Category: Local History

Medieval, 15th Century History, Henry VII, Local History, Military history

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 one of the most significant threats to Henry VII’s reign. Dr Hannes Kleineke, editor of our House of Commons 1461-1504 section, recounts the story of the Warbeck Conspiracy. Some three years after Lambert Simnel had taken up his post as Henry VII’s kitchen boy, another … Continue reading Unrest in the West: The Perkin Warbeck Conspiracy

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Victorian Commons, 19th Century history, Constituencies, Elections, Electoral Reform, Local History, Victorian

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 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

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Victorian Commons, 19th Century history, Elections, Electoral Reform, History of Parliament Trust, Local History, Victorian

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 the State: English Boundaries and the 1832 Reform Act. The book is part of the Royal Historical Society’s New Historical Perspectives series and has been published by the University of London press. It is available now to download free in open access, or to purchase … Continue reading Mapping the State: English Boundaries and the 1832 Reform Act

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Georgian, 18th Century history, Buildings and Architecture, Factions, Georgian Lords, Legal history, Local History, Religious history, Scottish History, Social history

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 seen in a generation, following the presentation of a petition to Parliament calling for the repeal of the Catholic Relief Act. In the latest post for the Georgian Lords, Dr Robin Eagles considers the evidence of Lord George Gordon’s trial report and the insights it … Continue reading The day Parliament was invaded

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The Commons in the Wars of the Roses, 15th Century History, Constituencies, Elections, Local History, Medieval, Tudor

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 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

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Georgian Lords, 17th Century history, 18th Century history, 19th Century history, Elections, History of Parliament Trust, Irish History, Local History

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 origins in Gloucestershire and as administrators in Ireland to their ultimate inheritance of one of the senior peerages in the House of Lords. It is particularly satisfying when the various sections of the History of Parliament allow the fortunes of one family to be traced … Continue reading The Southwells – from administrators to an ancient peerage

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Georgian Elections Project, 18th Century history, 19th Century history, Elections, Factions, Local History, Military history, Parties, Social history

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 University) tells us about her research on eighteenth-century election ballads, and finds in the forgotten election ‘chairing’ song points of comparison with the campaign for the 2024 UK general election. In the eighteenth century, when the ability and opportunity to vote was heavily restricted, songs … Continue reading Election Chairing Ballads: The Songs and Music of Electoral Victory from Handel to ‘Things Can Only Get Better’

History of Parliament
Georgian Elections Project, 18th Century history, Elections, Georgian, History of Parliament Trust, Local History, Parties

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 in the latest post for the Georgian Elections Project, that does not mean that there was not plenty of opportunity for candidates to address their prospective constituents and be quizzed on their record. As Frank O’Gorman has shown, the qualities looked for in 18th-century MPs, … Continue reading Hustings and leadership debates 18th-century style

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Georgian Elections Project, 18th Century history, Elections, History of Parliament Trust, Local History, Social history

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 the upcoming election, in the 18th century you might have looked to the capital city. Here Dr Robin Eagles explores how the City of London voted in two key elections either side of George I’s accession to the throne, as part of our Georgian Elections … Continue reading The ups and downs of a London election: examining London poll books

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Victorian Commons, 19th Century history, Conferences, Seminars and Events, Elections, Electoral Reform, Local History, Victorian

‘The corruption of the best things becomes the worst.’ The Politics of Electoral Registration in Several Midland Boroughs in the Age of Reform, 1832-41

Ahead of next Tuesday’s Parliaments, Politics and People seminar, we hear from Sarah Boote Powell, of the University of Warwick. On 14 May she will discuss the politics of electoral registration in the Midlands in the aftermath of the 1832 Reform Act. The seminar takes place on 14 April 2024, between 5:30 and 6.30 p.m. It is taking place online, via Zoom. Details of how to … Continue reading ‘The corruption of the best things becomes the worst.’ The Politics of Electoral Registration in Several Midland Boroughs in the Age of Reform, 1832-41

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