Women in charge? Parliament’s female Housekeepers and Necessary Women, c. 1690-1877

Ahead of next Tuesday’s Parliaments, Politics and People seminar, we hear from Mari Takayanagi, senior archivist in the UK Parliamentary Archives, and Elizabeth Hallam Smith, historical research consultant at the Houses of Parliament. On 28 November they will discuss the women who once operated behind the scenes at the House of Lords… The seminar takes place on 28 November 2023, between 5:30 and 6.30 p.m. … Continue reading Women in charge? Parliament’s female Housekeepers and Necessary Women, c. 1690-1877

Organise! Organise! Organise! Conference Reflections

Continuing our series reflecting on the Organise! Organise! Organise! conference hosted by Durham University and supported by the History of Parliament, guest blogger, Patrick Duffy, PhD candidate at Trinity College, Dublin, discusses the new interdisciplinary approaches presented at this conference. The Organise! Organise! Organise! Conference in Durham last July was a hugely enjoyable, beneficial and thought-provoking experience. As a historian interested in issues such as identity and … Continue reading Organise! Organise! Organise! Conference Reflections

‘There is not a Minister on this Side, that knows any Thing I either write or intend, excepting the Master of the Rolls and Sir George Radcliffe’: Sir Thomas Wentworth’s reliance on his cabal in the Irish Parliaments of Charles I’s reign

Ahead of next Tuesday’s Parliaments, Politics and People seminar, we hear from Dr Charlotte Brownhill of the Open University. On 14 November Charlotte will discuss the management of Irish parliaments in the 1630s and 1640s. The seminar takes place between 5:30 and 6.30 p.m. You can attend online via Zoom. Details of how to join the discussion are available here. Sir Thomas Wentworth (later earl … Continue reading ‘There is not a Minister on this Side, that knows any Thing I either write or intend, excepting the Master of the Rolls and Sir George Radcliffe’: Sir Thomas Wentworth’s reliance on his cabal in the Irish Parliaments of Charles I’s reign

Horatio Bottomley – how a radical journalist became a right-wing populist MP

Ahead of next Tuesday’s Parliaments, Politics and People seminar, we hear from Professor David Renton of SOAS/Garden Court chambers. On 31 October between 5.30 p.m. and 7.00 p.m., David will discuss his recent biography of Horatio Bottomley. The seminar takes place on 31 October 2023, between 17:30 and 19:00. It is fully ‘hybrid’, which means you can attend either in-person in London at the IHR, … Continue reading Horatio Bottomley – how a radical journalist became a right-wing populist MP

Political practices: new directions in political history in the long nineteenth century

Continuing our series reflecting on the Organise! Organise! Organise! conference hosted by Durham University and supported by the History of Parliament, guest blogger Dr Helen Sunderland, a historian based at the University of Oxford, discusses the new directions of research that were presented and considers what might be next for political history. Two packed days at the Organise! Organise! Organise! conference at Durham University last month showcased the … Continue reading Political practices: new directions in political history in the long nineteenth century

Acts of Recovery: archival reconstruction in the digital age reflection

In September 2023, the UK Parliamentary Archives hosted an event to mark their collaboration with the Virtual Record Treasury of Ireland. In this blog, our Public Engagement Assistant, Kirsty O’Rourke, reflects on the event. To mark the collaboration between the Virtual Record Treasury of Ireland and the UK Parliamentary Archives, last month the UK Parliamentary Archives hosted an event to discuss the importance of sharing knowledge … Continue reading Acts of Recovery: archival reconstruction in the digital age reflection

Reflections on the Organise! Organise! Organise! Conference

Continuing our series reflecting on the Organise! Organise! Organise! conference hosted by Durham University and supported by the History of Parliament, guest blogger Erin Geraghty, Teaching Associate at the University of Nottingham, shares her thoughts on the fresh perspectives offered on British and Irish political history. In July, Durham University hosted ‘Organise! Organise! Organise! Collective Action, Associational Culture and the Politics of Organisation in Britain … Continue reading Reflections on the Organise! Organise! Organise! Conference

Everyday Experiences of Politics: Material Culture in the Age of Reform, 1780-1832

Our Parliaments, Politics and People seminar is back for the autumn term! At next week’s seminar Kerry Love of the University of Northampton will discuss material culture and the everyday experience of politics between 1780 and 1832. The seminar takes place on 3 October 2023, between 17:30 and 19:00. It is fully ‘hybrid’, which means you can attend either in-person in London at the IHR, or … Continue reading Everyday Experiences of Politics: Material Culture in the Age of Reform, 1780-1832

The Letters of Richard Cobden (1804-1865) Online: An exploration in Active Citizenship

Today is the official launch of the Letters of Richard Cobden Online. This resource contains a searchable collection of digital transcripts of letters written by Cobden and a virtual exhibition of the original documents. Dr Simon Morgan, Principal Investigator for the project, explains more… Tuesday 19 September sees the official launch of the Letters of Richard Cobden Online. Fittingly for such a great Parliamentarian, this … Continue reading The Letters of Richard Cobden (1804-1865) Online: An exploration in Active Citizenship

Organise! Organise! Organise! Conference Review

Last month Durham University, supported by the History of Parliament, hosted the conference Organise! Organise! Organise! Collective Action, Associational Culture and the Politics of Organisation in Britain and Ireland, c.1790-1914. This conference saw historians declare that the study of long nineteenth-century political history was here to stay. Guest blogger George Palmer, PhD candidate at Emmanuel College, Cambridge, reflects on the conference. In welcoming attendees to … Continue reading Organise! Organise! Organise! Conference Review