225:
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.
131:
1252:
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".
34:
1292:, 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
604:", 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
221:(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.
1411:
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
1463:
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
1218:
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
320:
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
284:
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
224:
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
1251:
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
288:
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
1568:
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
325:. 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.
228:
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
675:, 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.
1550:"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."
660:, 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
279:
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
1090:
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
1354:(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.
1428:
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
608:
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".
1146:
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.
2224:
2219:
1569:
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.
1903:
1348:
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,
1106:
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.
626:
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
263:, 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 ("
305:, 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
1371:, 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.
2092:
2502:
2471:
667:
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
1321:
640:. This considerably extended the borough franchise and established the principle that each parliamentary constituency should hold roughly the same number of electors.
2054:
1653:
2317:
2174:
1436:(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.
2368:
818:
2085:
633:
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.
2307:
2302:
2383:
1102:
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
2348:
2517:
2146:
1121:, had no representation of their own at Westminster, representatives of these groups often claimed that rotten boroughs provided opportunities for
611:
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
2446:
2297:
2151:
2136:
2078:
1932:"Fenland named by Electoral Reform Society as top of their 'rotten boroughs' on two counts – and candidate apathy is blamed for putting us there"
1132:
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.
1042:
742:
2388:
1168:(with small voter bases attached to special interests) are often referred to as "rotten boroughs" by long-time columnist Jake van der Kamp. In
1744:
The State of the Representation of England and Wales, Delivered to the Society, the Friends of the People ... on ... the 9th of February, 1793
1325:
994:
2282:
937:
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623:
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70:
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1054:
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581:
546:
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984:
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731:
569:
77:
1006:
974:
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830:
813:
784:
779:
752:
711:
517:
238:
230:
989:
920:
886:
864:
767:
721:
716:
426:
351:
306:
1859:
1164:
The term "rotten borough" is sometimes used to disparage electorates used to gain political leverage. In Hong Kong and Macau,
2461:
2322:
2312:
2229:
2214:
2209:
2204:
2199:
2194:
2189:
2184:
2179:
2169:
2156:
1698:
Hampsher-Monk, Iain (1979). "Civic Humanism and Parliamentary Reform: The Case of the Society of the Friends of the People".
947:
896:
847:
757:
736:
706:
694:
689:
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84:
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1066:
1036:
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803:
762:
747:
657:
585:
494:
446:
403:
245:
1204:
1060:
979:
915:
874:
377:
1931:
1284:
introduces the fictitious borough of "Queen's Crawley", so named in honour of a stopover in the small Hampshire town of
2439:
1758:
Emsley, Clive (985). "Repression, 'Terror' and the Rule of Law in England During the Decade of the French Revolution".
1172:, the term has been used to refer to electorates which, by dint of an agreement for a larger party, have been won by a
1018:
726:
600:
Pocket boroughs were boroughs which could effectively be controlled by a single person who owned at least half of the "
66:
2497:
2373:
2277:
1798:
1682:
1632:
1618:
117:
2338:
2287:
2107:
1404:
1087:
534:
636:
Significantly diminished by the Reform Act 1832, pocket boroughs were for all practical purposes abolished by the
289:
England's history but had fallen into insignificance as for example when industry moved away. In the 12th century
255:
abolished the rotten boroughs and redistributed representation in Parliament to new major population centres. The
2451:
2378:
2254:
1187:
185:, which had a very small electorate and could be used by a patron to gain unrepresentative influence within the
1957:
248:, out of 406 elected members, 152 were chosen by less than 100 voters each, and 88 by fewer than fifty voters.
55:
1876:
2434:
653:
644:
were set up by subsequent Acts of Parliament to maintain this principle as population movements continued.
2414:
1556:
1281:
186:
91:
1904:"Eric Pickles to lead electoral fraud investigation into 'rotten boroughs' after Tower Hamlets scandal"
573:
1622:
1997:
1345:
1165:
1533:
Fairy Queen: Let me see. I've a borough or two at my disposal. Would you like to go into Parliament?
619:, and which thus returned the candidates nominated by the ministers in charge of those departments.
2512:
2492:
2466:
2131:
2024:
1582:
1208:
1200:
671:
in 1829 finally brought the reform issue to a head. The reform movement had a major success in the
661:
301:
within its city precincts, but it was abandoned when the cathedral was moved to create the present
174:
137:
in Wiltshire, an uninhabited hill which until 1832 elected two Members of Parliament. Painting by
2424:
2002:
1587:
1424:
1358:
44:
664:
caused these societies to disband by making it illegal for them to meet or publish information.
