128 Scottish Parliament and Sanquhar Representation. 



by William Alves, who was received on 23rd June, 1702, as 

 Commissioner for Sanquhar. He appears to have been con- 

 nected with Dumfries, for which place he was " Commissar " at 

 some time previous to his being chosen for Sanquhar. He sat 

 as member to 1707, and throughout the wliole of the Union 

 debates he voted steadily with the Unionist party. With the 

 Union of Parliaments in 1707 Sanquhar was merged into the 

 Dumfries District of Burghs, where it still remains. Until 1832 

 the member for the group was elected by five Commissioners, 

 who in turn were elected by the Town Councils of their 

 respective Burghs. When the writ for an election was issued 

 the Sheriff sent word to the Town Council " to meet and convene 

 within their ordinary Council House or place where they use to 

 meet in Council with all convenient despatch and there to choice 

 a Commissioner for the Burgh in such manner as they were in use 

 to choice a Commissioner to represent them in the Parliament of 

 Scotland." The Commissioner appointed had to be " a man 

 fearing God of the tme Protestant Religion publickly professit 

 and authorised by the laws of the Kingdom without suspicion to 

 the contrair Expert in the comon affairs of the Burrows a burgess 

 and inhabitant within this Burgh bearing all portable charges 

 with his neighbours and a part of the public Burdens and who 

 can lose and win in all their affairs." Whether the Commis- 

 .sioners who previous to 1707 represented the Burgh fulfilled all 

 these conditions is unknown, but certainly during the 76 years 

 that Sanquhar had a representative in Parliament by far the 

 larger number of those who represented her belonged to the 

 Burgh. 



