▁Pen ry n ▁recogn ised ▁" pat rons ", ▁important ▁local ▁land own ers ▁who ▁were ▁allowed ▁influence ▁in ▁the ▁choice ▁of ▁MP s . ▁In ▁the ▁mid ▁ 1 8 th ▁century , ▁the ▁pat rons ▁were ▁Lord ▁Ed gc um be ▁and ▁Vis count ▁Fal mouth , ▁both ▁prominent ▁" e lection ▁man agers " ▁for ▁the ▁Wh ig ▁government ; ▁but ▁Ed gc um be ' s ▁influence ▁was ▁much ▁more ▁secure ▁than ▁Fal mouth ' s . ▁Sir ▁Lewis ▁Nam ier , ▁in ▁his ▁ground - bre aking ▁study ▁of ▁the ▁elections ▁of ▁the ▁ 1 7 5 0 s ▁and ▁ 1 7 6 0 s , ▁took ▁Pen ry n ▁as ▁one ▁of ▁his ▁case ▁studies . ▁He ▁quotes ▁a ▁contemporary ▁source ▁that ▁Pen ry n ▁pr ided ▁itself ▁" up on ▁having ▁had ▁represent atives ▁of ▁name ▁and ▁note ", ▁and ▁the ▁pat rons ' ▁continued ▁influence ▁seems ▁to ▁have ▁rest ed ▁partly ▁on ▁their ▁finding ▁candidates ▁for ▁Pen ry n ▁who ▁fitted ▁the ▁vot ers ' ▁feeling ▁of ▁self - worth . ▁ ▁The ▁election ▁of ▁ 1 7 6 1 ▁In ▁ 1 7 6 1 , ▁another ▁influ ential ▁local ▁figure , ▁Francis ▁Bass et , ▁challeng ed ▁the ▁Ed gc um be ▁and ▁Fal mouth ▁dom ination . ▁Ed gc um be ▁had ▁proposed ▁the ▁famous ▁Admir al , ▁George ▁Rod ney , ▁while ▁Fal mouth ' s ▁candidate ▁was ▁the ▁less ▁well - known ▁Sir ▁Edward ▁Turner . ▁Bass et ▁put