A Victorian record-breaker: Christopher Rice Mansel Talbot, Father of the House
Today we hear from Dr Kathryn Rix, Assistant Editor of our Commons 1832-68 project about the lengthy parliamentary career of Christopher Rice Mansel Talbot as part of our Mothers and Fathers of the House series. In January 1890 Christopher Rice Mansel Talbot (1803-90), the Father of the House, died after almost 60 years of unbroken service representing his native Glamorgan in the Commons. The only … Continue reading A Victorian record-breaker: Christopher Rice Mansel Talbot, Father of the House
Medieval MP of the Month September 2019: Henry Langton and the Battle of Blore Heath
Here’s Dr Hannes Kleineke of our House of Commons 1422-1504 project with September’s medieval MP of month, Henry Langton. THE HISTORY OF PARLIAMENT: THE HOUSE OF COMMONS 1422-1461, edited by Linda Clark, is out now. For further details about the volumes, including purchasing information, visit the Cambridge University Press website, here. 23 September 2019 marks the 560th anniversary of the battle of Blore Heath. Following a … Continue reading Medieval MP of the Month September 2019: Henry Langton and the Battle of Blore Heath
Dancing into the Houses of Parliament: the role of balls in Georgian electoral campaigns
The latest blog from the Georgian Lords investigates the importance of dance in the eighteenth-century political process. Our guest author, Hillary Burlock, is a PhD student at Queen Mary, University of London, researching the politics of dance in eighteenth-century politics, and currently holds a BSECS/Georgian Papers Programme research fellowship. Eighteenth-century elections, rife with ritual and corruption, were not only responsible for electing MPs, but for … Continue reading Dancing into the Houses of Parliament: the role of balls in Georgian electoral campaigns
Top things to do in London: visiting the old palace of Westminster
With the Restoration and Renewal project in full swing in Westminster, offices are moving and buildings are being re-purposed to accommodate works, and the ever-changing jigsaw of scaffolding can be seen from street as well as inside the parliamentary estate. Here, at the History of Parliament Trust we thought it pertinent to explore the development of parliamentary buildings and their historic over the centuries uses … Continue reading Top things to do in London: visiting the old palace of Westminster
Rogue Prorogations? Suspending Parliament in the Later Middle Ages
In addition to Dr Vivienne Larminie’s blog about averting the prorogation of Parliament in May 1641, here’s Dr Hannes Kleineke of our House of Commons 1422-1504 project on the origins of the practice of prorogation and examples thereof in the later Middle Ages… Until recent days, prorogations of Parliament have generally been regarded as an arcane piece of parliamentary theatre, of limited concern to anyone … Continue reading Rogue Prorogations? Suspending Parliament in the Later Middle Ages
Averting the prorogation of Parliament, May 1641
In light of the attempt of the current government to prorogue Parliament, we thought it would be appropriate to offer examples of prorogation or the aversion thereof in Parliament’s past. Today, Dr Vivienne Larminie, Assistant Editor of our House of Commons 1640-1660 project explains how prorogation was narrowly avoided in 1641 during a crisis in the early months of the Long Parliament. In an earlier … Continue reading Averting the prorogation of Parliament, May 1641
The Cavalier Parliament
Our ‘Named Parliaments’ series continues. Today Paul Seaward, British Academy/Wolfson Research Professor at the History of Parliament Trust explores the Cavalier Parliament, the first Parliament after the Restoration of the monarchy in 1660… The Parliament elected in April 1661 was designed to sweep away the last vestiges of the English Revolution and restore the monarchy to its pre-Civil War glory. It was the Convention of … Continue reading The Cavalier Parliament
Conversations with a medieval MP: Sir Thomas Billing and the Pastons
This month’s Medieval MP of the Month is highly esteemed fifteenth century lawyer, Sir Thomas Billing. Here’s Dr Simon Payling of our House of Commons 1422-1461 Section with more… THE HISTORY OF PARLIAMENT: THE HOUSE OF COMMONS 1422-1461, edited by Linda Clark, is out now. For further details about the volumes, including purchasing information, visit the Cambridge University Press website, here. It is rare to have … Continue reading Conversations with a medieval MP: Sir Thomas Billing and the Pastons
Sex in the Long Parliament
In our latest blog, Dr David Scott of the House of Commons 1640-1660 section looks at the extra-curricular activities of some Members of a supposedly puritan Parliament – at least according to newspaper reports… Sexual licence and parliamentary politics have always enjoyed an intimate relationship, and not even the great puritan preachers of the seventeenth century ( who regularly addressed assembled MPs in the adjacent … Continue reading Sex in the Long Parliament
The Six Acts and Censorship of the Press
Today we round off our Peterloo blog series with Dr Katie Carpenter’s second post about the legislation that was rushed through Parliament following the Peterloo Massacre on 16 August 1819. Today she discusses its aim of censoring the press… After the Peterloo Massacre, Lord Liverpool’s government quickly passed six pieces of oppressive legislation in late 1819. These new laws, which became known as the Six … Continue reading The Six Acts and Censorship of the Press
