Category: Uncategorized

18th Century history, England and Scotland, Georgian Lords, House of Lords 1660-1715, legal history, Politics, Prorogation, Uncategorized, Women and Parliament

Tobacco Fraud and the Prorogation of April 1707

In the latest blog for the Georgian Lords, Dr Stuart Handley, senior research fellow in the Lords 1715-90 section, considers how an unexpected prorogation around the time of the Union was employed to attempt to secure the passage of much-needed legislation Prorogations have been much in the news of late, but they are a common occurrence in parliamentary history. Parliament is prorogued at the end … Continue reading Tobacco Fraud and the Prorogation of April 1707

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Prorogation, Uncategorized

Political Prorogations: a view from the Victorian Commons

Originally posted on The Victorian Commons:
It’s been a long time since the business of suspending Parliament and starting a new session has generated so much political controversy. Throughout most of the 20th century prorogations invariably tallied with the expectations of most parliamentarians, neatly book-ending a government’s legislative programme. Scroll back a little further into the 19th century, however, and a rather different picture emerges… Continue reading Political Prorogations: a view from the Victorian Commons

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18th Century history, 19th Century history, Elections, Electoral Reform, Georgian Lords, Peterloo, Politics, Uncategorized

Manchester and the Lancashire peerage: the background to Peterloo

In the latest blog from the Georgian Lords, Dr Charles Littleton considers the influence of some of the local grandees in parts of Lancashire, their potential impact on the drive for reform in the early 19th century and how they may have helped contribute to Peterloo This month the country will be marking the bicentenary of the ‘Peterloo Massacre’. On 16 August 1819 a crowd … Continue reading Manchester and the Lancashire peerage: the background to Peterloo

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17th Century history, 18th Century history, Georgian Lords, Party splits, Royal family, Uncategorized, Women and Parliament

The Missing Duchess

In the latest blog for the Georgian Lords, Dr Stuart Handley, senior research fellow on the Lords 1715-90 section, considers the significance of one of the central characters of the court of Queen Anne who failed to make it into the film, The Favourite The Oscar and BAFTA winning film, The Favourite, brought Queen Anne’s reign to the attention of the nation. The more observant … Continue reading The Missing Duchess

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18th Century history, Georgian Lords, House of Lords 1660-1715, Migration, Royal family, Uncategorized

Ich bin in meinem Herzen Englisch: Could George I speak English?

George I’s linguistic weakness was supposedly the reason for the preference shown to his German advisors over most English politicians, who were for the most part similarly limited in their knowledge of foreign languages. Continue reading Ich bin in meinem Herzen Englisch: Could George I speak English?

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20th century history, Uncategorized, Women and Parliament

The First Woman Cabinet Minister: Margaret Bondfield, 1873- 1953

In this new blog for our ‘Women and Parliament’ series, Dr Paula Bartley gives an overview of the political career of the first woman Cabinet Minister, Margaret Bondfield, who was appointed as such 90 years ago today. This blog is inspired by Paula’s research from her newly published book, Labour Women in Power, which examines the lives of Margaret Bondfield, Ellen Wilkinson, Barbara Castle, Judith … Continue reading The First Woman Cabinet Minister: Margaret Bondfield, 1873- 1953

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17th Century history, Early modern history, James I to Restoration, legal history, Uncategorized

Commission impossible? Deciphering job titles in History of Parliament biographies (part 1)

In the first of an occasional series, Dr Paul Hunneyball of the Lords 1604-29 section considers some of the unlikely-sounding posts held by MPs in the early seventeenth century… All published History of Parliament biographies, currently covering periods up to the nineteenth century, begin with a highly compressed digest of information about the life of the man in question. The first paragraph mostly contains genealogical … Continue reading Commission impossible? Deciphering job titles in History of Parliament biographies (part 1)

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