Category Archives: social history

Election 2017: Snap elections, memories of 1974

Posted on April 27, 2017 by

Last week Theresa May shocked the political establishment by calling a snap election. In the first in our 2017 election campaign series, we take a look back at the two elections of 1974 through the memories of our oral history … Continue reading →

Posted in 20th century history, Election 2017, oral history, Politics, Post-1945 history, social history | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Parliaments, Politics & People Seminar: Edward Hicks, ‘The importance of character: Spencer Perceval and the early nineteenth century House of Commons’

Posted on April 19, 2017 by

At our last ‘Parliaments, Politics & People‘ seminar of lent term, Edward Hicks (University of Oxford) spoke on: ‘“The best regulated ambition I ever witnessed”: Spencer Perceval and the Importance of Character in the Parliaments of the Napoleonic Wars’. Here … Continue reading →

Posted in 19th Century history, Conferences/seminars, social history | Tagged , | Leave a comment

‘Time, that great discoverer of truth and falsehood’: the calendar change of 1752 and the dating of Easter

Posted on April 12, 2017 by

As Easter weekend – late this year – approaches, Dr Robin Eagles, Senior Research Fellow in the House of Lords 1660-1832 section, discusses the timing of Easter and the 18th century change from the Julian to the Gregorian calendar… On … Continue reading →

Posted in 18th Century history, 20th century history, Early modern history, religious history, social history | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Voices from our oral history project: Sir Clive Bossom, Bt.

Posted on April 5, 2017 by

Sadly last month another of our oral history project interviewees passed away: former Conservative MP Sir Clive Bossom. Here we take a look back on our interview with him… Sir Clive Bossom, who died last month aged 99, was one … Continue reading →

Posted in 20th century history, oral history, Politics, Post-1945 history, social history | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Mutton addressed as Stamp (or, The precursors of the electronic signature).

Posted on March 29, 2017 by

In recent years electronic signatures have been given the same recognition as a hand-written version. This change has an early modern precedent, as Dr Hannes Kleineke, Senior Research Fellow in our Commons 1422-1504 project, explains… Since 1 July 2016, European … Continue reading →

Posted in Early modern history, medieval history, social history | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Parliament and the 1965 Race Relations Act

Posted on March 21, 2017 by

Passing legislation with a small majority is an ongoing problem for our current government, but this not an unusual parliamentary position. In today’s guest blog, Dr Simon Peplow discusses the difficulties faced by Labour in passing the first Race Relations … Continue reading →

Posted in 20th century history, Post-1945 history, social history | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Lords and Commons in Late Medieval England

Posted on March 1, 2017 by

As the government’s bill to trigger article 50 and leave the European Union progresses through the House of Lords, the relationship between the Lords and the Commons is once more under discussion. In today’s blog, Dr Simon Payling, Senior Research … Continue reading →

Posted in medieval history, social history | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment