Category: Scottish History

19th Century history, Elections, Parliamentary Life, Scottish History, Victorian, Victorian Commons

Robert Spankie: From parliamentary reporter to Member of Parliament

Robert Spankie, who was returned for Finsbury in 1832, had an unusual pre-parliamentary career. Dr Martin Spychal, Senior Research Fellow on our House of Commons 1832-1868 project, explores his route from ground-breaking parliamentary reporter to serving as a controversial advocate-general of Bengal. The son of a Church of Scotland minister, Robert Spankie was born in Falkland in 1774 and at 14 was sent to the … Continue reading Robert Spankie: From parliamentary reporter to Member of Parliament

Martin SpychalLeave a comment
Victorian Commons, 19th Century history, Georgian, History of Parliament Trust, Minority Ethnic History, Scottish History, Slavery, Victorian

‘Philly’ or ‘Filly’ (c.1790-unknown): mother and enslaved domestic worker of Barbados and Guyana

In this extended third article in his series on Peter McLagan, MP for Linlithgowshire 1865-1893, Dr Martin Spychal explores the life of ‘Philly’ or ‘Filly’. Philly was enslaved at the domestic residence of McLagan’s father in Demerara (modern-day Guyana) at the time of McLagan’s birth. This article draws on research in the ‘Slave registers and records of the Slave Compensation Commission, 1812-1851’, held by the … Continue reading ‘Philly’ or ‘Filly’ (c.1790-unknown): mother and enslaved domestic worker of Barbados and Guyana

Martin SpychalLeave 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
20th century history, Constituencies, Contemporary History, Elections, Factions, John Major, Margaret Thatcher, Modern, Oral history, Parliamentary Life, Parties, Scottish History

Crossing the Floor: Tales from the Oral History Project

Following some recent, high-profile, political defections, Alfie Steer and Dr Emma Peplow have delved into the History of Parliament’s Oral History archive to explore historical cases of MPs changing their party affiliations: their causes, motivations and wider significance. Political defections, commonly known in Westminster parlance as ‘Crossing the Floor’, have been a phenomenon in Parliament since at least the 17th century. This has either happened … Continue reading Crossing the Floor: Tales from the Oral History Project

Alfie SteerLeave a comment
Stuart, 18th Century history, Legislative History, Queen Anne, Scottish History

England, Scotland and the Treaty of Union, 1706-08

In 1707, under the terms of the Treaty of Union, England and Scotland became a single state – the United Kingdom of Great Britain – and the parliaments at Westminster and Edinburgh were replaced by a single ‘Parliament of Great Britain’. The arrangements for establishing the new parliament were set out in Article 22 of the Treaty. The wording of the Treaty made no mention … Continue reading England, Scotland and the Treaty of Union, 1706-08

History of ParliamentLeave a comment
Victorian Commons, 18th Century history, 19th Century history, Georgian, History of Parliament Trust, Scottish History, Slavery, Victorian

Peter McLagan senior (1774-1860): enslaver, plantation owner and landed proprietor

Dr Martin Spychal explores the life of Peter McLagan senior (1774-1860). A farmer’s son from Perthshire, McLagan senior acquired considerable wealth as an enslaver and plantation owner in Demerara (modern-day Guyana) during the early nineteenth century. He received extensive ‘compensation’ under the terms of the 1833 Abolition of Slavery Act. Continue reading Peter McLagan senior (1774-1860): enslaver, plantation owner and landed proprietor

Martin SpychalLeave a comment
Conferences, Seminars and Events, 18th Century history, 19th Century history, Art, Fashion and Material Culture, Georgian, Georgian Lords, Parliamentary Life, Scottish History, Women and Parliament

‘The Tartan Rage’: Fashion, High Society, and Scottish Identity in Eighteenth-Century London

At the IHR Parliaments, Politics and People seminar on Tuesday 25 November, Dr Natalee Garrett of The Open University, will be discussing Jane, duchess of Gordon and the Romanticisation of Scottish Identity in London, c.1780-1812. The seminar takes place on 25 November 2025, between 5:30 and 6:30 p.m. It will be hosted online via Zoom. Details of how to join the discussion are available here. ‘The … Continue reading ‘The Tartan Rage’: Fashion, High Society, and Scottish Identity in Eighteenth-Century London

History of ParliamentLeave a comment
Victorian Commons, 19th Century history, Scottish History, Victorian

James Lamont (1828-1913), Arctic explorer and scientist

Our 1832-68 House of Commons project has researched many MPs who were better known for their exploits outside Parliament than in the Commons. In this guest article, Dr Matthew McDowell, of the University of Edinburgh, who has contributed to our 1832-68 project with articles on Buteshire and its MPs, explores the career of the noted Arctic explorer James Lamont. At only four years old, a … Continue reading James Lamont (1828-1913), Arctic explorer and scientist

History of ParliamentLeave a comment
Scottish History, 17th Century history, 18th Century history, Diplomacy and International Relations, Factions, George III, Georgian, Georgian Lords, James II, Military history, Religious history, William Pitt the Younger

The Last of the Jacobites: Henry Benedict

Henry Benedict, Cardinal York (1725-1807), born 300 years ago this March, was the last member of the royal family to take an active role in a papal Conclave, when he participated in the election of Pope Pius VII at Venice in 1800. Dr Robin Eagles investigates how he found himself in that position… On 6 March 1725, Pope Benedict XIII (1724-30) was roused from a … Continue reading The Last of the Jacobites: Henry Benedict

Robin EaglesLeave a comment
Portrait of a young man with dark hair wearing 18th-century clothing, a dark coat and a buff waistcoat
History of Parliament Trust, 18th Century history, Elections, Factions, George III, Georgian, Georgian Lords, Military history, Parties, Scottish History, Social history

Robert Burns in Edinburgh: peers, patrons, and politics

In the wake of Burns Night, it is worth considering how the patronage of a small number of Scottish nobles helped Robert Burns become established as the national bard. In his latest piece for the Georgian Lords, Dr Charles Littleton, considers the important role played by a clutch of elite Scots families. Burns first published his Poems, Chiefly in the Scottish Dialect, in Kilmarnock in … Continue reading Robert Burns in Edinburgh: peers, patrons, and politics

clittleton6c6ff85dd9Leave a comment