Category: Social history

Contemporary History, 20th century history, Health and Medicine, Modern, Social history

The National Health Service’s Anniversaries as a Political Tradition

To mark the National Health Service’s (NHS) seventy-fifth anniversary, guest blogger Dr Andrew Seaton discusses his new book, Our NHS: A History of Britain’s Best-Loved Institution (Yale University Press, 2023) and its links to parliamentary history through the lens of its anniversaries. In my new book, Our NHS: A History of Britain’s Best-Loved Institution, I try and answer two questions. First, why did the National … Continue reading The National Health Service’s Anniversaries as a Political Tradition

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Contemporary History, 20th century history, Elections, Health and Medicine, Modern, Oral history, Social history, Women and Parliament

75 Years of the NHS – on the campaign trail

Last month, the NHS celebrated its 75th anniversary. Since its formation, the NHS has played a key role in politics. Here, Dr Emma Peplow, Head of Oral History, explores how important the NHS was to voters and politicians on the campaign trail. This summer we celebrated the 75th anniversary of the NHS. Alongside the tributes to those who work so hard to keep it running, there … Continue reading 75 Years of the NHS – on the campaign trail

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Georgian Lords, 18th Century history, Elections, Local History, Parties, Social history

‘Kind patron of the mirthful fray’: the English aristocracy and cricket in the 18th century

The Ashes Test series currently under way provides an opportunity to consider the English aristocracy’s role in cricket’s early development in the 18th century. In this blog for the Georgian Lords Dr Charles Littleton looks back at some of the early developers of the game. Foremost among cricket’s early patrons (according to rank) was the heir to the throne, Frederick, Prince of Wales. Within three … Continue reading ‘Kind patron of the mirthful fray’: the English aristocracy and cricket in the 18th century

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Victorian, 19th Century history, Social history, Women and Parliament

‘Jane’ and the last days of Bellamy’s Refreshment Rooms

This month sees the publication of Necessary Women: the Untold Story of Parliament’s Working Women, by Mari Takayanagi and Elizabeth Hallam Smith. ‘Necessary Women’ is the first book to tell the stories of women who worked in Parliament, from housekeepers and kitchen staff in the nineteenth century through to the first women Clerks and Hansard Reporters in the twentieth. This year also marks 250 years … Continue reading ‘Jane’ and the last days of Bellamy’s Refreshment Rooms

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Modern, 20th century history, Conferences, Seminars and Events, Social history, Women and Parliament

The reinvention of the political wife in the age of suffrage

Ahead of next Tuesday’s hybrid Parliaments, Politics and People seminar, we hear from Ellie Lowe of Selwyn College, Cambridge. On 13 June, between 5.30 p.m. and 6.30 p.m., Ellie will discuss the reinvention of the political wife in the age of suffrage. The seminar takes place on 13 June 2023, between 5:30 and 6:30 p.m. It is fully ‘hybrid’, which means you can attend either in-person … Continue reading The reinvention of the political wife in the age of suffrage

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Georgian Lords, 18th Century history, Buildings and Architecture, George III, Georgian, Social history

‘The buzz, the prattle, the crowds, the noise, the hurry’: the Coronation of George III and Queen Charlotte

Royal celebrations in the Georgian period were renowned for their mixture of stately formality and farcical mix-ups. In the third of our series on 18th-century coronations, we turn to that of George III in the late summer of 1761, which proved no exception, as Dr Robin Eagles points out. Shortly after 10 pm on 22 September 1761 the doors of Westminster Hall were flung open … Continue reading ‘The buzz, the prattle, the crowds, the noise, the hurry’: the Coronation of George III and Queen Charlotte

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History of Parliament Trust, 19th Century history, 20th century history, Social history

2023 KS3 Schools Competition: How can political campaigns of the past inspire those of the present?

In collaboration with the Letters of Richard Cobden Online, the History of Parliament Trust is excited to announce their Key Stage 3 (11-14 y/o) History and Citizenship Competition: ‘How can political campaigns of the past inspire those of the present?’ ‘How can political campaigns of the past inspire those of the present?’ The History of Parliament is excited to once again be running its history … Continue reading 2023 KS3 Schools Competition: How can political campaigns of the past inspire those of the present?

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Contemporary History, 20th century history, Modern, Social history, Women and Parliament

Women, Petitions and Parliament in the Twentieth Century

To mark Women’s History Month 2023, guest blogger Henry Miller, Associate Professor (Research) at Durham University, explores how women continued to utilise petitioning as a medium for political activity even after they won the vote. There is a long tradition of women appealing to Parliament through petitions dating back to at least the late medieval period. In the nineteenth century, petitions to the House of … Continue reading Women, Petitions and Parliament in the Twentieth Century

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The First Elizabethan Age, 16th Century history, Economic history, Social history, Tudor

Parliament and the Elizabethan energy crisis

Steep increases in fuel bills are not just a modern problem, as Dr Paul Hunneyball of our Lords 1558-1603 section explains… The picture sounds all too familiar: rapidly rising fuel prices; people on low incomes struggling to heat their homes; concerns about long-term supplies; and suspicions of profiteering by those in a position to manipulate the market. But these aren’t the woes of 2023. We’re … Continue reading Parliament and the Elizabethan energy crisis

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Conferences, Seminars and Events, 18th Century history, 19th Century history, Elections, Electoral Reform, Factions, Georgian, Parties, Social history, Victorian

Organise! Organise! Organise! Collective Action, Associational Culture and the Politics of Organisation in the British Isles, c.1790-1914

Durham University, in collaboration with the History of Parliament, and supported by the Leverhulme Trust, are hosting a conference in Durham, Thursday-Friday 20-21 July 2023. The Call for Papers will close on 31 January 2023. The conference forms part of Dr Naomi Lloyd-Jones’s Leverhulme Early Career Fellowship, during which she is investigating the development of modern party organisation. For further details of the event see … Continue reading Organise! Organise! Organise! Collective Action, Associational Culture and the Politics of Organisation in the British Isles, c.1790-1914

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