Category: Parliamentary Life

Conferences, Seminars and Events, 18th Century history, 19th Century history, Factions, Georgian, History of Parliament Trust, Modern, Parliamentary Life

The role of political sociability in establishing and maintaining political friendship and alliances in late-Hanoverian Britain, 1760-1837

At the IHR Parliaments, Politics and People seminar on Tuesday 5 May, BrendanTam of the University of Warwick, will be discussing political sociability and friendship in late-Hanoverian Britain. The seminar takes place on 5 May 2026, between 5:30 and 6:30 p.m. It is fully ‘hybrid’, which means you can attend either in-person in London at the IHR, or online via Zoom. Details of how to … Continue reading The role of political sociability in establishing and maintaining political friendship and alliances in late-Hanoverian Britain, 1760-1837

History of ParliamentLeave a comment
Contemporary History, 20th century history, Oral history, Parliamentary Life

‘You could drink to your heart’s content’: Drinking in Parliament, a hangover from the 1970s?

In a recent interview, the newly elected MP for Gorton and Denton, Hannah Spencer, has criticised fellow-MPs drinking whilst in Westminster. For Emma Peplow, head of Contemporary History, these comments led her straight to the HPT’s oral history archive. Hannah Spencer is not the first new MP to remark disapprovingly on Parliament’s drinking culture. From the viewpoint of our oral history archive, however, MPs’ tendencies … Continue reading ‘You could drink to your heart’s content’: Drinking in Parliament, a hangover from the 1970s?

Emma PeplowLeave a comment
Victorian Commons, 19th Century history, Parliamentary Life, Religious history

Quakers in the Commons: Joseph Pease and the right to affirm

Taking their seat in the Commons can be a nervous moment for new MPs, but for the Quaker Joseph Pease in 1833, tensions were heightened because he feared that his refusal to take oaths would prevent him from sitting at Westminster. This article from Dr Kathryn Rix, assistant editor of our House of Commons, 1832-1945 project, explains how this difficulty was overcome, enabling Pease to … Continue reading Quakers in the Commons: Joseph Pease and the right to affirm

Kathryn RixLeave a comment
Georgian Lords, 18th Century history, Art, Fashion and Material Culture, George I, George II, George III, Georgian, History of Parliament Trust, Modern, Parliamentary Life

Dressing the part: robes ancient and modern

In the latest post for the Georgian Lords, Dr Robin Eagles considers the symbolism of the robes worn by members of the House of Lords both in Parliament and at coronations, and how some lords went to considerable lengths to ensure that their prized possessions were passed from one generation to the next. One of the most familiar sights of the state opening of Parliament … Continue reading Dressing the part: robes ancient and modern

Robin Eagles1 Comment
Revolutionary Stuart Parliaments, 17th Century history, Charles I, Factions, Health and Medicine, Military history, Parliamentary Life, Stuart

The Politics of Illness, Part 1: Francis Russell, 4th earl of Bedford, 1640-1

In the first of a short series, Dr Patrick Little of the 1640-60 Lords section,  discusses how illness undermined a compromise between Charles I and his opponents in Parliament in the early months of the Long Parliament. Francis Russell, 4th earl of Bedford, is well-known as the originator of the so-called ‘bridge appointments’ scheme, a compromise agreement in the winter of 1640-1 which would have seen Charles … Continue reading The Politics of Illness, Part 1: Francis Russell, 4th earl of Bedford, 1640-1

Patrick LittleLeave a comment
Georgian Lords, 18th Century history, Factions, Georgian, Parliamentary Life, Parties

‘You have this day lost an agreeable entertainment in the House of Lords’: Dr John Savage, Lord Cowper’s personal parliamentary reporter

We are so used to continuous coverage of Parliament that it is easy to forget that during most of the 18th century debates in Parliament could not be made public. So how did those interested, and even engaged, in proceedings in the 18th-century Parliament know what was actually happening there? Many relied on newsletter-writers and agents, but in this latest post for the Georgian Lords, … Continue reading ‘You have this day lost an agreeable entertainment in the House of Lords’: Dr John Savage, Lord Cowper’s personal parliamentary reporter

clittleton6c6ff85dd91 Comment
Victorian Commons, 19th Century history, 20th century history, Alec Douglas-Home, Andrew Bonar Law, Archibald Primrose, 5th earl of Rosebery, Arthur Wellesley, 1st duke of Wellington, Benjamin Disraeli, Charles Grey, 2nd Earl Grey, George Canning, George Hamilton-Gordon, 4th earl of Aberdeen, Henry John Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston, John Russell, 1st Earl Russell, Modern, Parliamentary Life, Robert Banks Jenkinson, 2nd earl of Liverpool, Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd marquess of Salisbury, Robert Walpole, Victorian, William Cavendish-Bentinck, 3rd duke of Portland, William Ewart Gladstone, Winston Churchill

Prime Ministers in the House of Lords

The retirement of Lord Salisbury in 1902 marked the end of the last premiership undertaken from the House of Lords, but in the nineteenth century, more prime ministers led governments from the Lords than the Commons. In this article, Dr Kathryn Rix, of our House of Commons, 1832-1945 project, explores the history and significance of prime ministers in the Lords. When Anthony Trollope wrote his … Continue reading Prime Ministers in the House of Lords

Kathryn RixLeave a comment
Modern, 20th century history, Military history, Parliamentary Life, Scottish History, Social history

‘One of the greatest Rugby players who ever sat in the House’: Pat Munro MP

With the 2026 Six Nations Championship in full swing, our latest article from Dr Kathryn Rix looks at one of the most notable rugby players to become an MP, the former Scotland captain, Patrick (‘Pat’) Munro (1883-1942), who was capped 13 times for Scotland. Pat Munro made his debut as a Scotland rugby international on 4 February 1905 at Inverleith, Edinburgh, taking on Wales in … Continue reading ‘One of the greatest Rugby players who ever sat in the House’: Pat Munro MP

Kathryn Rix2 Comments
History of Parliament Trust, 15th Century History, Medieval, Parliamentary Life, The Commons in the Wars of the Roses

Paddington in Parliament

Dr Hannes Kleineke of our Commons 1461-1504 Section explores how Paddington Bear’s favourite sweet treat was traded by some members of the late medieval House of Commons… This blog must start with a disclaimer: there is of course no evidence (and no suggestion) that the Peruvian bear ever sat in the British House of Commons. What we do know, however, is that late medieval Members traded, inter alia, … Continue reading Paddington in Parliament

Hannes KleinekeLeave a comment
Medieval, 15th Century History, Henry VI, Local History, Military history, Parliamentary Life, Religious history

The true beginning of troubles? The Parliament of Bats, 1426

Dr Hannes Kleineke explores the acrimonious ‘Parliament of Bats’, which first met in Leicester on this day 600 years ago, amidst tensions between two of Henry VI’s closest political advisors. At the end of 1425, just three years into the reign of the infant Henry VI, the English polity, such as it was, was in turmoil. Although arrangements for the conduct of government during the … Continue reading The true beginning of troubles? The Parliament of Bats, 1426

Hannes KleinekeLeave a comment