History of Parliament Trust

Welcome to the History of Parliament blog!

Here we share posts about our current research projects, wider parliamentary history, highlights from our events, seminars and conferences, and future publications. The History of Parliament’s core work lies in researching and writing series of volumes depicting Parliamentary life and proceedings throughout the past 700 years. These academically rigorous works contain detailed biographies of parliamentarians, studies of constituencies and introductory surveys. The Sections currently underway … Continue reading Welcome to the History of Parliament blog!

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Contemporary History, 20th century history, History of Parliament Trust, Legislative History, LGBTQ+ History, Margaret Thatcher, Modern, Oral history, Social history, Tony Blair

Section 28: Memories from the Oral History Archive

Section 28 of the Local Government Act, 1988, was one of the most controversial pieces of legislation in Britain at the end of the twentieth century. To mark the anniversary of its introduction, Alfie Steer has delved into the oral history archive to explore MPs’ memories of it. Section 28 (otherwise known as Clause 28) was first included in the 1988 Local Government Act as … Continue reading Section 28: Memories from the Oral History Archive

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19th Century history, Buildings and Architecture, Parliamentary Life, Victorian, Victorian Commons

Four prorogations and a conflagration: Parliament and its buildings in 1834

Continuing our series on parliamentary buildings, Dr Kathryn Rix of our House of Commons 1832-1945 project looks at the makeshift arrangements made for the prorogation in the aftermath of the devastating Westminster fire of October 1834. On 15 August 1834 the House of Commons assembled for the last day of the 1834 parliamentary session. Around seventy members were present in the chamber – the former St … Continue reading Four prorogations and a conflagration: Parliament and its buildings in 1834

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The First Elizabethan Age, 16th Century history, 17th Century history, Charles II, Henry VIII, Parliamentary Life, Stuart, Tudor

Processing to Parliament for the state opening in early modern England

Ceremonial processions were a key feature of the state opening of Parliament in the Tudor and early Stuart eras, just as they are today, but the form they took was very different from current practice, as Dr Paul Hunneyball of our Elizabethan Lords project explains… No modern state opening of Parliament would be complete without the impressive sight of the monarch travelling by coach from … Continue reading Processing to Parliament for the state opening in early modern England

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19th Century history, Conferences, Seminars and Events, Constituencies, Elections, Victorian

Parliamentary politics in the London boroughs, 1832-68

At the IHR Parliaments, Politics and People seminar on Tuesday 19 May, Dr Jeremy Crump of the Institute of Historical Research, will be discussing parliamentary politics in the London boroughs between 1832 and 1868. The seminar takes place on 19 May 2026, between 5:30 and 6:30 p.m. It is fully ‘hybrid’, which means you can attend either in-person in London at the IHR, or online … Continue reading Parliamentary politics in the London boroughs, 1832-68

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The Commons in the Wars of the Roses, 15th Century History, Henry V, Medieval

Henry, Lord Scrope of Masham, and the Southampton Plot of 1415: a false conviction of treason? 

In August 1415, three conspirators were executed for their role in the Southampton Plot, an attempt to usurp Henry V. Although two of the plotter’s motives were clear, Dr Simon Payling of our 1461-1504 section explores how Henry, Lord Scrope of Marsham’s intentions are harder to ascertain… The ‘Southampton Plot’, uncovered in the very final stages of Henry V’s preparations for the invasion of France … Continue reading Henry, Lord Scrope of Masham, and the Southampton Plot of 1415: a false conviction of treason? 

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Georgian Lords, 18th Century history, Constituencies, Elections, Factions, George I, George II, Georgian, Local History, Parties, Robert Walpole

One half of ‘all England’? Yorkshire elections in the 18th century

The elections of May 2026 in England, Scotland and Wales provide another opportunity to consider some of the features of parliamentary elections in the unreformed 18th century. Here Dr Charles Littleton looks at one of the period’s more notable constituencies and one particularly turbulent contest there. Between 1715 and 1832 there were 22 general elections. Attention to these is usually most focussed on some of … Continue reading One half of ‘all England’? Yorkshire elections in the 18th century

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Modern, 20th century history, Economic history, Legislative History, Parties, Ramsay MacDonald, Social history, Stanley Baldwin

The 1926 General Strike and Parliamentary Democracy

One hundred years ago today, the 1926 General Strike broke out in Britain. To mark the anniversary, Alfie Steer has explored its significance for Britain’s parliamentary system. In 1925, the private owners of Britain’s mining industry (nicknamed the ‘sick man of British capitalism’, [Miliband, p.121]) tried to revive its international competitiveness by proposing a series of drastic wage cuts and an extension in working hours. … Continue reading The 1926 General Strike and Parliamentary Democracy

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Victorian Commons, 19th Century history, Georgian, History of Parliament Trust, Minority Ethnic History, Scottish History, Slavery, Victorian

‘Philly’ or ‘Filly’ (c.1790-unknown): mother and enslaved domestic worker of Barbados and Guyana

In this extended third article in his series on Peter McLagan, MP for Linlithgowshire 1865-1893, Dr Martin Spychal explores the life of ‘Philly’ or ‘Filly’. Philly was enslaved at the domestic residence of McLagan’s father in Demerara (modern-day Guyana) at the time of McLagan’s birth. This article draws on research in the ‘Slave registers and records of the Slave Compensation Commission, 1812-1851’, held by the … Continue reading ‘Philly’ or ‘Filly’ (c.1790-unknown): mother and enslaved domestic worker of Barbados and Guyana

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Conferences, Seminars and Events, 18th Century history, 19th Century history, Factions, Georgian, History of Parliament Trust, Modern, Parliamentary Life

The role of political sociability in establishing and maintaining political friendship and alliances in late-Hanoverian Britain, 1760-1837

At the IHR Parliaments, Politics and People seminar on Tuesday 5 May, BrendanTam of the University of Warwick, will be discussing political sociability and friendship in late-Hanoverian Britain. The seminar takes place on 5 May 2026, between 5:30 and 6:30 p.m. It is fully ‘hybrid’, which means you can attend either in-person in London at the IHR, or online via Zoom. Details of how to … Continue reading The role of political sociability in establishing and maintaining political friendship and alliances in late-Hanoverian Britain, 1760-1837

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Contemporary History, 20th century history, Oral history, Parliamentary Life

‘You could drink to your heart’s content’: Drinking in Parliament, a hangover from the 1970s?

In a recent interview, the newly elected MP for Gorton and Denton, Hannah Spencer, has criticised fellow-MPs drinking whilst in Westminster. For Emma Peplow, head of Contemporary History, these comments led her straight to the HPT’s oral history archive. Hannah Spencer is not the first new MP to remark disapprovingly on Parliament’s drinking culture. From the viewpoint of our oral history archive, however, MPs’ tendencies … Continue reading ‘You could drink to your heart’s content’: Drinking in Parliament, a hangover from the 1970s?

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