 Stamford for some 150 years after the reign of Edward II apparently forbore to exercise its onerous privilege of returning members.In the seventeenth century it was afflicted with the usual controversy prevalent in small communities as to where the right of election lay, and the Committee of Privileges reported in 1661 'That the right of election was in such freemen only as paid scot and lot'.Sedgwick explained in "The House of Commons 1715-1754" that before 1727 the Bertie and Cecil families each nominated one member.