ABSTRACT
The parliament convened under the influence of Simon de Montfort, in 1265, is the first to which a number of English boroughs are known to have been summoned, through their representatives, for a general political purpose. On a number of occasions before this date, representatives of certain towns had been summoned before the King and his Council for a specific purpose, but de Montfort’s parliament is the first, the motive of summons to which is stated in general terms. The important parliament of 1275 is the next which can be proved definitely to have included representatives of the towns. But as the discovery of the evidence for the composition of this parliament as well as for that of 1268 was accidental, it is obvious that lack of evidence is an unsafe basis for any argument on the subject. The probability is that representatives of the cities and boroughs continued to be summoned to parliament between 1268 and 1275.
