From 1754 to 1780 Clitheroe was a pocket borough of the Lister and Curzon families, who jointly held 53 out of its 102 burgages. But in 1780 Thomas Lister cheated his partner out of his share in the representation of the borough by refusing to agree to the conveyance of the joint burgages to nominal voters. Having thus set aside 53 of the burgages, Lister, who held 30 out of the remaining 49, was able to nominate to both seats; which he did, despite the protests of the Curzon family, for the remainder of this period.