Parliamentary boroughs 1584

	Parliamentary boroughs were not equally distributed throughout England and Wales. Some areas - such as Devon and Cornwall, or Wiltshire and Hampshire - had borough representation quite disproportionate to their population or wealth. The north of England was comparatively under-represented. [Compare with the distribution of population]
	In practice, however, a large proportion of borough MPs were not residents of their towns, but gentry - sometimes from the local area, but often not. Only the larger towns, - especially London (which returned four members), Bath, Bristol, Newcastle-on-Tyne, and York - regularly elected their own residents to parliament.
	Elizabethan gentlemen were eager to serve in parliament: it placed them at the center of affairs and gave them a voice in the important political decisions. They therefore used their connections and social status to persuade the local burgesses to return them as MPs. Crude bribery was almost unknown (as was pure democracy) - but wealthy and influential gentlemen often found it easy to persuade a borough's citizens that they could effectively represent its interests.