 This made it one of the last boroughs to be acquire the right to vote before the Great Reform Act – only Newark and Durham, enfranchised during the reign of Charles II, came later.The Commons resolution stated that Seaford ""shall be restored to that its ancient Privilege of sending Burgesses to Parliament"", implying that Seaford was to be regarded as a borough (the representatives of Cinque Ports were referred to as "barons" rather than "burgesses"), but Seaford was nevertheless treated subsequently as a cinque port constituency.The borough consisted of the parish of Seaford, a small town which had ceased to have much value as a port after the destruction of its harbour by storms at the end of the 16th century.