Tag: Samuel Pepys

James I to Restoration, 17th Century history, Interregnum, Oliver Cromwell, Richard Cromwell, Slavery

Oliver Cromwell’s Western Designer

In today’s blog Dr David Scott, senior research fellow for our Commons 1640-1660 project, continues our look at parliamentary links to the trade of enslaved people and colonial expansion in the seventeenth century. The name Martin Noell may not be familiar nowadays, but this notorious merchant trader rose to prominence during the interregnum and his legacy ought not to be overlooked when considering Parliament’s colonial … Continue reading Oliver Cromwell’s Western Designer

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James I to Restoration, 17th Century history, Interregnum, Parliamentary Life, Social history

Did the Puritans ban Christmas dinner?

The Puritans are often accused of banning Christmas, and although the House of Commons did sit on Christmas Day during the English Republic, Dr Stephen Roberts felt the need to do a little myth-busting about the wholesale cancellation of Christmas during the interregnum, by way of the Christmas dinner table… Two images of the mid-17th century Christmas stick in the mind. The documented one is … Continue reading Did the Puritans ban Christmas dinner?

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James I to Restoration, 17th Century history, Buildings and Architecture, Legal history, Parliamentary Life, Stuart

Alternative uses for the palace of Westminster: the early 17th-century picture

With the palace of Westminster requiring a major restoration programme, and some people suggesting that Parliament should permanently relocate to a new home, Dr Paul Hunneyball of the Lords 1604-29 section considers some of the uses to which the old Palace was put 400 years ago… Since the 19th century, the palace of Westminster has been synonymous with Parliament – but that wasn’t always the … Continue reading Alternative uses for the palace of Westminster: the early 17th-century picture

Paul Hunneyball2 Comments
Interregnum, 17th Century history, Health and Medicine, James I to Restoration, Parliamentary Life, Stuart

The Kidney Stone of Alderman Adams

Continuing the theme of health, medicine and Parliament, Dr Patrick Little of the House of Commons 1640-1660 section looks at how a notable and multifaceted London MP of the mid-17th century provides a vivid illustration of a danger highlighted in very recent clinical trials… The link between the Ig Nobel Prize for improbable research and the 1640-1660 Section of the History of Parliament Trust is … Continue reading The Kidney Stone of Alderman Adams

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Stuart, 17th Century history, Disability history, James I to Restoration, Military history, Social history

George Thomson ‘with the wooden leg’

It’s Disability History Month, and in honour of this year’s theme, ‘War and Impairment: The Social Consequences of Disablement’, Dr Vivienne Larminie, Senior Research Fellow of the Commons 1640-60 section, looks at the life of Col. George Thomson who lost a leg at the battle of Cheriton… Over the centuries, military veterans will have been a familiar sight at Westminster, especially in the aftermath of … Continue reading George Thomson ‘with the wooden leg’

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17th Century history, Conferences, Seminars and Events, Stuart

David Magliocco, ‘Popularity, “popularity” and popularity: Pepys and popularity’

Dr Robin Eagles reports back from our latest ‘Parliaments, Politics and People’ seminar… The last Parliaments seminar returned to the middle years of the 17th century when David Magliocco, armed with an intriguing title, sought to delve into Samuel Pepys’ assessment of the period by examining the multi-faceted term ‘popularity’. The main thrust of his paper centred on the pivotal years 1666-7, which saw the … Continue reading David Magliocco, ‘Popularity, “popularity” and popularity: Pepys and popularity’

Robin EaglesLeave a comment