Wilton was a pocket borough of the 10th and 11th Earls of Pembroke, who used it to return relatives or close friends of the family, of which the corporation was likewise composed. A potentially embarrassing situation arose in 1789, when William Gerard Hamilton* offended his patron by joining opposition over the Regency and still expected to be confirmed in his seat, but it was resolved by a firm refusal to yield and Hamilton found a seat elsewhere.