Elections
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Descended from a giant: the Worsleys of Hovingham
The recent death of HRH the Duchess of Kent, who was married to the late queen’s cousin at York Minister in 1961, reminds us of her family’s long association with Yorkshire. This has included two brothers who served as archbishop…
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A ‘revolution’ in electioneering? The impact of the 1883 Corrupt Practices Act
Concluding her series on the 1883 Corrupt Practices Act, Dr Kathryn Rix of our House of Commons, 1832-1945 project looks at the long-term consequences of this major reform. In the wake of the corruption and expense of the 1880 general…
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The 1872 Secret Ballot and Multiple Member Seats
In this post about the introduction of the ballot in UK elections, based on a seminar talk (click here to view), Dr Philip Salmon examines some of the problems secret voting initially caused and their unintended consequences. The Ballot Act…
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‘Damn the secret ballot’: the UK’s public voting system before 1872
Today (18 July) marks another anniversary of the 1872 Secret Ballot Act, a topic we examined in more detail in a seminar back in 2022 (click here to view). But secret voting is now so engrained in our political culture…
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A ‘new Canterbury Tale’: George Smythe, Frederick Romilly and England’s ‘last political duel’
Drawing on her research into Canterbury for the House of Commons, 1832-1868 project, our research fellow Dr Naomi Lloyd-Jones looks at the 1852 pre-election duel between the city’s MPs, Frederick Romilly and George Smythe, a notorious would-be duellist, believed to…
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John Lewis: A Black Sailor at the 1828 Weymouth By-Election
In this guest article Dr Joe Cozens discusses his research into John Lewis, a Black sailor who was arrested during the 1828 Weymouth by-election. Dr Cozens is a Nineteenth Century Social and Political Records Researcher at The National Archives, Kew.…
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The evolving electoral system: the 1835 and 1865 general elections compared
This year marks the 190th anniversary of the 1835 general election and the 160th anniversary of the 1865 general election. Our assistant editor Dr Kathryn Rix looks at some of the ways in which the electoral system had evolved in…
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‘Those dark little rooms’: Cecil Forester, the Carlton Club and electoral corruption
Drawing on her first biography for the House of Commons, 1832-1868 project, our new research fellow Dr Naomi Lloyd-Jones looks at the behind the scenes involvement of the long-serving Conservative MP Cecil Forester in the electioneering activities of the Carlton…
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‘of all others most desirable’: Pitt the Younger and elections for Cambridge
From the onset of his lengthy political career, William Pitt the Younger had his eyes fixed on representing his alma mater, the University of Cambridge. Writing to his mother in July 1779, he observed that the University seat was ‘of…
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Joseph Holdsworth (1789-1857): candidate or returning officer?
In this article Dr Kathryn Rix of our House of Commons 1832-1945 project looks at a very unusual case – the MP who lost his seat in Parliament because he had technically also been the returning officer for his constituency…
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‘A woman actually voted!’: Lily Maxwell and the Manchester by-election of November 1867
More than half a century before the partial enfranchisement of women in 1918, Lily Maxwell, a Manchester shopkeeper, cast a parliamentary vote. Dr Kathryn Rix explores her story. After decades of campaigning for ‘Votes for Women’, the 1918 Representation of…
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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 helped Robert Burns become established as the national bard. In his latest piece for the Georgian Lords, Dr Charles Littleton,…