I did a google search for "whigs and tories" whilst researching the history of London and England, of which there is a great deal of coverage on the web, I found this interesting story about Habeas Corpus (a law allowing a prisoner to demand that he should be brought before a court and have his case examined) The law was only just passed in the House of Lords in May 1679. When the votes were counted, there were not enough Lords in favour, so it was decided that one of the Lords, because he happened to be fat, was worth ten votes. It started as a joke, but in fact remained on the statutes.
(quoted from The Open Door Website - A reference source for students and teachers )