Category: 19th Century history

Victorian Commons, 19th Century history, Benjamin Disraeli, Electoral Reform, Victorian, Women and Parliament

‘The first humble beginnings of an agitation’: the women’s suffrage petition of 7 June 1866

The campaign to secure the parliamentary vote for women was a long-running one. Dr Kathryn Rix, assistant editor of our House of Commons, 1832-1868 project, looks at the first mass petition on this issue. On 7 June 1866 the first mass petition for women’s suffrage was presented to Parliament. Signed by around 1,500 women, it was presented to the Commons by John Stuart Mill, who … Continue reading ‘The first humble beginnings of an agitation’: the women’s suffrage petition of 7 June 1866

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19th Century history, Parliamentary Life, Speakers of the House, Victorian, Victorian Commons

The Commons at work: the Chairman of Ways and Means

The Speaker of the House of Commons is a remarkably familiar figure to television audiences around the world. Anyone viewing budget debates, though, will notice a different person occupying the Speaker’s chair: the ‘chairman of ways and means’. In this new ‘explainer’ article, Dr Philip Salmon examines the history of this post, currently held by Nus Ghani MP. During the 19th century, as he explains, … Continue reading The Commons at work: the Chairman of Ways and Means

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Victorian Commons, 19th Century history, Elections, Victorian, Women and Parliament

‘A woman actually voted!’: Lily Maxwell and the Manchester by-election of November 1867

More than half a century before the partial enfranchisement of women in 1918, Lily Maxwell, a Manchester shopkeeper, cast a parliamentary vote. Dr Kathryn Rix explores her story. After decades of campaigning for ‘Votes for Women’, the 1918 Representation of the People Act gave the parliamentary vote to some (but not all) women. Yet more than fifty years earlier, on 26 November 1867, Lily Maxwell … Continue reading ‘A woman actually voted!’: Lily Maxwell and the Manchester by-election of November 1867

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Conferences, Seminars and Events, 19th Century history, Art, Fashion and Material Culture, Electoral Reform, Social history, Victorian

Producing, Performing and Curating Radicalism: How was radical material culture produced, used and curated in early 19th century Britain?

Ahead of next Tuesday’s Parliaments, Politics and People seminar, we hear from Dr Caitlin Kitchener. On 28 January Caitlin will discuss the production, use and curation of radical material culture in the early nineteenth century. The seminar takes place on 28 January 2025, between 5:30 and 6.30 p.m. It will be hosted online via Zoom. Details of how to join the discussion are available here. … Continue reading Producing, Performing and Curating Radicalism: How was radical material culture produced, used and curated in early 19th century Britain?

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

The impact of the 1883 Corrupt Practices Act: the York by-election

Continuing her series on the 1883 Corrupt Practices Act, Dr Kathryn Rix looks at its impact on electioneering, focusing on the November 1883 York by-election, which was the first parliamentary election held in England under the Act’s terms. The 1883 Corrupt and Illegal Practices Prevention Act, a landmark reform aimed at tackling the corruption and expense of elections, received royal assent on 25 August 1883, … Continue reading The impact of the 1883 Corrupt Practices Act: the York by-election

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Victorian, 19th Century history, Buildings and Architecture, Conferences, Seminars and Events, Parliamentary Life

Dining in the Palace of Varieties: institutional culture, society living and party management in the Victorian House of Commons

Ahead of next Tuesday’s Parliaments, Politics and People seminar, we hear from Professor Paul Seaward, former Director of the History of Parliament. On 29 October he will discuss Dining in the Palace of Varieties: institutional culture, society living and party management in the Victorian House of Commons. The seminar takes place on 29 October 2024, between 5:30 and 6.30 p.m. It is fully ‘hybrid’, which means … Continue reading Dining in the Palace of Varieties: institutional culture, society living and party management in the Victorian House of Commons

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Conferences, Seminars and Events, 18th Century history, 19th Century history, 20th century history, Scottish History

Conference Review: Histories of Scottish Politics in the Age of Union, c.1700-1945

23-24 July 2024 Collingwood College Durham In July 2024, the History of Parliament Trust supported the two-day conference Histories of Scottish Politics in the Age of Union, c., 1700-1945, held at Durham University and organised by Naomi Lloyd-Jones. In this blog, Brendan Tam, one of the speakers, reflects on the event and on the state of Scottish and British political history. Ewen Cameron’s keynote address … Continue reading Conference Review: Histories of Scottish Politics in the Age of Union, c.1700-1945

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Victorian Commons, 19th Century history, Elections, Electoral Reform, History of Parliament Trust, Local History, Victorian

Mapping the State: English Boundaries and the 1832 Reform Act

In this week’s blog, Dr Martin Spychal, Senior Research Fellow on the Commons 1832-1868 project, discusses his new book Mapping the State: English Boundaries and the 1832 Reform Act. The book is part of the Royal Historical Society’s New Historical Perspectives series and has been published by the University of London press. It is available now to download free in open access, or to purchase … Continue reading Mapping the State: English Boundaries and the 1832 Reform Act

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Slavery, 19th Century history, Charles Grey, 2nd Earl Grey, Economic history, Georgian, Victorian

1833 Slavery Abolition Act: The Long Road to Emancipation in the British West Indies

Today marks the anniversary of the 1833 Slavery Abolition Act receiving royal assent. But why was this bill necessary 26 years after the passing of the 1807 Slave Trade Act, and why was full emancipation not reached until 1838? Our Public Engagement Assistant Joe Baker looks further into the specifics of the Act… In 1807, Parliament passed An Act for the Abolition of the Slave … Continue reading 1833 Slavery Abolition Act: The Long Road to Emancipation in the British West Indies

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Victorian Commons, 19th Century history, Elections, Electoral Reform, History of Parliament Trust, William Ewart Gladstone

Tackling the problem of electoral corruption: the 1883 Corrupt and Illegal Practices Prevention Act

Marking the anniversary of the passage of the 1883 Corrupt Practices Act, Dr Kathryn Rix, assistant editor of the House of Commons, 1832-1945, begins a series of blog posts on this landmark reform by looking at the key changes made by the act and the motivations behind it. On 25 August 1883, the final day of the parliamentary session, the Corrupt and Illegal Practices Prevention … Continue reading Tackling the problem of electoral corruption: the 1883 Corrupt and Illegal Practices Prevention Act

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