Author: Emma Peplow

Blogging on parliament, politics and people, from the History of Parliament
Contemporary History, 20th century history, Modern, Oral history

More memories from Westminster: New oral history material added to historyofparliamentonline.org

Our national oral history project has now interviewed more than 100 former MPs, and to celebrate we have added some more webpages dedicated to our interviewees. These pages include brief biographies, full interview summaries and extracts from the interviews themselves. The six new MPs added – Kenneth Baker, Patrick Jenkin, John Osborn, Christopher Price, James Prior and Sir Teddy Taylor – were also photographed by … Continue reading More memories from Westminster: New oral history material added to historyofparliamentonline.org

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Modern, 20th century history, Conferences, Seminars and Events, Elections, Local History, Oral history, Social history

New website launched for ‘From the Grassroots’

Today, we are delighted to launch our new, interactive website for our HLF-funded project From the Grassroots: An Oral History of Community Politics in Devon. The project is creating a sound archive of people involved in local politics within the county from 1945 until the present day. The website will showcase our interviews and research, as well as being an excellent way to keep you … Continue reading New website launched for ‘From the Grassroots’

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Tudor, 16th Century history, Henry VIII, Military history, Scottish History

MPs at the Battle of Flodden

In the run-up to September’s Scottish Independence referendum, we are publishing a series on the relationship between England and Scotland through the centuries. Our second blog takes a look at the parliamentarians who fought in another major battle: Flodden… Between Robert the Bruce’s victory at Bannockburn and the union of the crowns under James VI & I there were a series of border confrontations between … Continue reading MPs at the Battle of Flodden

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Modern, 20th century history, Irish History, Oral history

MPs and the Troubles

Thirty years ago today (17 June 1974) a bomb exploded in Westminster Hall at about 8.28am, which led to a large fire in the medieval hall. Six minutes before police had received a warning using a recognised Irish Republican Army (IRA) code word. David Steel, then Liberal chief whip, was in the Palace of Westminster at the time and later told the BBC: “the whole … Continue reading MPs and the Troubles

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Conferences, Seminars and Events, 18th Century history, History of Parliament Trust

Festschrift in Honour of Professor David Hayton, editor of The History of Parliament, 1690-1715

Last month, the Parliamentary History Yearbook Trust (publishers of the journal Parliamentary History) released a festschrift in honour of Professor David Hayton, ‘Parliaments, Politics and Policy in Britain and Ireland, c.1680-1832‘. Professor Hayton is a renowned historian of early modern British and Irish political history between the Glorious Revolution and the mid-18th century, and the festschrift marks his retirement from Queen’s University, Belfast. Before moving … Continue reading Festschrift in Honour of Professor David Hayton, editor of The History of Parliament, 1690-1715

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Stuart, 17th Century history, 18th Century history, Elections, Georgian, Parties, Social history

Rage of Party: election day in the 1690-1715 period

Today we go to the polls to vote in European and local elections. Voting was a very different experience at the turn of the 18th century… One of the most prolific periods for elections in Britain occurred long before universal suffrage. After the reforms of the ‘Glorious Revolution’ of 1688-89, parliament passed the Triennial Act, stating that parliament must meet annually and elections be held … Continue reading Rage of Party: election day in the 1690-1715 period

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Conferences, Seminars and Events, 13th Century history, Medieval, Military history

Simon de Montfort and the Battle of Lewes

On the anniversary of the battle of Lewes, news of a new play that explores the causes of the battle and we launch our 2015 conference website… 750 years ago today, the enigmatic Simon de Montfort won his greatest victory against Henry III: defeating the King at the Battle of Lewes and taking him and his heir Edward captive. To mark the anniversary a new … Continue reading Simon de Montfort and the Battle of Lewes

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Conferences, Seminars and Events, 19th Century history, Social history, Victorian

Parliaments, politics and people seminar: Tom Crewe, ‘The politics of image and the image of politics’

Our final ‘Parliaments, Politics and People’ seminar of term took place last week. Tom Crewe, of Pembroke College, Cambridge, spoke on ‘The politics of image and the image of politics: visual representations of politicians and portraiture in the press, c.1840-1906’. His paper was based on one chapter on his upcoming PhD thesis, due to be completed in the next year. Crewe began by noting that … Continue reading Parliaments, politics and people seminar: Tom Crewe, ‘The politics of image and the image of politics’

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19th Century history, Military history, Victorian, Victorian Commons

MPs in the Crimean War, 1853-56

With the help of research undertaken by the Victorian Commons, today’s blog takes a look at MPs who fought during the Crimean War… The current crisis in Crimea has left some asking whether Russia’s intervention in the peninsula will lead to a new Crimean War. The 19th century conflict was, however, very different to the situation today. With its origins in the decline of the … Continue reading MPs in the Crimean War, 1853-56

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Contemporary History, 20th century history, Modern, Oral history, Social history

The Miners’ Strike: 30 years on

Thirty years ago this month the miners’ strike began. One of the defining moments of modern British history and Margaret Thatcher’s government, in March 1984 Arthur Scargill led the National Union of Mineworkers out on strike in protest against proposed mine closures. The strike has been viewed as a stark battle between the Thatcher government, determined to privatise the British coal industry and undermine the … Continue reading The Miners’ Strike: 30 years on

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