285:
consideration, except by the minority of voters who were not beholden to a particular interest.
237:
from a small settlement into a large city, was merely part of the larger county constituency of
1448:
1315:
1142:
1122:
1103:
577:
20:
1786:
2060:
2010:
1464:
of sixty thousand souls, is not admitted to send any. Is there any principle in these things?
1337:
1114:
668:
560:
234:
218:
206:
190:
162:
1196:
reported that Tower Hamlets was to be the subject of an investigation into electoral fraud.
309:
retained its right to elect two MPs, putting them under the control of a landowning family.
1543:
1527:
1469:
1433:
1350:
1268:
8:
2070:
1561:
1382:
1363:
1275:
1244:
1118:
302:
298:
251:
By the early 19th century moves were made towards reform, with eventual success when the
130:
2393:
1767:
1723:
1715:
1538:
1285:
1238:
170:
166:
1341:, Old Sarum features as a character, with one line being "I'm a rotten borough, I am."
2456:
1965:
1794:
1727:
1678:
1628:
1396:
1332:
1307:
1289:
616:
1707:
1260:
1129:
2343:
2141:
2126:
1908:
1742:
1429:
1302:
1256:
1192:
1096:
672:
637:
486:
One seat was controlled from the mid-17th century to 1832 by the Treby family of
256:
252:
214:
194:
182:
1832:
189:. The same terms were used for similar boroughs represented in the 18th-century
1991:
1593:
1368:
1311:(1864–1865), a borough called "Pocket-Breaches" elects Mr. Veneering as its MP.
1294:
1215:
1158:
1154:
487:
322:
294:
138:
2486:
1969:
1814:
1182:
605:
589:
408:
313:
260:
210:
2249:
2049:
1648:
1474:
1453:
1264:
1092:
551:
1958:"City of London Corporation: 'last rotten borough' faces calls for reform"
2118:
1837:
1624:
The People's Book; Comprising their Chartered Rights and Practical Wrongs
1173:
1169:
1110:
612:
538:
499:
1390:
1248:
1771:
1719:
1400:
356:
290:
134:
622:
Some rich individuals controlled several boroughs; for example, the
33:
2409:
1711:
1522:
1408:
1220:
522:
431:
264:
244:
Many of these ancient boroughs elected two MPs. By the time of the
601:
451:
317:
1787:"Empire and Parliamentary Reform: The 1832 Reform Act Revisited"
652:
In the late 18th century, many political societies, such as the
382:
16:
Former type of parliamentary borough or constituency in England
465:
Most of this formerly prosperous town had fallen into the sea
1877:"Tower Hamlets – London's rotten borough | Coffee House"
1176:, enabling that party to gain more seats under the country's
475:
209:
was a town or former town that had been incorporated under a
197:
abolished the majority of these rotten and pocket boroughs.
2100:
267:") was outlawed, and election expenses fell dramatically.
1386:
2055:
The Structure of Politics at the Accession of George III
1654:
The Structure of Politics at the Accession of George III
2318:
Parliamentary Voting System and Constituencies Act 2011
1565:
is a rotten borough eliminated by the Reform Act 1832:
2503:
Constituencies of the Parliament of the United Kingdom
2369:
Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000
1412:
constituency had only one voter (Blackadder himself).
2364:
European Parliamentary Elections Act 1999 (repealed)
1503:
And he never thought of thinking for himself at all.
2308:
House of Commons (Redistribution of Seats) Act 1949
2303:
House of Commons (Redistribution of Seats) Act 1944
58:. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
2384:Electoral Registration and Administration Act 2013
2065:Western Civilization – Volume II: Since 1500
2025:"Black Adder – Episode Guide: Dish and Dishonesty"
1990:
1497:And I never thought of thinking for myself at all.
1263:rotten boroughs are a recurring theme. John Grey,
1157:compared small island states with one vote in the
2349:Corrupt and Illegal Practices Prevention Act 1883
1860:"Banksy's brew not so bewitching this time round"
2484:
1793:. Cambridge University Press. pp. 295–312.
1677:(2nd ed.). London: Hodder & Stoughton.
2447:2011 United Kingdom Alternative Vote referendum
2354:European Assembly Elections Act 1978 (repealed)
1791:Rethinking the Age of Reform: Britain 1780-1850
2389:Dissolution and Calling of Parliament Act 2022
1989:
1866:, 11 November 2011. Retrieved 1 February 2014.
