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User Name | Thread Name | Subject | Posted |
GUEST,Terry McDonald | Origins: Chairing Day (1780 Coventry Elections) (4) | RE: Origins: Chairing Day (1780 Coventry Elections) | 29 May 07 |
Yes - Lord Craven, seeking to get his nominee into the House of Commons as a Member for Coventry. (Legend has it that the Duke of Newcastle once had forty MPs who owed their seats to his patronage.)The Corporation of Coventry tried to counteract this by creating extra 'freemen' (i.e. making them eligible to vote) but (eventually) this tactic was declared illegal. It's another pro Tory (Church and Crown) song against the more liberal Whigs. |