The 31 May 2025 marks Dr Stuart Handley’s last day at the History of Parliament. One of his last biographies for The House of Lords, 1715-90 has been William Pulteney, earl of Bath. It will be the third History of Parliament biography of Pulteney, his long career having been covered by Dr Andrew Hanham in The House of Commons, 1690-1715, and by Dr Romney Sedgwick … Continue reading Some thoughts on William Pulteney, earl of Bath
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
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
Continuing her series on the 1883 Corrupt Practices Act, Dr Kathryn Rix looks at its impact on electioneering, focusing on the November 1883 York by-election, which was the first parliamentary election held in England under the Act’s terms. The 1883 Corrupt and Illegal Practices Prevention Act, a landmark reform aimed at tackling the corruption and expense of elections, received royal assent on 25 August 1883, … Continue reading The impact of the 1883 Corrupt Practices Act: the York by-election
In his latest post for the Georgian Lords, Dr Stuart Handley looks into the family of the notorious Lord George Gordon, who was at the centre of the political storm that resulted in the 1780 ‘Gordon Riots’ that rocked London and other British towns and cities… The recent riots engulfing parts of Britain have rekindled interest in the propensity of the populace to riot during … Continue reading Did you know, Lord George Gordon had two brothers?
Following the battle of Bosworth and Henry Tudor’s accession to the English throne, the country’s gentry who had sided with Henry seemed destined to be elected to Parliament uncontested. However, as Dr Simon Payling of our Commons 1461-1504 project explores, this was not always the case… Election disputes were rare in late-medieval England. Indeed, it was not until the early fifteenth-century that any legal framework … Continue reading A disputed election in the wake of the battle of Bosworth: the Shropshire election of 1485
In today’s blog Dr Kathryn Rix, assistant editor of our House of Commons, 1832-1868 project, takes a local history look at the political representation of 19th century Macclesfield, where one particular industry made its presence known… One of the most significant aspects of the 1832 Reform Act was its redrawing of the electoral map, taking seats away from ‘rotten boroughs’ such as Dunwich and Old … Continue reading The power of the (silk) purse: electioneering in nineteenth-century Macclesfield
In our latest blog Dr Vivienne Larminie, assistant editor of our Commons 1640-1660 project, continues our local history look at port constituencies. Today’s focus is the naval city of Portsmouth, but were its maritime origins echoed in its 17th century parliamentary representation? The antiquarian and topographer William Camden characterised Portsmouth as ‘a place alwaies in time of warre well frequented, otherwise little resort there is … Continue reading ‘Better affected to Mars and Neptune, than to Mercury’: docks, diversity and the representation of Portsmouth in the civil wars and interregnum
In today’s blog Dr Kathryn Rix, assistant editor of our Commons 1832-1868 project, continues our look at port constituencies for local history month. Here, she explores the electoral politics of Whitby after it was first granted the right to elect one MP in 1832… In July 1832 the ‘blues’ (Liberals) and ‘pinks’ (Conservatives) in the port of Whitby each held lavish celebrations to mark the … Continue reading The shipping and the railway interests: Whitby’s electoral politics, 1832-1868
As we gear up for May’s Local and Community History Month, today Dr Robin Eagles, editor of our Lords 1715-1790 project, begins our look at port constituencies. Hubs of trade and industry, historically ports have been central to both national economy and military defence, making their representation in Parliament very important. Here Dr Eagles casts an eye on the town of Lymington on the south … Continue reading ‘Seldom… disturbed by the bustle of trade or the affairs of Government’: Lymington from Restoration to Reform