2086:
1697:
1203:produced a list of "Rotten Boroughs" for the
588:served as a Member for the rotten borough of
1672:
1513:By making me the Ruler of the Queen's Navee!
1125:in Parliament for colonial interest groups.
2283:Parliamentary Boundaries (Ireland) Act 1832
1691:
2379:Fixed-term Parliaments Act 2011 (repealed)
2359:Registration of Political Parties Act 1998
2293:Redistribution of Seats (Ireland) Act 1918
2117:
2093:
2079:
1789:. In Burns, Arthur; Innes, Joanna (eds.).
1447:" the rotten part of the constitution." –
213:, giving it the right to send two elected
1821:. Joint Matriculation Board. p. 104.
1766:(397). Oxford University Press: 801–825.
1675:Government and Reform: Britain, 1815–1918
1673:Pearce, Robert D.; Stearn, Roger (2000).
1617:
118:Learn how and when to remove this message
1929:
1668:
1666:
1664:
1081:
312:Many rotten boroughs were controlled by
129:
2518:Political history of the United Kingdom
1740:
1320:was a controversial story published by
1161:General Assembly to "rotten boroughs".
2485:
2101:Electoral reform in the United Kingdom
1901:
1784:
1647:
580:as a Member for the rotten borough of
19:For the novel by Oliver Anderson, see
2323:Parliamentary Constituencies Act 2020
2313:Parliamentary Constituencies Act 1986
2074:
1955:
1813:
1757:
1661:
1509:I thought so little, they rewarded me
1226:
2011:participating institution membership
1489:By a pocket borough into Parliament.
678:
658:Society of the Friends of the People
586:Robert Stewart, Viscount Castlereagh
297:, reliant on the wealth expended by
233:, which expanded rapidly during the
56:adding citations to reliable sources
27:
2472:Parliamentary franchise (1885–1918)
1627:. London: W. Strange. p. 406.
1271:are all elected by rotten boroughs.
1205:2019 United Kingdom local elections
1190:as a "rotten borough", and in 2015
13:
2043:
1555:The Borough of Queen's Crawley in
1493:I always voted at my party's call,
1178:proportional representation system
595:
533:Controlled by the Rolle family of
270:
14:
2529:
2374:Electoral Administration Act 2006
2278:Parliamentary Boundaries Act 1832
1109:Because British colonists in the
2508:Corruption in the United Kingdom
2339:Parliamentary Elections Act 1868
2288:Redistribution of Seats Act 1885
1930:Elworthy, John (20 April 2019).
1902:Morris, Nigel (13 August 2015).
1399:attempts to bolster support for
1367:series, the eponymous antihero,
1240:Melincourt, or Sir Oran Haut-Ton
1219:the UK that now lacks a popular
568:Before being awarded a peerage,
32:
2452:Elections in the United Kingdom
2017:
1983:
1956:Quinn, Ben (30 November 2012).
1949:
1923:
1895:
1869:
1852:
1188:London Borough of Tower Hamlets
241:and did not elect its own MPs.
43:needs additional citations for
2298:Government of Ireland Act 1920
1825:
1807:
1778:
1751:
1734:
1641:
1611:
1485:I grew so rich that I was sent
1416:
1280:(published 1847–1848), author
1135:
1:
1760:The English Historical Review
1599:
1440:
1375:
1328:in 1937, republished in 1989.
1231:
200:
654:London Corresponding Society
329:Examples of rotten boroughs
67:"Rotten and pocket boroughs"
7:
2415:Unreformed House of Commons
1576:
1407:by getting the incompetent
1357:In the 1969 first novel of
1282:William Makepeace Thackeray
187:unreformed House of Commons
10:
2534:
2420:Rotten and pocket boroughs
1700:Journal of British Studies
1274:In Chapter 7 of the novel
18:
2402:
2331:
2268:
2242:
2165:
2106:
1998:Oxford English Dictionary
1588:Functional constituencies
1298:(published in 1857–1859).
1166:functional constituencies
647:
307:constituency of Old Sarum
2498:Apportionment by country
2467:Parliament in the Making
1604:
1583:Apportionment (politics)
1209:Fenland District Council
1201:Electoral Reform Society
1086:A substantial number of
662:William Pitt the Younger
2425:University constituency
2255:England and Wales, 1835
2142:England and Wales, 1867
2127:England and Wales, 1832
2003:Oxford University Press
1359:George MacDonald Fraser
1237:In the satirical novel
1214:The Corporation of the
819:Yarmouth, Isle of Wight
321:they held seats in the
2061:Spielvogel, Jackson J.
