Category: Social history

Modern, 20th century history, Art, Fashion and Material Culture, Social history

Clangers in Parliament: The Politics of Postgate and Bagpuss

2026 sees the 50th anniversary of the reissuing (in colour) of the children’s classic, Ivor the Engine, created by Oliver Postgate and Peter Firmin. What is perhaps less well known is the longer political context of the Postgate family and how that influence may, in a small way, have made its way into the otherwise comforting world of Bagpuss and the Clangers. On 23 February … Continue reading Clangers in Parliament: The Politics of Postgate and Bagpuss

Robin EaglesLeave a comment
Victorian, 19th Century history, Benjamin Disraeli, Social history

Sir William Hart Dyke: Conservative MP, Disraeli’s chief whip – and the ‘inventor of lawn tennis’?

Who created the modern game of lawn tennis? As Dr Naomi Lloyd-Jones discusses, one possibly surprising 19th-century pioneer could have been Sir William Hart Dyke, a champion sportsman best known as Disraeli’s chief whip, who claimed to have played the first game and drawn up the rules. Sir William Hart Dyke (1837-1931), a Conservative MP in Kent for four decades, is perhaps best known for … Continue reading Sir William Hart Dyke: Conservative MP, Disraeli’s chief whip – and the ‘inventor of lawn tennis’?

Naomi Lloyd-JonesLeave a comment
Georgian Lords, 18th Century history, George I, Georgian, Parties, Religious history, Robert Walpole, Social history

‘A very unequal and a forced maintenance’: The failure of the Quakers Tithe Bill in 1736

In 1736 an almost united bench of bishops in the House of Lords scuppered legislation to relieve Quakers from prosecution for their refusal to pay tithes. In his first post for the Georgian Lords, Dr Ben Rogers considers how this controversy reignited disputes between the government, the Church of England, and religious dissenters, and led to an irretrievable breach between Robert Walpole and his former … Continue reading ‘A very unequal and a forced maintenance’: The failure of the Quakers Tithe Bill in 1736

Ben RogersLeave a comment
Georgian, 18th Century history, 19th Century history, Art, Fashion and Material Culture, Arthur Wellesley, 1st duke of Wellington, Charles Grey, 2nd Earl Grey, John Russell, 1st Earl Russell, Parliamentary Life, Social history, Victorian, William Ewart Gladstone

Politics, popular celebration and the Trojan War

The recent release of Christopher Nolan’s latest epic, The Odyssey, has sparked debate in many quarters for its depiction of Odysseus’ efforts to get back home after the tribulations of the Trojan War. In this latest post, Dr Robin Eagles considers how Homer’s epic has featured in British political discourse. Possibly the most famous moment in the mythical story of the fall of Troy is … Continue reading Politics, popular celebration and the Trojan War

Robin EaglesLeave a comment
16th Century history, Elizabeth I, Social history, The First Elizabethan Age, Tudor

Elizabeth I’s half-brother? Henry Carey, 1st Baron Hunsdon

It has long been known that Henry Carey, 1st Lord Hunsdon, was Elizabeth I’s closest living male relative. However, it is less widely known that he may also have been the queen’s half-brother. In this article, Dr Andrew Thrush, editor of the Elizabethan House of Lords project, re-examines some key evidence to suggest that this claim should not be lightly dismissed… Born in the mid-1520s, … Continue reading Elizabeth I’s half-brother? Henry Carey, 1st Baron Hunsdon

Andrew ThrushLeave a comment
Revolutionary Stuart Parliaments, 17th Century history, Interregnum, Local History, Social history, Stuart

A Disappointed Father: The 1st Earl of Bolingbroke and His Son

Dr Alex Beeton explores the strained relationship of the earl of Bolingbroke and his wayward son and heir, Lord St John. Paternal disappointment is not an obvious component of Civil War historiography. Scarcity of evidence relating to personal lives is a common obstacle for historians of the mid-1640s peerage. For example, we know a great deal about the political life of Theophilus Clinton, 4th earl … Continue reading A Disappointed Father: The 1st Earl of Bolingbroke and His Son

Alex BeetonLeave a comment
Conferences, Seminars and Events, 20th century history, Art, Fashion and Material Culture, Diplomacy and International Relations, Modern, Social history

Interwar literature, politics and East-central Europe

At the IHR Parliaments, Politics and People seminar on Tuesday 16 June, Dr Juliette Bretan of Cambridge University will be discussing literary depictions of, and new proposals regarding, the politics of British involvement in East-central Europe during the interwar period. The seminar takes place on 16 June 2026, between 5:30 and 6:30 p.m. It is fully ‘hybrid’, which means you can attend either in-person in London … Continue reading Interwar literature, politics and East-central Europe

History of ParliamentLeave a comment
Contemporary History, 20th century history, History of Parliament Trust, Legislative History, LGBTQ+ History, Margaret Thatcher, Modern, Oral history, Social history, Tony Blair

Section 28: Memories from the Oral History Archive

Section 28 of the Local Government Act, 1988, was one of the most controversial pieces of legislation in Britain at the end of the twentieth century. To mark the anniversary of its introduction, Alfie Steer has delved into the oral history archive to explore MPs’ memories of it. Section 28 (otherwise known as Clause 28) was first included in the 1988 Local Government Act as … Continue reading Section 28: Memories from the Oral History Archive

Alfie Steer1 Comment
Modern, 20th century history, Economic history, Legislative History, Parties, Ramsay MacDonald, Social history, Stanley Baldwin

The 1926 General Strike and Parliamentary Democracy

One hundred years ago today, the 1926 General Strike broke out in Britain. To mark the anniversary, Alfie Steer has explored its significance for Britain’s parliamentary system. In 1925, the private owners of Britain’s mining industry (nicknamed the ‘sick man of British capitalism’, [Miliband, p.121]) tried to revive its international competitiveness by proposing a series of drastic wage cuts and an extension in working hours. … Continue reading The 1926 General Strike and Parliamentary Democracy

Alfie SteerLeave 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