Category: Women and Parliament

Modern, 20th century history, Women and Parliament

Reflections on the Vote 100 project and the Lady Astor Statue project #Astor100

The final installment for the Women and Parliament blog series in 2018 is rather appropriately written by Linda Gilroy, former MP for Plymouth Sutton (1997-2010). Linda tells us about an exciting project to raise a statue of the first woman to take her seat in Parliament, Lady Nancy Astor, which is part of the #Astor100 project that will be taking place throughout 2019… Celebrating the … Continue reading Reflections on the Vote 100 project and the Lady Astor Statue project #Astor100

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Georgian Lords, 18th Century history, Parliamentary Life, Parties, Social history, Women and Parliament

From ‘my charming angel’ to ‘a fool and tool of a party’: The love letters of Mrs Sarah Sidney to Baron Ossulston

In this latest blog post for the Georgian Lords, Dr Charles Littleton, senior research fellow on the Lords 1715-1790 section, considers a surprise find among the personal papers of a Whig peer in the early years of the eighteenth century. Historical gems can turn up in unexpected places and in initially unpromising sources. Charles Bennet, 2nd Baron Ossulston, is a case in point. In the … Continue reading From ‘my charming angel’ to ‘a fool and tool of a party’: The love letters of Mrs Sarah Sidney to Baron Ossulston

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Modern, 20th century history, Electoral Reform, Parliamentary Life, Women and Parliament

A night in Parliament: Militant Suffragettes and Parliament

We are delighted to post this guest blog in our Women and Parliament series from one of the public historians who has been at the forefront of activities to commemorate the centenary of the first women winning the right to vote in this country. Vicky Iglikowski-Broad, Diverse Histories Records Specialist at The National Archives (TNA) gives us an account, based on the collections at TNA, … Continue reading A night in Parliament: Militant Suffragettes and Parliament

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James I to Restoration, 17th Century history, Elections, Interregnum, Stuart, Women and Parliament

Women behind the polls: the electoral patronage of Anne St John, countess of Rochester

Earlier this month the History of Parliament Trust with partners UK Parliament’s Vote 100 project and the Schools of Humanities at the University of Westminster held a conference to mark the centenary of the passing of the 1918 legislation that formally accorded women the right to sit in Parliament. It is in this context, and as a follow-up to her previous blog on female voters … Continue reading Women behind the polls: the electoral patronage of Anne St John, countess of Rochester

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Georgian Lords, 18th Century history, Elections, Georgian, Women and Parliament

“The Cause of Decency against Indecency”: Lady Chatham and the 1788 Westminster election

The latest post from the Georgian Lords features a guest blog by Dr Jacqueline Reiter, biographer of the 2nd earl of Chatham, on the role of the countess of Chatham in the notorious Westminster by-election held in the summer of 1788. On 12 July 1788, the London Gazette announced the appointment of Vice-Admiral Samuel, Lord Hood, to the Admiralty Board. Members of Parliament who accepted … Continue reading “The Cause of Decency against Indecency”: Lady Chatham and the 1788 Westminster election

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Modern, 19th Century history, 20th century history, Elections, Local History, Parties, Social history, Victorian, Women and Parliament

Before the vote was won: women and politics, 1868-1918

Dr Kathryn Rix, Assistant Editor of the House of Commons 1832-1868 Section explains the relationship between women, Parliament and politics in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, particularly focusing on their expanded role within local government in the prelude to the Representation of the People Act 1918. This post is based in part on Kathryn’s contribution to the book accompanying the ‘Voice and Vote’ exhibition currently … Continue reading Before the vote was won: women and politics, 1868-1918

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Modern, 20th century history, Parliamentary Life, Women and Parliament

Life Peerages Act 1958: First Women Life Peers

Today marks the 60th anniversary of the announcement of the first life peers after the passing of the Life Peerages Act 1958. This Act also allowed women to sit in the House of Lords for the first time so this blog is July’s installment of the Women and Parliament series. We are delighted to hear from guest blogger Dr Duncan Sutherland, a historian who has worked on women … Continue reading Life Peerages Act 1958: First Women Life Peers

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Conferences, Seminars and Events, 19th Century history, 20th century history, Electoral Reform, Modern, Oral history, Victorian, Women and Parliament

Voice and Vote: behind the scenes

This blog looks at how the History of Parliament has been involved behind the scenes with the Voice and Vote exhibition which opened in Westminster Hall last week. Dr. Philip Salmon and Dr. Kathryn Rix of the Victorian Commons project share their contributions to the reconstructions of the ‘ventilator’ and the ‘cage’, where women could listen to parliamentary debates in the nineteenth century, while Dr. … Continue reading Voice and Vote: behind the scenes

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Modern, 18th Century history, 19th Century history, 20th century history, Electoral Reform, History of Parliament Trust, Women and Parliament

Voice and Vote: Celebrating 100 Years of Votes for Women – a guidebook

Dr Paul Seaward is one of the editors of the “Voice & Vote guidebook” to accompany the UK Parliament Vote 100 project‘s landmark exhibition in Westminster Hall. In today’s blog he explains the contents of the book, who contributed to it and where you can get one… Last week we were delighted to celebrate with the curators of the wonderful Voice and Vote exhibition in Westminster … Continue reading Voice and Vote: Celebrating 100 Years of Votes for Women – a guidebook

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18th Century history, Buildings and Architecture, Georgian, Parliamentary Life, Women and Parliament

Duchesses in the Gallery: women watching the eighteenth-century House of Commons

This month’s installment of our ‘Women and Parliament’ blog series comes from the HPT’s Dr Paul Seaward, who is currently holder of a British Academy / Wolfson Foundation Research Professorship for his project, Reformation to Referendum: Writing a New History of Parliament. You can read more about the project, which involves looking at Parliament’s past in a very different way, here . In this blog, Paul … Continue reading Duchesses in the Gallery: women watching the eighteenth-century House of Commons

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