Category: Victorian

19th Century history, Legislative History, Social history, Victorian

‘Abominable, unutterable, and worse than fables’: the campaign to pass the Criminal Law Amendment Bill

At the IHR Parliaments, Politics and People seminar on Tuesday 11 November, Steven Spencer of Birkbeck, University of London, will be discussing the campaign to pass the 1885 Criminal Law Amendment Act. The seminar takes place on 11 November 2025, 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. … Continue reading ‘Abominable, unutterable, and worse than fables’: the campaign to pass the Criminal Law Amendment Bill

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Victorian Commons, 19th Century history, Buildings and Architecture, Victorian, Women and Parliament

The ladies’ gallery in the temporary House of Commons

This article from Dr Kathryn Rix, Assistant Editor of our House of Commons, 1832-1945 section, looks at the provision made for women to witness debates in the temporary chamber used by the Commons between 1835 and 1852. In the chamber used by the House of Commons before the catastrophic fire of October 1834, women – officially barred from the chamber itself since February 1778 – had … Continue reading The ladies’ gallery in the temporary House of Commons

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Victorian Commons, 19th Century history, Buildings and Architecture, Victorian

The Westminster Fire of 1834

In this guest article, Dr Caroline Shenton, author of ‘The Day Parliament Burned Down‘ and ‘Mr Barry’s War: Rebuilding the Houses of Parliament after the Great Fire of 1834‘, describes the dramatic events that took place at the Palace of Westminster on 16 October 1834. By the late Georgian period, the buildings of the Palace of Westminster had become an accident waiting to happen. The rambling … Continue reading The Westminster Fire of 1834

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Victorian Commons, 19th Century history, Corruption, Electoral Reform, Legislative History, Social history, Victorian

The 1832 Reform Act

‘Was the 1832 Reform Act “Great”?’ may not be the standard exam question it once was, but ongoing research about the Act’s broader legacy and impact on political culture, based on new resources and analytical techniques, continues to reshape our understanding of its place in modern British political development, as Dr Philip Salmon of our House of Commons, 1832-1945 project explains. For a 20 minute … Continue reading The 1832 Reform Act

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Victorian Commons, 19th Century history, Buildings and Architecture, Parliamentary Life, Victorian

‘A place of business’: the temporary chamber of the House of Commons, 1835-1851

As part of our series on parliamentary buildings, Dr Kathryn Rix of our House of Commons, 1832-1945 project looks at the temporary chamber used by the House of Commons from 1835 until 1851, after its previous chamber was destroyed by fire in October 1834. The devastating fire at the Palace of Westminster on 16 October 1834 made the House of Commons chamber in the former … Continue reading ‘A place of business’: the temporary chamber of the House of Commons, 1835-1851

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19th Century history, Parliamentary Life, Parties, Victorian, Victorian Commons, Women and Parliament

‘I have attached myself to no party’: Daniel Gaskell and parliamentary life in the 1830s

Our Victorian Commons project is shedding new light on the increasingly important role played in the behind-the-scenes business of the post-1832 House of Commons, particularly in the committee-rooms, by MPs who came from non-elite backgrounds. Dr Kathryn Rix looks at the life and career of Daniel Gaskell (1782-1875), including his friendship with the author Mary Shelley. Described by the novelist Mary Shelley as ‘a plain … Continue reading ‘I have attached myself to no party’: Daniel Gaskell and parliamentary life in the 1830s

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19th Century history, Buildings and Architecture, Parliamentary Life, Victorian, Victorian Commons

‘The status of the Press is changed indeed’: the reporters’ gallery in the nineteenth-century House of Commons

Continuing our series on parliamentary buildings, Dr Kathryn Rix looks at the accommodation provided for the newspaper journalists who reported on the proceedings of the nineteenth-century House of Commons. The history of parliamentary reporting in the 19th century has two connected strands: the history of Hansard, and the history of reporting by the newspaper press, whose accounts of Commons debates formed the basis for Hansard’s … Continue reading ‘The status of the Press is changed indeed’: the reporters’ gallery in the nineteenth-century House of Commons

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19th Century history, Victorian, Victorian Commons

From patent laws and prison reform to a threatened duel: the intriguing life of Benjamin Rotch MP

Untangling the eclectic career of Benjamin Rotch (1793-1854), Whig MP for Knaresborough, 1832-5, proved to be an extremely interesting piece of research for Dr Kathryn Rix of our House of Commons, 1832-1945 project, taking in the Nantucket whaling industry, the complexities of patent law, prison reform and a challenge to a duel. A quirky character, described by one contemporary as a man who ‘would resort … Continue reading From patent laws and prison reform to a threatened duel: the intriguing life of Benjamin Rotch MP

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Victorian Commons, 19th Century history, Victorian

The remarkable rise of William Schaw Lindsay MP (1815-1877)

William Schaw Lindsay MP rose from poverty-stricken orphan to shipping tycoon by his late 30s. Lindsay was known for his involvement in the Administrative Reform Association (1855) after the perceived aristocratic mismanagement of the Crimean War. He was also an outspoken advocate for the Confederate state during the American Civil War. This article from our House of Commons, 1832-1945 project explores his life and career. … Continue reading The remarkable rise of William Schaw Lindsay MP (1815-1877)

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19th Century history, Victorian, Victorian Commons

Prisoner, prize-fighter, politician: John Gully’s rise to fame 

Amongst his many endeavours, John Gully’s venture into politics was an unexpected, yet successful, career choice. In this article Dr Kathryn Rix of our House of Commons, 1832-1945 project explores Gully’s life, from his humble beginnings to his sporting fame and his election as MP for Pontefract following the upheaval of the 1832 Reform Act. In March 1833 the cartoonist ‘H.B.’ (John Doyle) chose three … Continue reading Prisoner, prize-fighter, politician: John Gully’s rise to fame 

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