ABSTRACT
Prior to the 1832 Reform Act, politics in Britain was dominated by a narrow, landed elite, reflected in the structure of Parliament. The House of Lords was composed of the hereditary peerage, while the Commons was composed of 431 borough and 122 county members. Only a twentieth of the adult population could vote and qualifications varied widely. Some decayed towns had only a handful of electors, but were still represented by two MPs. Others, such as Westminster, had thousands of electors on a wide franchise. Many large manufacturing towns, such as Birmingham and Manchester, were unrepresented. All English counties sent two members to Parliament, irrespective of size. Electoral politics were often corrupt, with widespread bribery and huge election costs for the candidates. Many ‘pocket’ boroughs remained virtually nominated seats. In 1820 144 peers controlled 300 MPs. Cornwall was notorious for ‘rotten boroughs’ with many under Crown influence and small numbers of voters. ‘Connections’ of patronage and influence under noble patrons were the dominant political groupings for much of the period. The Act of Union with Ireland in 1800 brought 100 Irish MPs to the Commons.
