Elections
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‘Damn the secret ballot’: the UK’s public voting system before 1872
Today (18 July) marks another anniversary of the 1872 Secret Ballot Act, a topic we examined in more detail in…
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A ‘new Canterbury Tale’: George Smythe, Frederick Romilly and England’s ‘last political duel’
Drawing on her research into Canterbury for the House of Commons, 1832-1868 project, our research fellow Dr Naomi Lloyd-Jones looks…
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John Lewis: A Black Sailor at the 1828 Weymouth By-Election
In this guest article Dr Joe Cozens discusses his research into John Lewis, a Black sailor who was arrested during…
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The evolving electoral system: the 1835 and 1865 general elections compared
This year marks the 190th anniversary of the 1835 general election and the 160th anniversary of the 1865 general election.…
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‘Those dark little rooms’: Cecil Forester, the Carlton Club and electoral corruption
Drawing on her first biography for the House of Commons, 1832-1868 project, our new research fellow Dr Naomi Lloyd-Jones looks…
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‘of all others most desirable’: Pitt the Younger and elections for Cambridge
From the onset of his lengthy political career, William Pitt the Younger had his eyes fixed on representing his alma…
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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 –…
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‘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…
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Robert Burns in Edinburgh: peers, patrons, and politics
In the wake of Burns Night, it is worth considering how the patronage of a small number of Scottish nobles…
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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…
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Cynog Dafis: Britain’s first Green MP?
While Caroline Lucas is commonly referred to as Britain’s first Green Member of Parliament, Cynog Dafis, who entered parliament as…
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Did you know, Lord George Gordon had two brothers?
In his latest post for the Georgian Lords, Dr Stuart Handley looks into the family of the notorious Lord George…