Category: Buildings and Architecture

Georgian Lords, 17th Century history, 18th Century history, Buildings and Architecture, Economic history, Military history, Social history

‘The most surprising instance of a change of fortune raised by a man himself’: the case of James Brydges, 1st duke of Chandos

In the latest blog for the Georgian Lords, Dr Charles Littleton, considers the career of the 1st duke of Chandos, a man who rose to become one of the most flamboyant peers of the early 18th century and a key patron of the composer, Handel. Last month saw the 280th anniversary of the death of an intriguing and, in his time, prominent 18th-century aristocrat. Intriguing, … Continue reading ‘The most surprising instance of a change of fortune raised by a man himself’: the case of James Brydges, 1st duke of Chandos

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20th century history, Buildings and Architecture, Modern, Ramsay MacDonald

The House of Commons Chamber and the Politics of Seating

Parliament will be officially opened this week and debates will begin once again in the House of Commons. But with the Labour party winning such a large majority in the 2024 General Election, some of their Members may be left wondering- where should I sit? Emeritus Director of the History of Parliament, Dr Paul Seaward, looks to the past to find out more about the … Continue reading The House of Commons Chamber and the Politics of Seating

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Modern, 19th Century history, 20th century history, Buildings and Architecture, Social history

Two Gardening Giants- Joseph Chamberlain and Michael Heseltine

In the second of two blogs for National Gardening Week, here guest blogger Dr Jonathan Denby takes a closer look at two MPs with a passion for gardening, who served in the Cabinet one hundred years apart… When Joseph Chamberlain sat down with his cabinet colleagues in 1880 every one of them had a country estate with a large ornamental garden and they all, not … Continue reading Two Gardening Giants- Joseph Chamberlain and Michael Heseltine

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Modern, 18th Century history, 19th Century history, Benjamin Disraeli, Buildings and Architecture, Economic history, William Ewart Gladstone

Great Parliamentary Gardeners- The Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries Compared

The beginning of May marks the Royal Horticultural Society’s National Gardening Week, but many of the Parliamentarians in our volumes didn’t need extra encouragement to tend to their gardens. In this, the first of two blogs, guest blogger Dr Jonathan Denby looks at differing level of importance that was placed on gardening for MPs across the 19th and 20th centuries… Sir Roderick Floud’s magisterial ‘An … Continue reading Great Parliamentary Gardeners- The Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries Compared

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Stuart, 17th Century history, Buildings and Architecture, Conferences, Seminars and Events

Dutch Diet Diversity: Comparing Seventeenth-Century Dutch Provincial Assemblies (Diets) in East Asia, North America, and the Dutch Republic

Ahead of next Tuesday’s online Parliaments, Politics and People seminar, we hear from Dr Jim van der Meulen of Ghent University. On 27 February between 5.30 p.m. and 7.00 p.m., Jim will discuss seventeenth-century Dutch provincial assemblies in East Asia, North America and the Dutch Republic. The seminar takes place online on 27 February 2024, between 17:30 and 19:00. Details of how to join the discussion are … Continue reading Dutch Diet Diversity: Comparing Seventeenth-Century Dutch Provincial Assemblies (Diets) in East Asia, North America, and the Dutch Republic

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Women and Parliament, 19th Century history, Buildings and Architecture, Victorian

The smallest room in the House

Women have been accessing the Palace of Westminster for centuries, yet sanitary facilities have not always been provided. Chloe Challender, a PhD candidate working on a collaborative project between the University of Warwick and the Parliamentary Archives, discusses the meagre provisions for women in need of relieving themselves at Parliament during the 19th century. Last year Dr Robin Eagles explored the unusual topic of toilet … Continue reading The smallest room in the House

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The First Elizabethan Age, 16th Century history, Buildings and Architecture, Tudor

Bishop Jewel and the lost archdeaconry

Many Elizabethan bills which failed to become Acts of Parliament don’t now survive, and little is known about them except their titles. But two lost bills to annex Dorset to the diocese of Salisbury shed new light on one of Reformation England’s most bizarre sagas. Dr Paul Hunneyball of our Lords 1558-1603 section explains… Medieval English dioceses varied considerably in size, some being much bigger … Continue reading Bishop Jewel and the lost archdeaconry

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Georgian Lords, 18th Century history, Buildings and Architecture, Legal history, Military history, Scottish History

“Take care, or you will break my shins with this damned axe”: The trials of Lords Balmerino, Cromartie and Kilmarnock (Summer 1746)

The summer is normally a period for Parliament to go into recess, and for MPs and members of the Lords to take some time off. On extraordinary occasions, though, Parliament has been known to sit through the summer. As Dr Robin Eagles explains, this was true of 1746 as the government got on with the task of mopping up after the ‘45. Charles Edward Stuart … Continue reading “Take care, or you will break my shins with this damned axe”: The trials of Lords Balmerino, Cromartie and Kilmarnock (Summer 1746)

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Medieval, 15th Century History, 16th Century history, Buildings and Architecture, Local History

The tomb of William Rudhale (d.1530), Queen Katherine’s attorney-general, in the church of Ross-on-Wye

William Rudhale had a successful career in the medieval legal profession culminating in his promotion to serjeants-at-law. Simon Payling from our Commons 1461-1504 project discusses the significance of the decoration on his memorial in the church of Ross-on-Wye. The church of Ross-on-Wye in Herefordshire has a series of remarkable memorials, none more so than chronologically the earliest, that of William Rudhale, King’s serjeant-at-law, and his wife, Anne Milborne. The … Continue reading The tomb of William Rudhale (d.1530), Queen Katherine’s attorney-general, in the church of Ross-on-Wye

Simon Payling1 Comment
17th Century history, Buildings and Architecture, Commons in the Civil Wars, Interregnum

Contested Space: Politics and the Commons Chamber

The Palace of Westminster was the location of some of the most dramatic events in the English Civil Wars. Dr Stephen Roberts, editor for the House of Commons 1640-1660, discusses the layout of the House of Commons Chamber and its role in these events. The great timeless moments of parliamentary history in the 1640s and 50s – Charles I’s failed attempt to arrest the Five Members … Continue reading Contested Space: Politics and the Commons Chamber

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