Tag: John Wilkes

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
18th Century history, Georgian Lords, History of Parliament Trust

Do as you will? Behind the scenes of ‘the Hellfire Club’

As hospitality venues and social spaces in much of the UK reopen after lockdown this week, in today’s blog Dr Robin Eagles, editor of our Lords 1715-1790 project, looks into the parliamentarians possessing memberships to a notorious 18th century social group… Pray remember the ghost for me to-night, and next Monday we meet at Medmenham. On 15 June 1762 John Wilkes sent this apparently rather … Continue reading Do as you will? Behind the scenes of ‘the Hellfire Club’

conniejefferyLeave a comment
18th Century history, Georgian Lords

In search of Arcadia: visiting the 18th-century garden

Recent government restrictions paired with a bout of sunny weather have seen more of us head into the garden to make the most of the fresh air. In today’s blog Dr Robin Eagles, editor of our House of Lords 1715-90 section, is digging into a similar fascination with gardens in the 18th century. It is easy to think of visiting a local National Trust or … Continue reading In search of Arcadia: visiting the 18th-century garden

conniejeffery2 Comments
18th Century history, Named Parliaments, Reporting Parliament

‘A blank in the History of the country’: The ‘Unreported Parliament’ 1768-74

Today Dr Robin Eagles, editor of our House of Lords 1715-1790 section continues with our Named Parliaments blog theme… Throughout the early part of the 18th century Parliament periodically enforced its jealously guarded right of secrecy by prosecuting printers for publishing details of debates and occasionally turning out ‘strangers’ from the galleries. The response was, though, inconsistent and there were periods during which publishers were … Continue reading ‘A blank in the History of the country’: The ‘Unreported Parliament’ 1768-74

sammysturgessLeave a comment
18th Century history

“More the air of an assassin than of a gentleman”: Duels & attempted murder in eighteenth-century England

The recent BBC adaptation of John Preston’s book – A Very English Scandal – about the trial of the former Liberal leader Jeremy Thorpe for conspiracy and incitement to murder, prompted us at the HPT to think about other parliamentarians with links to murder, conspiracy and scandal. Today’s blog from our Lords 1715-1790 project Editor, Dr Robin Eagles considers duels between MPs and their political connections… Politics could … Continue reading “More the air of an assassin than of a gentleman”: Duels & attempted murder in eighteenth-century England

sammysturgessLeave a comment
18th Century history, 19th Century history, Social history

Why political history still matters

Dr Katrina Navickas from the University of Hertfordshire was the keynote speaker at the History of Parliament Trust and Durham University’s Parliaments and Popular Sovereignty conference, which was held at the People’s History Museum in Manchester in November 2017. She offers a blog on the importance of political history today… There is lively public interest in the origins of popular representation in the British political … Continue reading Why political history still matters

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18th Century history

Edmund Burke and the Brexit debates

For the second week in a row, parliamentary business is dominated by the government’s ‘Brexit bill’. For many, this bill rekindles the dilemma – put so famously by Edmund Burke – of what an MP should do when their opinion differs from that of their constituents; an issue discussed here by our Director, Dr Paul Seaward… It didn’t take long for Edmund Burke to be … Continue reading Edmund Burke and the Brexit debates

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18th Century history

“Contrary to the fundamental laws of nature”? The passage of the Declaratory Act, March 1766

250 years ago this week Parliament passed the ‘Declaratory Act’, aimed at limiting the damage of the earlier repeal of the Stamp Act. In the second of two blogs on the issue, Dr Robin Eagles, Senior Research Fellow in the House of Lords 1660-1832 section, discusses the debates on the issue – whether the British parliament could, in principle, tax its colonies when they did … Continue reading “Contrary to the fundamental laws of nature”? The passage of the Declaratory Act, March 1766

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'The Story of Parliament', 18th Century history, 19th Century history

The ‘Story of Parliament’: Parliament and the press

Earlier this year the History published ‘The Story of Parliament: Celebrating 750 years of parliament in Britain’ to mark the anniversary of Simon de Montfort’s parliament in 1265. The book is a brief introduction to the full 750 years of parliamentary history, aimed at the general reader, and available to purchase from the Houses of Parliament bookshop – a great Christmas present for the parliamentary … Continue reading The ‘Story of Parliament’: Parliament and the press

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18th Century history, 19th Century history, Early modern history, Magna Carta & Simon de Montfort

The long-lived charter: Magna Carta’s 800 year legacy

800 years ago today, Magna Carta was sealed at Runnymede. In the last of our series celebrating the anniversaries of Magna Carta and Simon de Montfort’s Parliament, Dr Alexander Lock, Curator of Modern Historical Manuscripts at the British Library and lead researcher for the Library’s acclaimed Magna Carta exhibition, discusses how Magna Carta came to become an important symbol of the parliamentary system… Though Magna … Continue reading The long-lived charter: Magna Carta’s 800 year legacy

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