The constituency was split into two two-member divisions, for Parliamentary purposes, by the Reform Act 1832.
[1] The county franchise, from 1430, was held by the adult male owners of freehold land valued at 40 shillings or more.
Votes had to be cast by a spoken declaration, in public, at the hustings, which took place in the town of Alnwick.
The expense and difficulty of voting at only one location in the county, together with the lack of a secret ballot contributed to the corruption and intimidation of electors, which was widespread in the unreformed British political system.
The Tory Percys, led by the Duke of Northumberland, shared the county representation with the Whig Grey Family.