1785:Taylor, Miles (2003).
1590:in Hong Kong and Macau
1571:
1552:
1535:
1517:
1466:
1449:William Pitt the Elder
1123:virtual representation
1104:William Pitt the Elder
804:Newtown, Isle of Wight
628:proprietorial boroughs
578:Irish House of Commons
142:
21:Rotten Borough (novel)
1566:
1548:
1531:
1479:
1461:
1346:Aubrey–Maturin series
1338:The Merlin Conspiracy
1115:British North America
1082:Contemporary defences
669:Catholic Emancipation
561:Parliament of Ireland
246:1831 general election
235:Industrial Revolution
219:Members of Parliament
207:parliamentary borough
191:Parliament of Ireland
163:parliamentary borough
159:proprietorial borough
133:
2462:Boundary commissions
1657:. London: Macmillan.
1544:The Letter of Marque
1528:Gilbert and Sullivan
1470:Gilbert and Sullivan
1434:non-player character
1425:Assassin's Creed III
1392:Blackadder the Third
1351:The Letter of Marque
1257:parliamentary novels
1128:The Tory politician
642:Boundary commissions
52:improve this article
2270:Constituency reform
2001:(Online ed.).
1819:Liberal Democracies
1482:Sir Joseph Porter:
1383:Dish and Dishonesty
1364:The Flashman Papers
1324:under the pen name
1245:Thomas Love Peacock
1119:Indian subcontinent
1117:, and those in the
330:
303:Salisbury Cathedral
2394:Elections Act 2022
2332:Other related Acts
1619:Carpenter, William
1389:television comedy
1227:In popular culture
1186:has described the
1151:The Age of Consent
574:Duke of Wellington
535:Heanton Satchville
328:
155:nomination borough
153:, also known as a
143:
2480:
2479:
2457:Corrupt practices
2238:
2237:
2108:Representation of
2009:(Subscription or
1833:"Rotten Boroughs"
1401:the Prince Regent
1397:Edmund Blackadder
1333:Diana Wynne Jones
1308:Our Mutual Friend
1290:Queen Elizabeth I
1269:Lord Silverbridge
1078:
1077:
624:Duke of Newcastle
602:burgage tenements
566:
565:
128:
127:
120:
102:
2525:
2430:Women's suffrage
2243:Municipal Reform
2115:
2114:
2095:
2088:
2081:
2072:
2071:
2037:
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2034:
2032:
2021:
2015:
2014:
2006:
1994:
1987:
1981:
1980:
1978:
1976:
1953:
1947:
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1942:
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1918:
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1899:
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1873:
1867:
1856:
1850:
1849:
1847:
1845:
1829:
1823:
1822:
1811:
1805:
1804:
1782:
1776:
1775:
1755:
1749:
1748:
1741:England (1793).
1738:
1732:
1731:
1695:
1689:
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1670:
1659:
1658:
1645:
1639:
1638:
1615:
1514:
1510:
1504:
1498:
1494:
1490:
1486:
1381:In the episode "
1261:Anthony Trollope
1130:Spencer Perceval
842:Northamptonshire
679:
576:, served in the
570:Arthur Wellesley
506:
458:
415:
395:
389:
369:
363:
331:
327:
293:had been a busy
123:
116:
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101:
60:
36:
28:
2533:
2532:
2528:
2527:
2526:
2524:
2523:
2522:
2513:Electoral fraud
2493:Rotten boroughs
2483:
2482:
2481:
2476:
2398:
2344:Ballot Act 1872
2327:
2264:
2234:
2161:
2110:the People Acts
2109:
2102:
2099:
2046:
2044:Further reading
2041:
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2028:
2023:
2022:
2018:
2008:
1988:
1984:
1974:
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1954:
1950:
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1909:The Independent
1900:
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1579:
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1539:Patrick O'Brian
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1501:
1499:
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1430:Boston Massacre
1422:The video game
1419:
1378:
1322:Oliver Anderson
1303:Charles Dickens
1234:
1229:
1193:The Independent
1138:
1097:William Cobbett
1084:
1079:
1069:, Herefordshire
1043:Bishop's Castle
1025:
995:Wootton Bassett
739:or St Michael's
684:Buckinghamshire
673:Reform Act 1832
650:
638:Reform Act 1867
598:
596:Pocket boroughs
504:
456:
413:
393:
387:
367:
361:
299:Sarum Cathedral
273:
271:Rotten boroughs
259:introduced the
257:Ballot Act 1872
253:Reform Act 1832
203:
195:Reform Act 1832
183:Reform Act 1832
124:
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107:
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61:
59:
49:
37:
24:
17:
12:
11:
5:
2531:
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2478:
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2444:
2443:
2442:
2440:Historiography
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2403:Related topics
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2250:Scotland, 1833
2246:
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2227:
2222:
2217:
2212:
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2147:Scotland, 1868
2144:
2139:
2134:
2132:Scotland, 1832
2129:
2123:
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2112:
2104:
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2016:
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1922:
1894:
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1851:
1824:
1815:Evans, Eric J.
