Category: Georgian Lords

Georgian Lords, 18th Century history, Factions, Georgian, Parliamentary Life, Parties

‘You have this day lost an agreeable entertainment in the House of Lords’: Dr John Savage, Lord Cowper’s personal parliamentary reporter

We are so used to continuous coverage of Parliament that it is easy to forget that during most of the 18th century debates in Parliament could not be made public. So how did those interested, and even engaged, in proceedings in the 18th-century Parliament know what was actually happening there? Many relied on newsletter-writers and agents, but in this latest post for the Georgian Lords, … Continue reading ‘You have this day lost an agreeable entertainment in the House of Lords’: Dr John Savage, Lord Cowper’s personal parliamentary reporter

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Georgian Lords, 18th Century history, George II, George III, Georgian, History of Parliament Trust, Legal history, Local History, Social history

“Wilful murder by persons unknown”: death in an Oxford college (1747)

In the latest post for the Georgian Lords, Dr Robin Eagles examines an unpleasant incident that took place in Oxford in the 1740s, which left a college servant dead and several high profile students under suspicion of his murder… In April 1784, George Nevill, 17th Baron Abergavenny, was approached to ask whether he would accept promotion to an earldom. In the wake of Pitt the … Continue reading “Wilful murder by persons unknown”: death in an Oxford college (1747)

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History of Parliament Trust, 18th Century history, Constituencies, Elections, George II, George III, Georgian, Georgian Elections Project, Georgian Lords, Local History, Queen Anne

Steps towards identifying new Black voters in 18th-century Westminster and Hertfordshire

A few months ago, the History welcomed a guest post by Dr Gillian Williamson with her groundbreaking research into John London, to date the earliest known Black voter in Britain, who lodged his vote in the 1749 by-election for Westminster. In this latest post, Dr Robin Eagles explains the potential discovery of further Black voters taking part in the same contest and subsequent polls in … Continue reading Steps towards identifying new Black voters in 18th-century Westminster and Hertfordshire

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Georgian Lords, 18th Century history, Diplomacy and International Relations, Frederick North, 2nd earl of Guilford, George II, George III, Georgian, History of Parliament Trust, Military history

Putting ‘spirit in the conduct of the war’: the November 1775 government reshuffle

In his last post for the Georgian Lords, From bills to bullets: Spring 1775 and the approach to war in America, on the advent of the American War of Independence, Dr Charles Littleton left things hanging with the prorogation on 26 May 1775. Now, he continues the story into the autumn with the declaration of war and a key government reshuffle. Following the prorogation of … Continue reading Putting ‘spirit in the conduct of the war’: the November 1775 government reshuffle

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Conferences, Seminars and Events, 18th Century history, 19th Century history, Art, Fashion and Material Culture, Georgian, Georgian Lords, Parliamentary Life, Scottish History, Women and Parliament

‘The Tartan Rage’: Fashion, High Society, and Scottish Identity in Eighteenth-Century London

At the IHR Parliaments, Politics and People seminar on Tuesday 25 November, Dr Natalee Garrett of The Open University, will be discussing Jane, duchess of Gordon and the Romanticisation of Scottish Identity in London, c.1780-1812. The seminar takes place on 25 November 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. ‘The … Continue reading ‘The Tartan Rage’: Fashion, High Society, and Scottish Identity in Eighteenth-Century London

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History of Parliament Trust, 17th Century history, 18th Century history, Art, Fashion and Material Culture, Buildings and Architecture, Factions, George III, Georgian, Georgian Lords, James II, Local History, Margaret Thatcher, Mary II, Military history, Parties, Stuart, William III, William Pitt the Younger

‘Confirmation of the People’s Rights’: commemorating the ‘Glorious Revolution’ of 1688

For many, the beginning of November means the advent of longer nights as the year winds down to Christmas. Some may still enjoy attending firework displays marking the failure of the 1605 Gunpowder Plot. In November 1788, though, serious efforts were made to establish a lasting memorial to the Revolution of 1688, whose centenary was celebrated nationwide. However, as Dr Robin Eagles shows, no one … Continue reading ‘Confirmation of the People’s Rights’: commemorating the ‘Glorious Revolution’ of 1688

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History of Parliament Trust, 18th Century history, Diplomacy and International Relations, Factions, George III, Georgian, Georgian Lords, Parties, William Pitt the Younger

‘The sect of Alarmists’: The Third Party and the reluctant leadership of William Windham, 1793-4

In this latest post, the Georgian Lords welcomes a guest article by James Orchin, PhD student at Queen’s University, Belfast, re-examining William Windham’s ‘Third Party’, known as ‘The Alarmists’. The group was mostly made up of former Foxite Whigs, who had split from Fox over the French Revolution, and found itself positioned somewhat unhappily between Pitt the Younger’s administration and the Foxite opposition in the … Continue reading ‘The sect of Alarmists’: The Third Party and the reluctant leadership of William Windham, 1793-4

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Georgian Lords, 14th Century history, 15th Century History, 16th Century history, 17th Century history, 18th Century history, 19th Century history, 20th century history, Art, Fashion and Material Culture, Buildings and Architecture, Constituencies, Edward VI, Elections, Elizabeth I, George I, George III, Georgian, Henry VII, History of Parliament Trust, James II, John Stuart, 3rd earl of Bute, Local History, Medieval, Oliver Cromwell, Religious history, Stuart, Tudor

Descended from a giant: the Worsleys of Hovingham

The recent death of HRH the Duchess of Kent, who was married to the late queen’s cousin at York Minister in 1961, reminds us of her family’s long association with Yorkshire. This has included two brothers who served as archbishop of York and several members of her family who were elected to Parliament. Dr Robin Eagles considers the Worsley family’s connection with the north of … Continue reading Descended from a giant: the Worsleys of Hovingham

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18th Century history, Factions, Georgian, Georgian Lords

The Foxite Whig Rump

The death of Charles James Fox on 13 September 1806, just over eight months after that of his long-term rival, William Pitt the Younger, robbed British politics of a titan who had dominated affairs since the 1780s. And yet, in spite of being the talented heir to a parliamentary dynasty, Fox spent only a few months in office, and much of the latter part of … Continue reading The Foxite Whig Rump

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History of Parliament Trust, 18th Century history, Charles Watson-Wentworth, 2nd Marquess of Rockingham, Factions, George Grenville, George II, George III, Georgian, Georgian Lords, Parliamentary Life, Social history

From Jockeys to Ministers: How Horse Racing Shaped Rockingham’s First Ministry

In the latest post for the Georgian Lords, we welcome Ioannes Chountis de Fabbri from the University of Aberdeen, who considers the importance of horse racing in the formation of the Rockingham administration of 1765. The structure of mid-eighteenth-century politics was often defined as much by social custom as by constitutional form. What Leslie Mitchell has called the ‘circle of acquaintances’ of the ruling, largely … Continue reading From Jockeys to Ministers: How Horse Racing Shaped Rockingham’s First Ministry

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