Gout and the political career of Lord Broghill
Today’s blog from Dr Patrick Little of the Commons 1640-1660 Section sees the return of our focus on health, medicine and Parliament. Patrick discusses the detrimental effect of gout on the career of Lord Broghill in the mid-seventeenth century… Roger Boyle, Lord Broghill, is perhaps best known as the leading supporter of the scheme to make Oliver Cromwell king under the revised constitution, the Humble … Continue reading Gout and the political career of Lord Broghill
Parliaments, Politics and People seminar – St Stephen’s Cloisters: Politics, Patronage and Space
Ahead of our final Parliaments, Politics and People seminar of the term this evening at the IHR, here’s the blog from our previous session from Elizabeth Biggs of the University of York and Liz Hallam Smith of the University of York and the Houses of Parliament. Their paper discussed the changing identity and uses of St Stephen’s Cloisters… Space within the Houses of Parliament has … Continue reading Parliaments, Politics and People seminar – St Stephen’s Cloisters: Politics, Patronage and Space
“More the air of an assassin than of a gentleman”: Duels and attempted murder in eighteenth-century England
The recent BBC adaptation of John Preston’s book – A Very English Scandal – about the trial of the former Liberal leader Jeremy Thorpe for conspiracy and incitement to murder, prompted us at the HPT to think about other parliamentarians with links to murder, conspiracy and scandal. Today’s blog from our Lords 1715-1790 project Editor, Dr Robin Eagles considers duels between MPs and their political connections… Politics could … Continue reading “More the air of an assassin than of a gentleman”: Duels and attempted murder in eighteenth-century England
When is a degree, not a degree?
In the latest blog for the Georgian Lords, Dr Stuart Handley, senior research fellow for the Lords 1715-90 section, considers the topical issue of university degrees and the need for appropriate qualifications in the early eighteenth century. University degrees are the preoccupation of many students at this time of year. They are a passport to employment. It was ever thus, with the tenure of certain … Continue reading When is a degree, not a degree?
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
Parliaments, Politics and People seminar – Ex-servicemen and the Liberal Party: the Great War generation and the electoral and parliamentary politics of the 1920s
Today’s blog ahead of our Parliaments, Politics and People seminar at the Institute of Historical Research this evening, is from Dr Matthew Johnson. Matthew is Associate Professor (Modern British History) at the University of Durham. He gave his paper at our last PPP seminar on ‘Ex-servicemen and the Liberal Party: the Great War generation and the electoral and parliamentary politics of the 1920s’… The political … Continue reading Parliaments, Politics and People seminar – Ex-servicemen and the Liberal Party: the Great War generation and the electoral and parliamentary politics of the 1920s
Dudley North, 3rd Lord North and the discovery of the waters of Tunbridge Wells
As part of our focus on health and medicine, Dr Ben Coates of the Lords 1604-29 Section considers the origins of the famous spa at Tunbridge Wells, Kent, and ponders whether the parliamentary context might shed light on the date of these events… In March 2017 a new, cartoon-style mural by artist Chris Burke was unveiled on platform 2 of Tunbridge Wells station in Kent. … Continue reading Dudley North, 3rd Lord North and the discovery of the waters of Tunbridge Wells
‘Of unsound mind’? MPs, mental health and the 1886 Lunacy (Vacating of Seats) Act
Today, during Mental Health Awareness Week, we hear from Dr Kathryn Rix, Assistant Editor of the Commons 1832-1868 Section and the Victorian Commons blog. She explains the legislation that bound MPs suffering with prolonged periods of mental illness from 1886 until legislative reform in 2013… In 1886 Parliament passed the first piece of legislation dealing directly with the mental health of its members, the Lunacy … Continue reading ‘Of unsound mind’? MPs, mental health and the 1886 Lunacy (Vacating of Seats) Act
‘Skulking on the Poop’: the court martial of Captain Henry Rufane 1745
Today’s blog for Mental Health Awareness Week is from Dr Robin Eagles of the Lords 1660-1832 Section. He describes the controversy surrounding the mental and physical health of Marine Captain Henry Rufane during his trial following a battle at sea with the forces of the Young Pretender in 1745… In the summer of 1745 Charles Edward Stuart (the Young Pretender) launched his bid for the British … Continue reading ‘Skulking on the Poop’: the court martial of Captain Henry Rufane 1745
The 1868 Boundary Act: Disraeli’s attempt to control his ‘leap in the dark’?
This year marks the 150th anniversary of the 1868 Boundary Act. As Martin Spychal of the Commons 1832-68 Section discusses in today’s blog, the oft-neglected story of the Act provides several key insights into Britain’s second Reform Act and, in particular, the intentions of Benjamin Disraeli, the Conservative Prime Minister in 1868… It is often forgotten that Benjamin Disraeli intended to mitigate the democratising impact … Continue reading The 1868 Boundary Act: Disraeli’s attempt to control his ‘leap in the dark’?
