THE ROTTEN BOROUGH 143 



the one of its ancient renown ; for there must always 

 be an apology of sorts for corruption ; no job is jobbed 

 without at least some shadowy semblance of legality. 

 But no one will ever pluck out the heart of its mystery. 



A Parliamentary borough Gatton remained until 

 1832, when the first Reform Act swept away the 

 representation of it, together with that of many 

 another " rotten borough." Rightly had Cobbett 

 termed it " a very rascally spot of earth," for certainly 

 from 1541, when Sir Roger Copley owned the property 

 and was the sole elector of the place, the election was 

 a scandalous farce, and never at any time did the 

 1 burgesses ' exceed twenty. They were always 

 tenants of the lord of the manor and the mere 

 marionettes that danced to his will. 



Gatton, returning its two members to Parliament, 

 as of old, was early in the nineteenth century purchased 

 by Mark Wood. Esq., who was soon after created a 

 Baronet. It was then recorded that in this borough 

 there were six houses and only one freeholder : Sir 

 Mark Wood himself. The other five houses he let by 

 the week ; and thus, paying the taxes, he was the only 

 elector of the two representatives. At the election, 

 he and his son Mark were the candidates, and the 

 father duly elected himself and his son ! Scandalous, 

 no doubt ; but those members must have represented 

 the constituency better than could those of a larger 

 electorate. 



The landowner who possessed such a pocket-borough 

 as this, and could send whomsoever he liked to 

 Parliament, to vote as he wished, was, of course, a 

 very important personage. His opposition was a 

 serious matter to Governments ; his support of the 

 highest value, both politically and in a pecuniary 

 sense ; and thus place, honours, riches, could be, and 

 were, secured. The manor of Gatton actually, in the 

 cynical recognition of these things, was valued at 

 twice its worth without that Parliamentary representa- 

 tion, and Lord Monson, who purchased the property 

 in 1830, gave as much as £100,000 for it, solely as an 