1806:
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1733:
1712:10.1086/385738
1690:
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1640:
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1594:Gerrymandering
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1377:
1374:
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1372:
1369:Harry Flashman
1355:
1342:
1329:
1317:Rotten Borough
1312:
1299:
1295:The Virginians
1272:
1253:
1233:
1230:
1228:
1225:
1216:City of London
1159:United Nations
1155:George Monbiot
1137:
1134:
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1080:
1076:
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1070:
1064:
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1031:Other counties
1027:
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850:
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323:House of Lords
295:cathedral city
277:rotten borough
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202:
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179:United Kingdom
151:pocket borough
139:John Constable
126:
125:
40:
38:
31:
15:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
2530:
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2260:Ireland, 1840
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2231:
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2178:
2176:
2173:
2171:
2168:
2167:
2164:
2158:
2155:
2153:
2152:Ireland, 1868
2150:
2148:
2145:
2143:
2140:
2138:
2137:Ireland, 1832
2135:
2133:
2130:
2128:
2125:
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2105:
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2050:Namier, Lewis
2048:
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2020:
2012:
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1986:
1971:
1967:
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1883:. 26 May 2014
1882:
1881:The Spectator
1878:
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1800:9780521823944
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1684:9780340789476
1680:
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1649:Namier, Lewis
1644:
1636:
1634:9781445724324
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1458:Rights of Man
1455:
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1189:
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1183:The Spectator
1179:
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1171:
1167:
1162:
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1156:
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1140:The magazine
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1120:
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1065:
1062:
1059:
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1050:
1049:Castle Rising
1047:
1044:
1041:
1039:, Westmorland
1038:
1035:
1034:
1030:
1029:
1028:
1026:
1021:, East Riding
1020:
1017:
1014:
1013:Boroughbridge
1011:
1009:, West Riding
1008:
1005:
1004:
1000:
999:
996:
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986:
983:
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904:
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895:
893:
892:Milborne Port
890:
888:
885:
884:
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868:
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820:
817:
815:
812:
810:
807:
805:
802:
801:
797:
796:
795:
791:
790:Plympton Erle
788:
786:
783:
781:
778:
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773:
772:
769:
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761:
759:
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631:
629:
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614:
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606:secret ballot
603:
593:
591:
590:Plympton Erle
587:
583:
579:
575:
571:
562:
559:
557:
555:
553:
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544:
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536:
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509:
503:
501:
498:
496:
493:
492:
489:
485:
482:
479:
477:
474:
472:
471:Plympton Erle
469:
468:
464:
461:
455:
453:
450:
448:
445:
444:
441:
438:
435:
433:
430:
428:
425:
424:
421:
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410:
409:Isle of Wight
407:
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401:
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296:
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261:secret ballot
258:
254:
249:
247:
242:
240:
236:
232:
226:
222:
220:
216:
212:
211:royal charter
208:
198:
196:
192:
188:
184:
180:
176:
175:Great Britain
172:
168:
164:
160:
156:
152:
148:
140:
136:
132:
122:
119:
111:
100:
97:
93:
90:
86:
83:
79:
76:
72:
69: –
68:
64:
63:Find sources:
57:
53:
47:
46:
41:This article
39:
35:
30:
29:
26:
22:
2419:
2064:
2053:
2029:. Retrieved
2019:
1996:
1985:
1973:. Retrieved
1962:The Guardian
1961:
1951:
1939:. Retrieved
1935:
1925:
1913:. Retrieved
1907:
1897:
1887:13 September
1885:. Retrieved
1880:
1871:
1863:
1854:
1842:. Retrieved
1836:
1827:
1818:
1809:
1790:
1780:
1763:
1759:
1753:
1743:
1736:
1706:(2): 70–89.
