 The borough consisted of most of the town of Boston, a port and market town on the River Witham which had overgrown its original boundaries as the river had been cleared of silt and its trade developed.In 1831, the population of the borough was 11,240, contained 2,631 houses.The right to vote belonged to the Mayor, aldermen, members of the common council and all resident freemen of the borough who paid scot and lot.