Charles Grey, 2nd Earl Grey
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House of Lords reform: a Victorian perspective
Unlike the House of Commons, which underwent major ‘democratic’ reform in the 19th century, the Lords remained virtually unchanged during the entire Victorian period. With a new hereditary peers bill now entering its final stages, Dr Philip Salmon explores how…
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1833 Slavery Abolition Act: The Long Road to Emancipation in the British West Indies
Today marks the anniversary of the 1833 Slavery Abolition Act receiving royal assent. But why was this bill necessary 26 years after the passing of the 1807 Slave Trade Act, and why was full emancipation not reached until 1838? Our…
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‘Restless, turbulent, and bold’: Radical MPs and the opening of the reformed Commons in 1833
MPs and peers returned to Westminster earlier this month after over a year of upheaval, disruption, and online chambers. In today’s blog Dr Stephen Ball from our Commons 1832-1868 project looks into another eagerly awaited return to Parliament; the first…
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The West India Interest and the Parliamentary Defence of Slavery, 1823-33
Ahead of Tuesday’s Virtual IHR Parliaments, Politics and People seminar, we hear from Dr Michael Taylor, the author of The Interest: How the British Establishment Resisted the Abolition of Slavery (2020). He will be responding to your questions about his research on…
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‘Not another one!’: going to the polls in historical perspective
With UK electors heading off to the national polls for the third time in as many years and as part of our Election 2017 series, Dr Philip Salmon, editor of the Victorian Commons, looks for similar levels of electioneering activity…
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On this Day in 1830 – the formation of Earl Grey’s government
Today’s Parliament Week ‘on this day’ article, written by the Victorian Commons’ Dr Philip Salmon, focuses on reform in the early 19th Century. It’s very fitting that the formation of Earl Grey’s reforming government in 1830 should fit neatly into…