Category: Mothers & Fathers of the House

19th Century history, Mothers & Fathers of the House

A Victorian record-breaker: Christopher Rice Mansel Talbot, Father of the House

Today we hear from Dr Kathryn Rix, Assistant Editor of our Commons 1832-68 project about the lengthy parliamentary career of Christopher Rice Mansel Talbot as part of our Mothers and Fathers of the House series. In January 1890 Christopher Rice Mansel Talbot (1803-90), the Father of the House, died after almost 60 years of unbroken service representing his native Glamorgan in the Commons. The only … Continue reading A Victorian record-breaker: Christopher Rice Mansel Talbot, Father of the House

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16th Century history, 17th Century history, 18th Century history, 19th Century history, 20th century history, Early modern history, Mothers & Fathers of the House

The Origins of a Father of the House

This week as part of our Mothers and Fathers of the House series, Paul Seaward, British Academy/Wolfson research professor at the History of Parliament Trust, explores the origins of the parliamentary tradition of the Father of the House… The origins of the idea of a ‘father of the House’ are, like so many parliamentary traditions, deeply obscure, which is scarcely surprising for a role which … Continue reading The Origins of a Father of the House

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20th century history, Elections, Electoral Reform, Mothers & Fathers of the House, Women and Parliament

Nancy Astor: A Mother in the House

Last week we heard about the Father or ‘Grand Old Man’ of the Long Parliament, so this week we have a blog about the first mother in the House of Commons. Along with PhD student, Kate Meanwell, Dr Jacqui Turner from the University of Reading and Astor 100 project, discusses Nancy Astor’s role as a mother to her five children as well as a representative … Continue reading Nancy Astor: A Mother in the House

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17th Century history, Early modern history, James I to Restoration, Mothers & Fathers of the House

The Grand Old Man of the Long Parliament

In earlier centuries politics might be seen as a young man’s game, but here Dr Andrew Barclay of the House of Commons 1640-1660 section looks at a veteran Member of the 1640s who had first sat in the 1570s… MPs in the seventeenth century tended to be rather younger than they are today. The median age of those elected to the Long Parliament in 1640 … Continue reading The Grand Old Man of the Long Parliament

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