▁later ▁known ▁as ▁the ▁lord ▁of ▁the ▁" Cast le ▁Man or " ▁or ▁" Cast le ▁Court ". ▁The ▁Corporation ▁tried ▁on ▁several ▁occasions ▁to ▁claim ▁the ▁status ▁of ▁a ▁" free ▁bor ough " ▁which ▁answered ▁directly ▁to ▁the ▁monarch ▁and ▁to ▁div est ▁itself ▁of ▁this ▁over l ord ship , ▁but ▁without ▁success . ▁The ▁mayor ▁was ▁not ▁recogn ised ▁as ▁such ▁by ▁the ▁monarch , ▁but ▁merely ▁as ▁the ▁b ail iff ▁of ▁the ▁fe ud al ▁baron . ▁The ▁powers ▁of ▁the ▁bor ough ▁were ▁highly ▁restricted , ▁as ▁was ▁determined ▁by ▁an ▁in quisition ▁ad ▁qu od ▁dam num ▁during ▁the ▁reign ▁of ▁King ▁Edward ▁III , ▁which ▁from ▁an ▁ins pection ▁of ▁evidence ▁found ▁that ▁members ▁of ▁the ▁corpor ation ▁elected ▁their ▁mayor ▁only ▁by ▁permission ▁of ▁the ▁lord , ▁legal ▁ple as ▁were ▁held ▁in ▁a ▁court ▁at ▁which ▁the ▁lord ' s ▁ste ward , ▁not ▁the ▁mayor , ▁pres ided , ▁that ▁the ▁bor ough ▁was ▁tax ed ▁by ▁the ▁county ▁assess ors , ▁and ▁that ▁the ▁lord ▁held ▁the ▁various ▁ass izes ▁which ▁the ▁burg esses ▁claimed . ▁Indeed , ▁the ▁pur port ed ▁ancient ▁royal ▁char ter ▁supposed ly ▁held ▁by ▁the ▁corpor ation ▁which ▁granted ▁it ▁bor ough ▁status ▁was ▁sus pected ▁to ▁be ▁a ▁forg ery . ▁ ▁Since ▁ 1 9 7 4 ▁Bar n st ap le ▁has ▁been ▁a ▁civil ▁parish ▁govern ed ▁by ▁a ▁town ▁council . ▁ ▁Parliament ary ▁representation ▁From ▁ 1