The chief interests at Saltash in 1715 were those of two neighbouring landowners, Tories, John Francis Buller and Sir William Carew, who owned the majority of the burgages in the borough, which their families had represented since the early seventeenth century. It was in dispute whether the franchise was only in the corporation of 27 members or also in the 30 odd burgage-holders. At the general election of 1715, when the burgage-holders voted, two Tories supported by Buller and Carew were successful against two government candidates. But the proximity of Plymouth dockyard, on which much of the local population depended for employment, brought Saltash under the Admiralty’s influence, with the result that in 1722 Thomas Swanton, comptroller of the navy, joined to Edward Hughes, a government supporter, defeated Buller and Carew.1 At a by-election in 1723 Philip, Duke of Wharton, put up Philip Lloyd, who secured the seat by lavish entertainments, never afterwards paying his bills.2

From 1727, when the franchise was confined to the corporation, the Admiralty interest was unopposed.3 Thomas Pitt described Saltash in October 1740 as

a court borough ... The present Members will probably be chosen again, unless Mr. Buller could be persuaded to make his attack there, where he would certainly succeed.4

But the secretaries at the Admiralty, Thomas Corbett and John Clevland, who administered the borough, carried their candidates unopposed in 1741, 1747 and 1751.