Baltimore

Baltimore was incorporated by a charter of 1614, 11 James I; the corporation consisted of a sovereign, 12 burgesses and a commonalty. It was considered a potwalloping borough as the electors were the tenants at will, and the borough and the soil on which it stood were the property of the Freke (0821, 0822, 0823, 0824) family. In 1774, 23 voted, but by 1783 this number had declined to 11. From 1767 to 1773 their influence appears to have been temporarily shaken by Richard Tonson (2083), who was reported to have 'cajoled the late Sir John Freke out of it'. In 1784 it was stated 'that there was formerly a Charter to this borough, which the late Sir John Freke destroyed'.111 Tonson died in 1773 and the Freke family assumed their full patronage. After the 1783 election it was sold to Richard Longfield (1263), who was declared not duly elected for Cork city because of proven bribery. Sir John Freke received the £15,000 for its disfranchisement at the Union.