Author: Kirsty O'Rourke

20th century history, History of Parliament Trust, Oral history, Post-1945 history

Oral History Project internship and PhD opportunity: come and work with us!

These are exciting times for our Oral History project, as we have two opportunities to come and work with us… Firstly, as you may have seen, we are looking for an intern this summer to help us with the planning and organisation of our project. The successful candidate will be working to compile background information on possible new interviewees and help us to identify who … Continue reading Oral History Project internship and PhD opportunity: come and work with us!

Kirsty O'RourkeLeave a comment
16th Century history, History of Parliament Trust, Social history, The First Elizabethan Age

Parliament and the Elizabethan energy crisis

Steep increases in fuel bills are not just a modern problem, as Dr Paul Hunneyball of our Lords 1558-1603 section explains… The picture sounds all too familiar: rapidly rising fuel prices; people on low incomes struggling to heat their homes; concerns about long-term supplies; and suspicions of profiteering by those in a position to manipulate the market. But these aren’t the woes of 2023. We’re … Continue reading Parliament and the Elizabethan energy crisis

Kirsty O'RourkeLeave a comment
18th Century history, 19th Century history, 20th century history, Conferences/seminars, Economic history, Elections, Electoral Reform, Events, Migration, Military history, Victorian Commons

Politics before Democracy Conference

Call for Papers, deadline – 17 February 2023 The History of Parliament and the School of History, University of East Anglia, would like to invite proposals for papers for ‘Politics Before Democracy: Britain and its world, c.1750-1914’. This two-day conference, hosted at UEA on 19-20 April 2023, will bring together established academics, early career researchers and postgraduate students working in the field of British political … Continue reading Politics before Democracy Conference

Kirsty O'RourkeLeave a comment
14th Century history, Health and Medicine, History of Parliament Trust, Legal history, Medieval history

‘Always look a gift horse in the mouth’: the abbey of Louth Park and the deathbed of Sir Henry Vavasour (d. 1342) of Cockerington, Lincolnshire

On his deathbed, Sir Henry Vavasour reflected on life after death and made some changes in his will to ensure the health of his soul. However, in doing so he compromised his family’s future. Simon Payling from our Commons 1461-1504 project explores Sir Henry’s last minute decisions and the fallout they caused… Death was a crucial moment of transition in the passage of property. At the … Continue reading ‘Always look a gift horse in the mouth’: the abbey of Louth Park and the deathbed of Sir Henry Vavasour (d. 1342) of Cockerington, Lincolnshire

Kirsty O'RourkeLeave a comment
18th Century history, Georgian Lords, History of Parliament Trust, Named Parliaments

The Mince Pie Administration or Plum Pudding Billy

Every December mince pies fly off the shelf, but our love for them never seems to last past Christmas. In 1783, William Pitt’s government was disparagingly nicknamed after this ‘phenomenon’. Dr Robin Eagles, editor of our House of Lords 1715-1790 project, reflects on whether the label of the ‘Mince Pie Administration’ was a fair prophecy for Pitt’s government. On 19 December 1783 William Pitt accepted … Continue reading The Mince Pie Administration or Plum Pudding Billy

Kirsty O'RourkeLeave a comment
14th Century history, 15th Century History, Conferences/seminars, Health and Medicine, History of Parliament Trust, Medieval history

Reflection on Parliament, Politics and Pandemics in Later Medieval England

In October the History of Parliament were delighted to welcome a sell-out audience to Westminster for our 2022 Annual Lecture- our first in-person lecture after a hiatus of two years. Here our Public Engagement Assistant, and new addition to the History of Parliament team, Kirsty O’Rourke reflects on the lecture, ‘Parliament, Politics and Pandemics in Later Medieval England’, given by Professor Chris Given-Wilson. This year’s … Continue reading Reflection on Parliament, Politics and Pandemics in Later Medieval England

Kirsty O'RourkeLeave a comment
18th Century history, 19th Century history, Conferences/seminars, Electoral Reform, Events, History of Parliament Trust, Victorian Commons

Organise! Organise! Organise! Collective Action, Associational Culture and the Politics of Organisation in the British Isles, c.1790-1914

Durham University, in collaboration with the History of Parliament, and supported by the Leverhulme Trust, are hosting a conference in Durham, Thursday-Friday 20-21 July 2023. The Call for Papers will close on 31 January 2023. The conference forms part of Dr Naomi Lloyd-Jones’s Leverhulme Early Career Fellowship, during which she is investigating the development of modern party organisation. For further details of the event see … Continue reading Organise! Organise! Organise! Collective Action, Associational Culture and the Politics of Organisation in the British Isles, c.1790-1914

Kirsty O'RourkeLeave a comment
Health and Medicine, History of Parliament Trust, Oral history, Post-1945 history, Women and Parliament

‘Helping the Disabled to Live to Capacity’: rediscovering Dr Margaret Agerholm through parliamentary history

Over the past few weeks UK Heritage institutions have been marking Disability History Month, and in today’s blog we hear from Dr Emmeline Ledgerwood, the History of Parliament’s Oral History Project Manager. Listening to the project’s interview with former MP Sir John Hannam sparked a research trail that led her towards a key figure in disability rights campaigning: Dr Margaret Agerholm. In his interview for … Continue reading ‘Helping the Disabled to Live to Capacity’: rediscovering Dr Margaret Agerholm through parliamentary history

Kirsty O'RourkeLeave a comment
17th Century history, 18th Century history, Georgian Lords, History of Parliament Trust, House of Lords 1660-1715, Parliamentary buildings

Spending a penny in the old palace of Westminster

The human side of working in Parliament can often be forgotten, but in today’s blog Dr Robin Eagles, editor of our House of Lords 1715-1790 project, explores where parliamentarians went when in need of ‘relief’ in the old palace of Westminster… It is easy to forget when studying Parliament, but members of both Houses and other visitors to the old palace of Westminster spent long … Continue reading Spending a penny in the old palace of Westminster

Kirsty O'RourkeLeave a comment
15th Century History, History of Parliament Trust, Medieval history, Military history, Religious history

From Windsor to Westminster: the people of St George’s in Parliament in the later Middle Ages II: Knights vs Canons

In October, Dr Hannes Kleineke, editor of our Commons 1461-1504 project, delivered the ‘Maurice and Shelagh Bond Memorial Lecture’ at St George’s Chapel. This is the second blog in a two-blog series where Hannes reflects on the people of St George’s Chapel. Here, we look at the Poor Knights of Windsor and their major disagreement with the Canons… The deans and canons of Windsor who … Continue reading From Windsor to Westminster: the people of St George’s in Parliament in the later Middle Ages II: Knights vs Canons

Kirsty O'RourkeLeave a comment