"A very rascally spot of earth"

This is the town hall at Gatton. Not "the remains of", but the whole thing. They didn't need anything bigger, as the number of electors was generally in single figures (only one in fact in the mid-1500s). They still had to carry out the important democratic task of returning 2 MPs to Westminster though.

Gatton was one of the rotten boroughs described by William Cobbett in Rural Rides in 1830 (the source of the quote above).

Gatton is now part of the Borough of Reigate & Banstead. Some might say that the level of democracy hasn't risen that much, but I couldn't possibly comment!

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