Borough Representation

Question 1

What happens to the houses of commons and lords? What is this reflective of?

Answer 1

Increases from 296 to 462 members and the house of lords shrinks in size

Shrinking power of the nobility and impression of greater representation.

Question 2

Did large towns like London (200 000) send the same no. MPs as rotten boroughs?

Answer 2

Yes

Question 3

% of MPs that were true townsmen from 1559 to 1601?

Answer 3

1559: 23%
1601: 14%

Question 4

Did MPs vote similarly to the monarch? What prevented this from being public knowledge?

Answer 4

Yes

Illiteracy

Question 5

What demographic were most MPs?

Answer 5

Gentry

Question 6

Why was the law that stated that MPs had to live in the region they represented ignored?

Answer 6

It was beneficial for the gentry, nobility and the monarchy

Question 7

Example of nobility influencing elections

Answer 7

Duke of Norfolk was able to ensure his clients were elected to boroughs eg Castle Rising

Question 8

Why was the nobility’s ability to influence elections beneficial for the monarch? Give an example

Answer 8

Able to use the system to ensure that MPs in the Commons did what they were told to. This meant that a growing number of boroughs led to more MPs that were able to be manipulated

EXAMPLE: Isle of Wight was created and George Carey became its MP because he was E’s cousin

Question 9

Example of the monarch manipulating elections?

Answer 9

Gatton’s only elector, the Catholic Copely family was placed under pressure to elect an MP that would be accpetable to E

Question 10

Why was the growing number of MPs in parliament an issue for the monarch

Answer 10

It became harder to control parliamentary debate

Question 11

Why does borough representation seem outwardly more democratic?

Answer 11

Implies that more people are being represented when in reality, the monarch uses the growing number of MPs to influence Commons