As we prepare to commemorate the bicentenary of Peterloo Massacre this Friday – 16 August – we hear from editor of our 1832-68 project for the second time in our Peterloo blog series. Dr Philip Salmon discusses the aftermath of the Massacre, and the public protest and parliamentary reform that followed in the nineteenth century… Public opinion was shocked by the murder of so many … Continue reading After Peterloo: From Repression to Reform
Today’s blog from the editor of our House of Commons 1832-68 section, Dr Philip Salmon, is the first of many pieces in which we will discuss the Peterloo Massacre that took place in St Peter’s Field, Manchester on 16th August 1819. He outlines the political climate within which this infamous episode occurred and provides context for the blogs that are to follow in the series. … Continue reading Political protest in the age of Peterloo
In today’s blog Dr Philip Salmon, editor of the 1832-1945 House of Commons project, explores some of the historical background behind recent Parliamentary rulings relating to Brexit. The rules governing UK parliamentary procedure, not surprisingly, don’t often get much public attention. However, some of the recent decisions by Speaker Bercow serve as an important reminder that the practices of the past can have an important … Continue reading The Speaker and the same question: a view from the Victorian Commons
Today’s blog is the second of three posts to celebrate LGBT+ History Month. In this blog we hear from Dr Philip Salmon, Editor of the House of Commons 1832-1868 project, about William Bankes who fled the country to avoid prosecution for homosexual offences … William Bankes was one of the most famous explorers of Regency England. A swashbuckling early 19th-century ‘Indiana Jones’, his discovery of … Continue reading From celebrity to outcast: William Bankes MP (1786-1855)
Today’s blog from Editor of the Commons 1832-1868 Section, Dr Philip Salmon details the significance of the contentious and rather lengthy 1818 election, and the way it shaped constituency voting in the lead up to the Great Reform Act, 1832… This month marks the 200th anniversary of the 1818 general election, the first of a series of elections held after the Napoleonic wars that began … Continue reading The General Election of 1818
With UK electors heading off to the national polls for the third time in as many years and as part of our Election 2017 series, Dr Philip Salmon, editor of the Victorian Commons, looks for similar levels of electioneering activity in earlier periods… By June the UK will have clocked up its fifth general election this century – an average of one every 3.4 years. … Continue reading ‘Not another one!’: going to the polls in historical perspective
This week is Parliament Week, a programme of events and activities that connects people across the UK with Parliament and democracy. To mark it, every day this week we are publishing a blog on ‘unlikely parliamentarians’ – the men and women across history who became parliamentarians only unexpectedly. In our fourth blog of the series, Dr Philip Salmon, editor of the Victorian Commons, discusses some … Continue reading Unlikely Parliamentarians 4: a view from the Victorian Commons
This summer, following the internal wrangling that occurred in most parties following the Brexit referendum, we’ve been taking a look at historic cases of party division. In today’s blog, Dr Philip Salmon, Editor of the Victorian Commons, discusses the impact of two major splits within the Tory and Conservative parties during the 19th century… In modern Britain we are not used to political parties splitting … Continue reading Party splits and political change in the 19th century
To mark today’s anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo, Dr Philip Salmon, Editor of the Victorian Commons, explores the impact of the battle’s veterans on the House of Commons… As we celebrate the 200th anniversary of the battle of Waterloo, much of the focus inevitably centres on the duke of Wellington’s achievements as a military commander and saviour of the nation. His other extraordinary career, … Continue reading MPs and Waterloo
As the UK goes to the polls today, here’s the last in our series of blogs on elections through the centuries. With the outcome of today’s vote still baffling the pollsters, Dr Philip Salmon, Editor of the Victorian Commons, discusses how parties tried to deal with uncertainty before voting was secret… As the UK’s pollsters and pundits vie for coverage in what appears to be … Continue reading Predicting the polls: a Victorian perspective