1703:
1699:
1693:
1674:
1652:
1643:
1623:
1613:
1567:
1560:
1549:
1542:
1532:
1521:
1506:Sir Joseph:
1481:
1475:HMS Pinafore
1473:
1462:
1457:
1454:Thomas Paine
1423:
1391:
1362:
1349:
1336:
1335:' 2003 book
1316:
1306:
1293:
1276:
1265:Phineas Finn
1239:
1213:
1211:at the top.
1198:
1191:
1181:
1163:
1150:
1149:In his book
1148:
1141:
1139:
1127:
1108:
1101:
1093:Thomas Paine
1085:
1072:
1063:, Lancashire
1055:Corfe Castle
1045:, Shropshire
1024:
970:Great Bedwyn
911:Bletchingley
836:Queenborough
666:
651:
635:
632:
627:
621:
610:
599:
567:
552:County Meath
311:
287:
281:
276:
274:
250:
243:
227:
223:
204:
167:constituency
158:
154:
150:
146:
144:
114:
105:
95:
88:
81:
74:
62:
50:Please help
45:verification
42:
25:
2119:Reform Acts
2067:p. 493
1936:Cambs Times
1915:13 February
1858:Murray, J.
1838:Private Eye
1562:Vanity Fair
1417:Video games
1326:Julian Pine
1277:Vanity Fair
1174:minor party
1170:New Zealand
1143:Private Eye
1136:Later usage
1111:West Indies
985:Ludgershall
809:Stockbridge
732:Lostwithiel
539:Stevenstone
500:West Sussex
181:before the
2487:Categories
2013:required.)
1975:18 October
1844:3 February
1600:References
1441:Quotations
1405:Parliament
1376:Television
1314:The novel
1249:orang-utan
1243:(1817) by
1232:Literature
1007:Aldborough
975:Heytesbury
953:Winchelsea
831:New Romney
814:Whitchurch
785:Okehampton
780:Beeralston
753:St Germans
712:Callington
518:Callington
314:landowners
239:Lancashire
231:Manchester
201:Background
108:April 2019
78:newspapers
1970:0261-3077
1747:. London.
1728:143821652
1557:Thackeray
1385:" of the
1221:franchise
1051:, Norfolk
1001:Yorkshire
990:Old Sarum
959:Wiltshire
921:Haslemere
887:Ilchester
865:Aldeburgh
798:Hampshire
768:West Looe
722:East Looe
717:Camelford
617:Admiralty
541:in Devon
427:East Looe
357:Wiltshire
352:Old Sarum
291:Old Sarum
275:The term
215:burgesses
177:, or the
135:Old Sarum
2410:Chartism
2052:(1957)
1817:(1990).
1651:(1929).
1621:(1831).
1577:See also
1523:Iolanthe
1500:Chorus:
1460:, 1791:
1409:Baldrick
1305:' novel
1153:(2003),
1057:, Dorset
948:Steyning
897:Minehead
881:Somerset
848:Brackley
758:St Mawes
737:Mitchell
707:Bossiney
701:Cornwall
695:Amersham
690:Wendover
656:and the
613:Treasury
572:, later
523:Cornwall
432:Cornwall
265:treating
161:, was a
2063:(2003)
1344:In the
1286:Crawley
1255:In the
1207:, with
1067:Weobley
1037:Appleby
965:Downton
943:Seaford
933:Bramber
870:Dunwich
859:Suffolk
763:Tregony
748:Saltash
743:Newport
495:Bramber
452:Suffolk
447:Dunwich
404:Newtown
334:Borough
171:England
92:scholar
1968:
1941:21 May
1864:3 News
1797:
1772:572566
1770:
1726:
1720:175513
1718:
1681:
1631:
1267:, and
1073:
1061:Newton
980:Hindon
927:Sussex
916:Gatton
905:Surrey
875:Orford
648:Reform
383:Surrey
378:Gatton
346:Notes
343:Voters
340:Houses
337:County
282:rotten
193:. The
147:rotten
141:, 1829
94:
87:
80:
73:
65:
2435:Wales
2031:2 May
2027:. BBC
2007:
1992:"sit"
1768:JSTOR
1724:S2CID
1716:JSTOR
1605:Notes
1520:From
1247:, an
1019:Hedon
774:Devon
727:Fowey
476:Devon
318:peers
99:JSTOR
85:books
2230:2000
2225:1993
2220:1991
2215:1990
2210:1989
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