“Get a haircut”Celebrating the career of Lord Chancellor Cowper

10 May 2023 marked the 300th anniversary of the death of William Cowper, Earl Cowper, a rarity among political lawyers in that he served two terms as lord chancellor. Currently, the History of Parliament has two published accounts of his career, one covering the period when he was a member of the House of Commons, and one covering the House of Lords under Queen Anne. … Continue reading “Get a haircut”Celebrating the career of Lord Chancellor Cowper

Plague, prorogation and the suspension of the courts in fifteenth-century England

In another timely blog from our History of Parliament researchers, today Dr Simon Payling, senior research fellow for the Commons 1461-1504 project, discusses Parliament’s response to another plague outbreak as the courts of justice were suspended in June 1464. On Wednesday 6 June 1464, at the beginning of Trinity term, a small piece of theatre was played out in Westminster Hall. Three justices of the … Continue reading Plague, prorogation and the suspension of the courts in fifteenth-century England