How did Sir William Blackstone criticize rotten boroughs?

Sir William Blackstone did not launch a formal campaign against rotten boroughs, as he generally acted as a defender of the existing political and social order. However, he was aware of the constitutional flaws within the system.

In his influential work, the Commentaries on the Laws of England, Blackstone acknowledged that the British constitution was not perfect. Specifically, he expressed disapproval of the state of parliamentary representation by noting that there could be "a more complete representation of the people." This remark is widely interpreted as a criticism of the rotten borough system, where depopulated districts retained disproportionate influence in the House of Commons.1

While these passages were later cited by proponents of parliamentary reform, Blackstone’s primary purpose was to explain and describe the law as it existed rather than to serve as a political reformer.1