It tended to be affected by the same influential landowners who controlled the Orkney and Shetland seat, although as it was one of a number of mainland Burghs, this influence was not always decisive for choosing the MP Before Union, Kirkwall returned one Burgh commissioner to the Parliament of Scotland.
[4] The most prominent English political figure, to represent a Scottish constituency in the 18th century, was the leading Whig Charles James Fox.
As Westminster had the largest electorate of any English borough, the scrutiny of votes (to check that each voter had been legally qualified to participate in the election) was thought likely to take a long time.
To avoid Fox being out of Parliament, until the Westminster election petition was decided, his friend and political ally Thomas Dundas arranged for him to become member for Tain Burghs.
In 1918, the Wick Burghs were abolished and Kirkwall was merged into the county constituency of Orkney and Shetland.