Category: 19th Century history

Georgian, 18th Century history, 19th Century history, Buildings and Architecture, Conferences, Seminars and Events, Henry Addington, Viscount Sidmouth, Speakers of the House

The Speaker’s House and the Evolution of the Speakership, 1794–1834

At the IHR Parliaments, Politics and People seminar on 6 May 2025, Dr Murray Tremellen of York Museums Trust will be discussing ‘The Speaker’s House and the Evolution of the Speakership, 1794–1834’ . The seminar takes place on 6 May 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. There are … Continue reading The Speaker’s House and the Evolution of the Speakership, 1794–1834

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Victorian Commons, 19th Century history, Scottish History, Victorian

James Lamont (1828-1913), Arctic explorer and scientist

Our 1832-68 House of Commons project has researched many MPs who were better known for their exploits outside Parliament than in the Commons. In this guest article, Dr Matthew McDowell, of the University of Edinburgh, who has contributed to our 1832-68 project with articles on Buteshire and its MPs, explores the career of the noted Arctic explorer James Lamont. At only four years old, a … Continue reading James Lamont (1828-1913), Arctic explorer and scientist

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Contemporary History, 19th Century history, 20th century history, Benjamin Disraeli, Buildings and Architecture, David Lloyd George, Edward Smith-Stanley, 14th earl of Derby, George Canning, Henry John Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston, Modern, Robert Peel, Victorian, Winston Churchill

‘Made of Stone’ (or not): Statues in Parliament Square

For the past few months our Head of Contemporary History, Dr Emma Peplow, has been on Matt Chorley’s Radio 5live show every Thursday afternoon discussing the figures commemorated in Parliament Square. Here she shares some of what she has learned…. Even if the statues in Parliament Square are not ‘Made of Stone’, as the introductory music to our feature on Matt Chorley’s Radio 5live programme … Continue reading ‘Made of Stone’ (or not): Statues in Parliament Square

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

Disraeli and One Nation Conservatism

In this article our former colleague Dr Henry Miller explores the origins of the phrase ‘One Nation’, which is famously associated with the 19th century Conservative leader and prime minister Benjamin Disraeli (1803-81). He also explains its relevance to Disraeli’s career and its political legacy. The term ‘One Nation’ comes from Disraeli’s 1845 novel Sybil; or the two nations. After the young aristocrat Charles Egremont … Continue reading Disraeli and One Nation Conservatism

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Victorian Commons, 19th Century history, Elections, Victorian

Joseph Holdsworth (1789-1857): candidate or returning officer?

In this article Dr Kathryn Rix of our House of Commons 1832-1945 project looks at a very unusual case – the MP who lost his seat in Parliament because he had technically also been the returning officer for his constituency at the time of his election. In July 1841 Joseph Holdsworth (1789-1857), a prosperous local dyer, was elected as Liberal MP for his native town … Continue reading Joseph Holdsworth (1789-1857): candidate or returning officer?

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19th Century history, Constituencies, Victorian, Victorian Commons

Conscience versus constituency: the dilemma facing Henry Charles Sturt MP

On the anniversary of his death on 14 April 1866, Dr Philip Salmon of the Victorian Commons reflects on the parliamentary career of Henry Charles Sturt, an MP with first-hand experience of the emerging pressures that pitted the needs of a constituency against toeing the party line … The Victorian Commons, as some of our recent articles have shown, was an important testing ground for … Continue reading Conscience versus constituency: the dilemma facing Henry Charles Sturt MP

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Victorian Commons, 19th Century history, Irish History, Religious history, Victorian

Catholics in the Commons after emancipation

Today (13 April) marks the anniversary of the Roman Catholic Relief Act gaining royal assent in 1829, which removed many of the barriers restricting Roman Catholics from sitting in Parliament. However, as Dr Philip Salmon of the Victorian Commons explores, hostility to Catholics continued despite their emancipation … It may seem surprising to some that popular anti-Catholic sentiment continued to flourish in the decades after … Continue reading Catholics in the Commons after emancipation

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Victorian Commons, 19th Century history, Victorian

From Greenwich to the green benches: Alfred Rhodes Bristow (1818-1875)

The ongoing research of our House of Commons, 1832-1868 project has found a surprising number of MPs who came from relatively humble backgrounds, using politics as a means of personal advancement. In this post our former colleague Dr Stephen Ball explores the career of Alfred Rhodes Bristow, a Greenwich draper’s son who became Liberal MP for Kidderminster. By the 1850s a seat in Parliament was … Continue reading From Greenwich to the green benches: Alfred Rhodes Bristow (1818-1875)

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19th Century history, Constituencies, Victorian, Victorian Commons

Richard Cobden and his constituencies

In this guest post, originally published on the Victorian Commons website, Professor Simon Morgan of Leeds Beckett University, the principal investigator on the Letters of Richard Cobden Online resource, shows how Cobden’s letters can shed light on his role as a constituency MP. The publication in 2023 of the Letters of Richard Cobden Online, an open access database funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council and containing … Continue reading Richard Cobden and his constituencies

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Victorian Commons, 19th Century history, Legislative History, Victorian, Women and Parliament

‘The only really important public service I performed’: John Stuart Mill’s women’s suffrage amendment, 20 May 1867

Having looked at John Stuart Mill’s role in presenting the first mass petition for women’s suffrage, our colleague Dr Kathryn Rix explores his continued efforts for the cause of ‘votes for women’, bringing forward an amendment on women’s suffrage as part of the debates on the 1867 Reform Act. John Stuart Mill (1806-73) is best known as a philosopher and influential political thinker, but he … Continue reading ‘The only really important public service I performed’: John Stuart Mill’s women’s suffrage amendment, 20 May 1867

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