The right of election, formerly vested in the corporation, was by the act of the 2nd of Wm. IV., cap 88, extended to the £10 householders; and as the ancient limits of the borough were but very imperfectly defined and had little relation to the elective franchise, a new boundary has been drawn round the town, comprehending an area of 933 statute acres, of which the limits are minutely detailed in the Appendix. The number of electors registered up to June 1836 was 202, of whom 189 were £10 householders and 13 resident freemen or burgesses: the sovereign is the returning officer; and he is also a justice of the peace within the precincts of the borough.
The right of suffrage, formerly held by corporations, was extended to £10 householders under an act of 1836 (William IV). The borough's boundaries were redefined to encompass a larger area, and the number of electors registered up to June 1836 was 202.