iolanthe
1511:Chorus:
1471:, 1791:
1420:Baldrick
1316:' novel
1164:(2003),
1068:, Dorset
959:Steyning
908:Minehead
892:Somerset
859:Brackley
769:St Mawes
748:Mitchell
718:Bossiney
712:Cornwall
706:Amersham
701:Wendover
667:and the
624:Treasury
583:, later
534:Cornwall
443:Cornwall
276:treating
172:, was a
2074:(2003)
1355:In the
1297:Crawley
1266:In the
1218:, with
1078:Weobley
1048:Appleby
976:Downton
954:Seaford
944:Bramber
881:Dunwich
870:Suffolk
774:Tregony
759:Saltash
754:Newport
506:Bramber
463:Suffolk
458:Dunwich
415:Newtown
345:Borough
182:England
103:scholar
1979:
1952:21 May
1875:3 News
1808:
1783:572566
1781:
1737:
1731:175513
1729:
1692:
1642:
1278:, and
1084:
1072:Newton
991:Hindon
938:Sussex
927:Gatton
916:Surrey
886:Orford
659:Reform
394:Surrey
389:Gatton
357:Notes
354:Voters
351:Houses
348:County
293:rotten
204:. The
158:rotten
152:, 1829
105:
98:
91:
84:
76:
2446:Wales
2042:2 May
2038:. BBC
2018:
2003:"sit"
1779:JSTOR
1735:S2CID
1727:JSTOR
1616:Notes
1531:From
1258:, an
1030:Hedon
785:Devon
738:Fowey
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