Victorian Commons
This collection of articles highlights the ongoing research of our House of Commons 1832-1868 section, investigating the United Kingdom’s political system between the first and second Reform Acts. Check out their website for more articles on th period.
-
Reporting debates in the Victorian Commons
Today we take it for granted that parliamentary debates are recorded in Hansard. During the Victorian era, however, there was…
-
Happy New Year from the Victorian Commons for 2026!
Here’s wishing all our readers a very enjoyable New Year! 2025 was a particularly memorable year for our 1832-68 House…
-
Peter McLagan senior (1774-1860): enslaver, plantation owner and landed proprietor
Dr Martin Spychal explores the life of Peter McLagan senior (1774-1860). A farmer’s son from Perthshire, McLagan senior acquired considerable…
-
Cricket in the Commons: a Victorian First Eleven
With the 2025 Ashes between England and Australia getting underway this week, we have a cricketing themed post from our…
-
The ladies’ gallery in the temporary House of Commons
This article from Dr Kathryn Rix, Assistant Editor of our House of Commons, 1832-1945 section, looks at the provision made for…
-
The Westminster Fire of 1834
In this guest article, Dr Caroline Shenton, author of ‘The Day Parliament Burned Down‘ and ‘Mr Barry’s War: Rebuilding the…
-
The 1832 Reform Act
‘Was the 1832 Reform Act “Great”?’ may not be the standard exam question it once was, but ongoing research about…
-
‘A place of business’: the temporary chamber of the House of Commons, 1835-1851
As part of our series on parliamentary buildings, Dr Kathryn Rix of our House of Commons, 1832-1945 project looks at…
-
The role and power of the Victorian House of Lords
Dr Philip Salmon looks at a key element of Parliament which we don’t usually have much opportunity to reflect on…
-
‘I have attached myself to no party’: Daniel Gaskell and parliamentary life in the 1830s
Our Victorian Commons project is shedding new light on the increasingly important role played in the behind-the-scenes business of the…
-
‘The status of the Press is changed indeed’: the reporters’ gallery in the nineteenth-century House of Commons
Continuing our series on parliamentary buildings, Dr Kathryn Rix looks at the accommodation provided for the newspaper journalists who reported…
