Local History
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The Making of a Marcher Town: Ludlow and the Wars of the Roses
Dr Simon Payling, of our Commons 1461-1504 section, explores the crucial role of the Shropshire town of Ludlow during the Wars…
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The town of Shrewsbury and the Wars of the Roses: The campaigns of 1459-61
Dr Simon Payling, of our Commons 1461-1504 section, explores the political allegiance of the Shropshire town of Shrewsbury during the…
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Lord Saye and Sele and the Battle for Oxford
In our first ‘Revolutionary Stuart Parliaments‘ article of 2025, Editor of the 1640-60 House of Lords section, Dr David Scott,…
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Unrest in the West: The Perkin Warbeck Conspiracy
On this day, 1499, Perkin Warbeck, a pretender to the English throne, was hanged for treason, bringing an end to…
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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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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…
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The day Parliament was invaded
In the summer of 1780 London, and several other cities across England, experienced some of the worst rioting they had…
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A disputed election in the wake of the battle of Bosworth: the Shropshire election of 1485
Following the battle of Bosworth and Henry Tudor’s accession to the English throne, the country’s gentry who had sided with…
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The Southwells – from administrators to an ancient peerage
In the latest blog for the Georgian Lords, Dr Stuart Handley charts the history of the Southwell family, from their…
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Election Chairing Ballads: The Songs and Music of Electoral Victory from Handel to ‘Things Can Only Get Better’
In today’s blog for the Georgian Elections Project, Dr Kendra Packham (Institute of English Studies, University of London and Newcastle…
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Hustings and leadership debates 18th-century style
Leadership debates, as experienced in modern elections, were not a feature of 18th-century contests. However, as Dr Robin Eagles shows…
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The ups and downs of a London election: examining London poll books
As pollsters look for constituencies across the country to act as representatives of how the wider nation may vote in…