On the anniversary of his birth on 28 January 1841, Dr. Kathryn Rix examines the lesser-known parliamentary career of the explorer Henry Morton Stanley. The journalist and explorer Henry Morton Stanley is famously associated with the phrase, ‘Dr. Livingstone, I presume?’, which he allegedly said upon finding the Scottish missionary and explorer near Lake Tanganyika in 1871. After tracking down Livingstone, Stanley continued his explorations … Continue reading The honourable member for Lambeth North, I presume? Henry Morton Stanley’s parliamentary career

Priscilla Baines has recently published a new book, ‘Colonel Josiah Wedgwood’s Questionnaire: Members of Parliament 1885-1918’. Her work analyses the replies to questionnaires sent in 1936 by the History of Parliament’s founder, Josiah Wedgwood, to gain personal reflections from his fellow MPs on their experiences in the House. This is the first of a series of blogs that will share some of her findings. ‘Colonel … Continue reading Colonel Josiah Wedgwood’s Questionnaires: An introduction

After last week’s rulings from the European Court of Human Rights on religious discrimination in the workplace, Dr Charles Littleton discusses the issue of religious discrimination in 18th Century Britain. Debates about the right to express one’s faith according to one’s conscience are nothing new in British politics. In the days of late January 1703 Parliament was convulsed by debates surrounding the bill to ‘prevent … Continue reading Parliament and religion: the defeat of the first Occasional Conformity Bill, January 1703

Last month, the History of Parliament played host to a workshop organised by Dr Emma Crewe of SOAS, University of London, to discuss her current research on the modern day House of Commons. The History was brought right up to date during this workshop as anthropologists, political scholars and parliamentary officials gathered to discuss their work and in particular Dr Emma Crewe’s current project on … Continue reading British MPs at work: Dr Emma Crewe’s parliamentary workshop

The History of Parliament is supporting a one-day colloquium, organised by Paul Cvill and Alexandra Gajda through the Centre for Early Modern British and Irish History, to be held on Saturday 20 April, in the Habakkuk Room, Jesus College, Oxford. Because the ideological template of early modern England remained resolutely traditionalist, it was the re-envisioning of the past that empowered the momentous changes of this … Continue reading Upcoming colloquium, 20 April 2013: Writing the History of Parliament in Early Modern England

Four hundred years ago last November a succession crisis hit England and Scotland, when the heir to the throne, Prince Henry, died from typhoid fever. James VI & I was left with one surviving son: Charles, Duke of York, who would become Charles I. Charles was a weak and sickly child, and many felt he would not survive long. The full story of the succession … Continue reading The death of Prince Henry and the Succession Crisis of 1612-1614