The rules governing lengths of parliaments in the 18th century

Despite all of the political events of recent years, the upcoming General Election is the first time that the nation has gone to the polls since late 2019- nearly reaching the five year term limit, as determined by the Dissolution and Calling of Parliament Act 2022. But the length of Parliaments hasn’t always been five years and in the 18th century the rules came under … Continue reading The rules governing lengths of parliaments in the 18th century

How long is a Parliament?

In this blog for the ‘Named Parliaments’ series, Dr Paul Hunneyball, Associate Editor of the House of Lords 1604-29 project, explores the length of parliaments, paying particular attention to the Short and Long parliaments of the 1640s and 1650s… Down the centuries, the length of parliaments has varied enormously, from a few days to a decade or more. That being the case, it’s perhaps surprising … Continue reading How long is a Parliament?