The provision of the borough and the corporation was established through a charter, the granting of which was known as incorporation. Freemen and burgesses were the usual governing members of the council and elected their chief officer, the Sovereign.
The provision of the borough's governance and the corporation's establishment were formalized through a charter, known as incorporation. In this context, free citizens and burgesses usually comprised the council's governing body, which then elected their chief administrator, the Sovereign.