Gatton (UK Parliament constituency)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Gatton Borough constituency |
|
|---|---|
| Created: | 1450 |
| Abolished: | 1832 |
| Type: | House of Commons |
| Members: | two |
Gatton was a parliamentary borough in Surrey, one of the most notorious of all the rotten boroughs. It elected two Members of Parliament (MPs) to the House of Commons from 1450 until 1832, when the constituency was abolished by the Great Reform Act.
The borough consisted of the parish of Gatton, about half way between London and Guildford. Gatton was no more than a village, with a population in 1831 of 146, and just 23 houses.
The right to vote was extended to all freeholders and inhabitants paying scot and lot; but this apparently wide franchise was meaningless in tiny Gatton, and there were only 7 qualified voters in 1831. Nor was this new in the 19th century, for back in the reign of Henry VIII, when Gatton's representation was only a century old, Sir Roger Copley described himself as "its burgess and only inhabitant". In these circumstances, the local landowners had no difficulty in maintaining absolute control. In the 1760s, Sir James Colebrooke nominated for one seat and the Rev J Tattersall the other; by the 19th century, Sir Mark Wood controlled both seats.
Gatton's representation was abolished by the Reform Act.
[edit] References
- Lewis Namier, The Structure of Politics at the Accession of George III (2nd edition - London: St Martin's Press, 1961)
- J Holladay Philbin, Parliamentary Representation 1832 - England and Wales (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1965)
