Tag: House of Commons

20th century history, History of Parliament Trust, Post-1945 history, Social history, Women and Parliament

Women, Petitions and Parliament in the Twentieth Century

To mark Women’s History Month 2023, guest blogger Henry Miller, Associate Professor (Research) at Durham University, explores how women continued to utilise petitioning as a medium for political activity even after they won the vote. There is a long tradition of women appealing to Parliament through petitions dating back to at least the late medieval period. In the nineteenth century, petitions to the House of … Continue reading Women, Petitions and Parliament in the Twentieth Century

Kirsty O'RourkeLeave a comment
18th Century history, Elections, Georgian Lords, History of Parliament Trust, House of Lords 1660-1715, Queen Anne, Reporting Parliament

Parliament’s Committees of Privileges

The House of Commons Committee of Privileges has its origins in 1995 when, in the light of scandals such as ‘cash for questions’, a Committee of Standards and Privileges was established to monitor and regulate the conduct of MPs. In 2012 it was divided into separate committees, one for Standards and the other for Privileges, and the latter has been in the news recently over … Continue reading Parliament’s Committees of Privileges

reaglesLeave a comment
18th Century history, History of Parliament Trust, Reporting Parliament

 “I have got rid of all the fateague, all the mortification that attends the fruitless endeavours to serve ones country”: The struggle of being an MP in the 18th century

Ahead of next Tuesday’s Parliaments, Politics and People seminar, we hear from Maria Tauber of the University of Warwick. On 14 March, between 5.30 p.m. and 6.30 p.m., Maria will discuss MPs and political communication in the eighteenth century The seminar takes place on 14 March 2023, between 5:30 and 7:00 p.m. You can attend online via Zoom. Details of how to join the discussion … Continue reading  “I have got rid of all the fateague, all the mortification that attends the fruitless endeavours to serve ones country”: The struggle of being an MP in the 18th century

Martin SpychalLeave a comment
18th Century history, Elections, Factions, Georgian Lords, History of Parliament Trust

The Rivalship of Pompey and Caesar: the rift between John Wilkes and Parson Horne and the splitting of the Bill of Rights Society

Continuing with our new blog series on ‘Factions‘, Dr Robin Eagles, editor of our House of Lords 1715-1790 project looks at the dramatic fallout between John Wilkes and John Horne that led to the splitting of the Bill of Rights Society. Few political rifts were played out in public more dramatically than the falling out between John Wilkes and John Horne (later Horne Tooke). The two had … Continue reading The Rivalship of Pompey and Caesar: the rift between John Wilkes and Parson Horne and the splitting of the Bill of Rights Society

Kirsty O'RourkeLeave a comment
20th century history, History of Parliament Trust, Oral history, Post-1945 history, Speakers of the House, Women and Parliament

A tribute to Betty Boothroyd

In today’s blog, we pay tribute to Betty Boothroyd, the first female Speaker of the Commons, who sadly died yesterday. Dr Emma Peplow, Head of our Oral History Project, reflects on her historic career. Betty Boothroyd will go down in parliamentary history as the first woman to be elected Speaker of the Commons – she was also the first Speaker to be elected from the … Continue reading A tribute to Betty Boothroyd

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
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, Parliamentary buildings

Come Let’s Travel by the River… the vicissitudes of getting to Parliament in the later Middle Ages

As the discovery of the Palace of Westminster’s medieval river wall hits the news, Dr Hannes Kleineke, editor of our Commons 1461-1504 project, reflects on how MPs and peers in the later Middle Ages travelled to Parliament. While the River Thames is now a place for spectacular tours, it was once a dangerous commute to work for many in Parliament… Amid news of the discovery of part of … Continue reading Come Let’s Travel by the River… the vicissitudes of getting to Parliament in the later Middle Ages

Kirsty O'RourkeLeave a comment