Articles by Charles Littleton
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Putting ‘spirit in the conduct of the war’: the November 1775 government reshuffle
In his last post for the Georgian Lords, From bills to bullets: Spring 1775 and the approach to war in…
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From bills to bullets: Spring 1775 and the approach to war in America
A recent article in this series [Background to the American Revolution] looked at the debates in the House of Lords…
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Robert Burns in Edinburgh: peers, patrons, and politics
In the wake of Burns Night, it is worth considering how the patronage of a small number of Scottish nobles…
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‘The most surprising instance of a change of fortune raised by a man himself’: the case of James Brydges, 1st duke of Chandos
In the latest blog for the Georgian Lords, Dr Charles Littleton, considers the career of the 1st duke of Chandos,…
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‘A very good bed for old courtiers to rest in’: The 18th-century Post Office and its Postmasters-General
Much attention has concentrated recently on the scandal surrounding the Post Office’s prosecutions of numerous sub-postmasters and -mistresses. The 18th-century…
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Loud enough to wake the dead? Fireworks and celebration in the mid-18th century
With Guy Fawkes night almost upon us, we can expect to see and hear fireworks going off all across the…
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‘Kind patron of the mirthful fray’: the English aristocracy and cricket in the 18th century
The Ashes Test series currently under way provides an opportunity to consider the English aristocracy’s role in cricket’s early development…
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‘The most solemn, magnificent, and sumptuous ceremony’: The coronation of George II and Queen Caroline, 11 October 1727
Contemporaries were agreed that the coronation of George II and Queen Caroline on 11 October 1727 was spectacular. In our…
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Parliament’s Committees of Privileges
The House of Commons Committee of Privileges has its origins in 1995 when, in the light of scandals such as…
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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 very disagreeable situation’: the brief premiership of William Cavendish, 4th duke of Devonshire
Following Liz Truss’s record-breaking short tenure as Prime Minister, recently much attention has turned towards some of the historical figures…
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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…