Tag: Benjamin Disraeli

coronations, History of Parliament Trust

A ‘noble’ and ‘magnificent’ occasion: MPs and Queen Victoria’s coronation

Recent reports indicate that the coronation of King Charles III will have a reduced audience; less than 100 MPs and peers have been formally invited. Dr Kathryn Rix, assistant editor of our Commons 1832-1868 project, reflects on the guestlist for Queen Victoria’s coronation and the privileged view MPs had of proceedings. Like the impending coronation of King Charles III, the coronation of Queen Victoria took place in the … Continue reading A ‘noble’ and ‘magnificent’ occasion: MPs and Queen Victoria’s coronation

Kathryn Rix1 Comment
19th Century history, Royal family, Victorian Commons, Women and Parliament

Queen Victoria and parliamentary ceremony

During her record-breaking 70 years of service, Queen Elizabeth II has become no stranger to parliamentary traditions like the State Opening of Parliament, and next weekend her milestone as the first British Monarch to celebrate a Platinum Jubilee will be celebrated with four days of festivities. But Her Majesty the Queen’s predecessor as a female monarch, Queen Victoria, also witnessed many ceremonies during her own … Continue reading Queen Victoria and parliamentary ceremony

Kathryn Rix2 Comments
19th Century history, Victorian Commons

Victorian MPs and holidays

With the summer holiday season well under way, our blog today looks at how nineteenth-century MPs spent their vacations, and the role some of them played in the creation of Victorian seaside resorts. An earlier version of this post from Dr James Owen appeared on the Victorian Commons blog; it has been updated with additional material by the assistant editor of our House of Commons, … Continue reading Victorian MPs and holidays

Kathryn RixLeave a comment
19th Century history, Commemorating Josiah C. Wedgwood, History of Parliament Trust, Peterloo

The History of Parliament Trust is on YouTube

Coming up in 2020 the History of Parliament Trust has exciting plans for the expansion of our online resources, the first of which is our new YouTube channel… Throughout 2019 at the History of Parliament our Public Engagement Team and the House of Commons 1832-68 project (@TheVictCommons) worked with the Citizens Project at Royal Holloway on a number of their public history projects. These included … Continue reading The History of Parliament Trust is on YouTube

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19th Century history, Electoral Reform

Tackling electoral corruption: how Victorian Britain reformed the trial of election petitions in 1868

Today marks the 150th anniversary of the passing of the Election Petitions and Corrupt Practices at Elections Act, an important part of the electoral reforms which had begun with the Second Reform Act of 1867. Dr. Kathryn Rix of our Victorian Commons project explains why and how Benjamin Disraeli’s ministry aimed to tackle the problem of bribery and corruption at mid-Victorian elections. On 31 July 1868 … Continue reading Tackling electoral corruption: how Victorian Britain reformed the trial of election petitions in 1868

Kathryn Rix2 Comments
19th Century history, Elections, Electoral Reform

The 1868 Boundary Act: Disraeli’s attempt to control his ‘leap in the dark’?

This year marks the 150th anniversary of the 1868 Boundary Act. As Martin Spychal of the Commons 1832-68 Section discusses in today’s blog, the oft-neglected story of the Act provides several key insights into Britain’s second Reform Act and, in particular, the intentions of Benjamin Disraeli, the Conservative Prime Minister in 1868… It is often forgotten that Benjamin Disraeli intended to mitigate the democratising impact … Continue reading The 1868 Boundary Act: Disraeli’s attempt to control his ‘leap in the dark’?

Martin Spychal3 Comments