Carlingford

Carlingford was another ancient borough, with charters going back to the reign of Edward II. A charter of James I stated that the corporation ought to consist of a sovereign, 12 burgesses274 and an unlimited number of freemen - the last of whom was admitted in 1754. The burgesses were to be elected by the commonalty and were to elect the sovereign annually. In 1783 it was estimated to have '12,000 inhabitants. Electors, a Portreeve, 12 Burgesses and some Freemen and Common Council. Pretty similar to Ardee.'275In 1790 it was described as follows: 'This close Borough, whose electors have been long reduced by the usual arts to the Burgesses only, is the joint property of Mr Ross Moore and Colonel Robert Ross (1816) they alternately filling up with their confidential connections all vacancies in these nominal electors and unitedly appointing its representatives. It is now regularly sold Mr Moore being more pleased with its price than with political distinction and Colonel Ross having, by his various merits, which we know not how to enumerate, wormed himself into the Borough of Newry.'276 In 1796 Col. Ross sold his half of the borough of Carlingford to the Marquess of Downshire (1016), reputedly for £7,000. Four years later the Marquess received £7,500 for its disfranchisement - the other £7,500 was paid to the guardians of Ross Balfour Moore, who was then a minor.