An Entire & Complete History, Political & Personal of the Boroughs of Great Britain (Volume 1); To Which Is Prefixed an Original Sketch of Constitutional Rights, from the Earliest Period Until the Present Time (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1792. Excerpt: ... Right Of Election--was determined, Dec. 2, 1690, to be in the freemen. Number Of Voters--are i00o. Patron--Earl Grosvenor. CORNWALL. ANCIENT DESCRIPTION. THIS county is in the diocese of Exeter, and province of Canterbury, and is divided into nine hundreds; in which are contained, according to Camden and Speed, 161 parishes; according to others, 180 i and, in Martin's Index Villaris, they are said to amount to 19 8. There are here twentythree market towns; of which Bodmyn, Camelford, Fowey, St. Germain, Grampo.t, Helston, St. Ives, Kellington or Callington, Launceston, Liskard, East Looe, Penryn, Saltash, Tregony, and Truro, are boroughs, and send two members each to parliament; beside St. Austle, Boscastle, St. St. Columb, Falmouth, Market Jew, Padstbw Penzance, and Stratton, which fend no members. There are also six other boroughs, which fend two members to parliament, but are not market-towns; namely, Bosliney, West Looe, Lestwithiel, St. Maw's, St. Michael, and Newport. The whole therefore, including the two knights of the sliire, which this county fends, is no less than 44 members to parliament. This strange extent of representation interest in so small a county may well appear extraordinary to those who not only consider that the boroughs are very inconsiderable, with respect to their trade, wealth, and inhabitants; but who recollect not, at the fame time, that no county in England possessed such a temptation to the lords of the soil to obtain for its different towns these elective privileges. As the foil was internally valuable, the coasts convenient for navigation, and enriched with fisheries, and the produce of the whole county highly valuable, the owners of the territory could not better secure to themselves these local advantages, than by grant...