Author: Martin Spychal

Victorian, 19th Century history, Buildings and Architecture, Social history, Victorian Commons

‘Covent Garden was lit up by a lucid light’: an MP’s account of the fire at Her Majesty’s Theatre, 6 December 1867

In the fifth of his article series on Lord Ronald Gower (1845-1916), Dr Martin Spychal, research fellow for our Commons 1832-1868 project, looks at an Gower’s first-hand account of the fire that burnt down Her Majesty’s Theatre in December 1867… On Friday 6 December 1867, the Commons adjourned at 7 p.m. The Whig MP for Sutherlandshire, Lord Ronald Gower (1845-1916), took the opportunity to see … Continue reading ‘Covent Garden was lit up by a lucid light’: an MP’s account of the fire at Her Majesty’s Theatre, 6 December 1867

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Conferences, Seminars and Events, 19th Century history, Constituencies, Elections, Electoral Reform, Scottish History, Victorian, Victorian Commons

The geography of voting behaviour: towards a roll-call analysis of England’s reformed electoral map, 1832-68

Ahead of next Tuesday’s Virtual IHR Parliaments, Politics and People seminar, we hear from Dr Martin Spychal, of the History of Parliament. On 16 March 2021, between 5.15 p.m. and 6.30 p.m., Martin will be responding to your questions about his pre-circulated paper on the geography of voting behaviour in Parliament between 1832 and 1868. Details of how to join the discussion are available here, or by contacting  seminar@histparl.ac.uk. … Continue reading The geography of voting behaviour: towards a roll-call analysis of England’s reformed electoral map, 1832-68

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Victorian Commons, 19th Century history, Constituencies, Elections, LGBTQ+ History, Local History, Scottish History, Victorian

A Highland canvass in a ‘pocket county’: Ronald Gower (1845-1916) and the 1867 Sutherland by-election

Continuing our series on Scotland and his series on Lord Ronald Gower (1845-1916), Dr Martin Spychal, research fellow for the House of Commons 1832-1868 project, uses Gower’s diaries to provide some rare insights into mid-Victorian electioneering in the ‘pocket county’ of Sutherland. If there was a History of Parliament award for ‘constituency most under the thumb of an aristocratic patron’, the Highland county of Sutherland … Continue reading A Highland canvass in a ‘pocket county’: Ronald Gower (1845-1916) and the 1867 Sutherland by-election

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Victorian Commons, 19th Century history, Social history, Victorian

Book Review: Peterloo: The English Uprising by Robert Poole

Dr Martin Spychal, research fellow on the Commons 1832-1868, reviews Robert Poole’s Peterloo: The English Uprising (Oxford, 2019) What drove 400 volunteer soldiers and special constables to murder 18 and maim nearly 700 of their fellow Lancastrians? This is the key question that Robert Poole’s definitive and illuminating Peterloo sets out to answer. As Poole states in his prologue, ‘two hundred years on, it is … Continue reading Book Review: Peterloo: The English Uprising by Robert Poole

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Georgian Lords, 19th Century history, Factions, Georgian, Women and Parliament

The queen and the chemist’s son: Matthew Wood MP and the radical defence of Queen Caroline

A hop merchant and former Lord Mayor, Wood brought Caroline out of exile in June 1820 and housed her at his Mayfair residence at the beginning of the national crisis. As the affair gathered steam Wood became a prime target for loyalist vitriol, a prime example being Theodore Hooke’s malicious pamphlet Solomon Logwood: A Radical Tale. Continue reading The queen and the chemist’s son: Matthew Wood MP and the radical defence of Queen Caroline

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Victorian Commons, 19th Century history, Constituencies, Elections, Electoral Reform, Local History, Victorian

‘The power of returning our members will henceforth be in our own hands’: parliamentary reform and its impact on Exeter, 1820-1868

Dr Martin Spychal, research fellow for the Commons 1832-68, uses polling and voter registration data to explore the 1832 Reform Act’s impact on elections in Exeter. Continue reading ‘The power of returning our members will henceforth be in our own hands’: parliamentary reform and its impact on Exeter, 1820-1868

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History of Parliament Trust, 16th Century history, 17th Century history, 18th Century history, 19th Century history, 20th century history, Conferences, Seminars and Events, Medieval

Round-table session: Digital humanities and political history: in memoriam Valerie Cromwell

At our first ‘Parliaments, Politics & People’ seminar of the new academic year, Dr Hannes Kleineke, Dr Ruth Ahnert, Professor Arthur Burns, and Professor Jane Winters offered some compelling insights into the evolution of digital humanities, its impact on the practice of history, the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration, and the management of digital projects. Our first session of the Parliaments, Politics and People seminar for … Continue reading Round-table session: Digital humanities and political history: in memoriam Valerie Cromwell

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Victorian Commons, 19th Century history, Benjamin Disraeli, Elections, Electoral Reform, Victorian

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’?

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Modern, 19th Century history, 20th century history, Alec Douglas-Home, Harold Wilson, Neville Chamberlain, Parliamentary Life, Social history

Props in Parliament

In today’s blogpost, Martin Spychal of the Victorian Commons discusses his recent work on BBC Radio 4’s ‘Prime Ministers’ Props’ (the next episode is broadcast today at 9.30am). Here he discusses how these props were received within Parliament itself… In addition to my usual post at the Victorian Commons, I’ve been working with Professor Sir David Cannadine (until recently a member of the History of … Continue reading Props in Parliament

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Conferences, Seminars and Events, 19th Century history, Electoral Reform, Victorian

Parliaments, Politics and People seminar: Martin Spychal, ‘One of the best men of business we had ever met’: Thomas Drummond, the boundary commission and the 1832 Reform Act

At our last ‘Parliaments, Politics and People’ seminar, Martin Spychal, holder of an AHRC collaborative doctoral award with the History of Parliament and Institute of Historical Research, gave a paper on Thomas Drummond and the 1832 Reform Act. Here Martin gives an overview of his paper… Thomas Drummond is best known for his invention of a portable limelight device (which would illuminate the world of … Continue reading Parliaments, Politics and People seminar: Martin Spychal, ‘One of the best men of business we had ever met’: Thomas Drummond, the boundary commission and the 1832 Reform Act

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