As many of you will know, over the past two years we’ve run a wonderful oral history project in Devon with the support of the Heritage Lottery Fund: ‘From the Grassroots: an oral history of community politics in Devon.’ Sadly the project is about to come to an end – but not before we were able to record 70 interviews with local political activists, soon … Continue reading New website material on ‘From the Grassroots’
During the summer recess staff at Parliament take the opportunity to undertake repair work on the Palace. This is a practice that was undertaken throughout the ages, as Dr Hannes Kleineke, Senior Research Fellow on the Commons 1422-1504 section, discusses… Complaints over the length of the parliamentary summer recess (much like teachers’ summer holidays) are a time-honoured staple of the political commentariate struggling to fill … Continue reading Parliament in a portacabin: the routine maintenance of Westminster Hall in the Middle Ages
Our director, Dr Paul Seaward, and Dr Robin Eagles, Senior Research Fellow in the House of Lords 1660-1832 section remember Professor Paul Langford FBA… The death of Professor Paul Langford FBA at the end of July robs us not only of one of our best historians of the eighteenth century, but also of a formidably effective man of enormous charm and kindness who was closely … Continue reading A tribute to Professor Paul Langford FBA
Today in 1600 James VI of Scotland (later James I of England) survived the Gowrie conspiracy thanks to the quick thinking of his page, John Ramsay. Our new research reveals that his heroics were even more impressive thanks to his young age, as Dr Andrew Thrush, editor of the House of Lords 1603-1660 section, reveals… On the morning of 5 August, 1600, James VI of … Continue reading The boy who saved a king
