Boroughs / Counties Flashcards
What is patronage?
The buying or acquisition of MP’s seats in Parliament by wealthy landowners
What percentage of MP’s were financed by Lords in 1801?
50%
How many different types of electoral systems were there in the boroughs?
6
What was a potwalloper borough?
A hearth big enough to boil a pot on so able to vote
What was a pocket borough?
A borough where the MP was in the pocket of the landowner / lord (patronage)
Small borough easily manipulated by land owner
Why was Old Sarum a problem?
Only 7 voters but 2 MP’s / pocket boroughs
Why was Dunwich a rotten borough?
East Anglia former borough that had fallen into sea and therefore had minimal voters
What was a Scot and Lot Borough?
Votes to all male householders who paid local rates
Name one example of a Scot and Lot Borough
Westminster had over 5000 voters
Gatton had 6
Which northern industrial town had a population of 250,000 people by no MP?
Macnchester
Why were Catholics unhappy with the electoral system in Ireland?
Restrictions on Catholics voting rights in Ireland
You couldn’t be an MP if you were Catholic
When was the Catholic Emancipation Act?
1829
How many MP’s did a county return to Parliament?
2
What could a 40 shilling freeholder in a county do?
Have the right to vote in a county
What percentage of the population of Britain could vote in 1800?
11%
