18th Century history
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The day Parliament was invaded
In the summer of 1780 London, and several other cities across England, experienced some of the worst rioting they had…
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The Southwells – from administrators to an ancient peerage
In the latest blog for the Georgian Lords, Dr Stuart Handley charts the history of the Southwell family, from their…
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The smallest room in the House
Women have been accessing the Palace of Westminster for centuries, yet sanitary facilities have not always been provided. Chloe Challender,…
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Roundtable on Henry J. Miller, A Nation of Petitioners: Petitions and Petitioning in the United Kingdom, 1780-1918 (Cambridge, 2023)
Ahead of next Tuesday’s Parliaments, Politics and People roundtable seminar, we hear from Dr Henry Miller of the University of Durham. On…
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Of Pretenders and Prime Ministers: Robert Walpole and the Atterbury Plot 300 years on
As 2022 draws to an end Dr Charles Littleton considers the tercentenary of the Atterbury Plot, the failed plan for…
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‘A hotch-potch ministry’ – the brief but tempestuous premiership of the 2nd earl of Shelburne
Following the resignation of Liz Truss after 44 days in office, attention has turned to some of the previous figures…
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“he, who surpass’d all the Heroes of Antiquity”: John Churchill, 1st duke of Marlborough
2022 marks the 300th anniversary of the death of John Churchill, 1st duke of Marlborough. Dr Robin Eagles reconsiders the…
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‘Robin the trickster’ versus ‘Stiff Dick’: the election of Robert Harley as Speaker of the Commons in 1701
In the latest in our series discussing some of the notable figures to occupy the role of Speaker of the…
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“From wickedness or from weakness”: the beginning of the end for Sir Robert Walpole
During July we welcomed year 12 student Thomas O’Donoghue to the History of Parliament office, to carry out a work…
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‘A frenzy of quitting’: the art of resigning in the 18th century
In the latest blog for the Georgian Lords, Dr Charles Littleton considers two episodes in the mid-18th century when governments…
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To attend or not to attend: state trials during an outbreak of smallpox
In the latest blog for the Georgian Lords, Dr Robin Eagles considers the dilemma facing some peers summoned to attend…
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Four Scots Lords: One line in a Poem
Inspired by a reference in an early eighteenth-century poem, in the latest blog for the Georgian Lords, Dr Stuart Handley…