Local History
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Enter the Dragon: the education of Robert Harley
Robert Harley (1661-1724) was in his late 20s when he was first elected to Parliament as MP for Tregony in…
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The Tomb of Sir Richard and Eleanor Croft in Croft Church, Herefordshire
Sir Richard Croft’s career spanned the entirety of the Wars of the Roses; he was able to adapt and maintain…
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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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Tackling congestion in 18th-century London
In the course of the 18th century, Britain’s towns became increasingly congested with private carriages as well as a variety…
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How MPs navigated changing constituency boundaries
The Boundary Commissions for England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland submitted their 2023 Boundary Reviews in June, presenting their recommendations…
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The tomb of William Rudhale (d.1530), Queen Katherine’s attorney-general, in the church of Ross-on-Wye
William Rudhale had a successful career in the medieval legal profession culminating in his promotion to serjeants-at-law. Simon Payling from our Commons…
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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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‘No deed of shame so foul’: the treachery of Edmund, Lord Grey of Ruthin, and the battle of Northampton, 10 July 1460
On 10 July 1460 the Battle of Northampton was fought. This was a major battle in the Wars of the…
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Hogarth in Derby
From 10 March to 4 June 2023 Derby Museum and Art Gallery hosted an exhibition Hogarth’s Britons. Succession, Patriotism and…
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From Windsor to Westminster: the people of St George’s in Parliament in the later Middle Ages II: Knights vs Canons
In October, Dr Hannes Kleineke, editor of our Commons 1461-1504 project, delivered the ‘Maurice and Shelagh Bond Memorial Lecture’ at…
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“contagion lies in a wainscot”: the tragic history of the dukes of Bolton & 37, Grosvenor Square
In the latest blog for the Georgian Lords, Dr Robin Eagles considers the tragic history of the family of the…
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One of our seals is missing! How a summer vacation brought Charles I’s government to a grinding halt
During the coronavirus pandemic we have grown used to government interventions disrupting our travel plans. However, in 1625 the government…