300 Years of Leadership and Innovation: Sir Robert Walpole, Britain’s first ‘Prime Minister’ and the History of Parliament Online

On 3 April 1721 Robert Walpole was appointed First Lord of the Treasury and Chancellor of the Exchequer. This was not the first time that he had occupied these roles, however it was from this point that he is generally regarded as becoming the first ever ‘Prime Minister’. The title was initially bestowed upon Walpole as an insult, used to criticise Walpole’s improper rise to … Continue reading 300 Years of Leadership and Innovation: Sir Robert Walpole, Britain’s first ‘Prime Minister’ and the History of Parliament Online

Parliamentary Leadership: YouTube Round-up

During the Covid-19 pandemic, like many others we moved more of our work online and as part of that we took to YouTube! In today’s blog we’re looking back at one of our most successful pandemic projects: our YouTube series, ‘Parliamentary Leadership’. As for most of you, the last 18 months have been strange for the History of Parliament team as COVID-19 lockdowns saw us … Continue reading Parliamentary Leadership: YouTube Round-up

‘The Story of Parliament’: The office of Prime Minister in the 18th Century

Earlier this year the History published ‘The Story of Parliament: Celebrating 750 years of parliament in Britain’ to mark the anniversary of Simon de Montfort’s parliament in 1265. The book is a brief introduction to the full 750 years of parliamentary history, aimed at the general reader, and available to purchase from the Houses of Parliament bookshop. On this blog we are publishing some tasters … Continue reading ‘The Story of Parliament’: The office of Prime Minister in the 18th Century