Parliamentary Life
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‘What a theatre is the House of Commons!’
In today’s blog we hear from the History of Parliament’s director Dr Paul Seaward, continuing our recent theme of Parliament…
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Adapting the chambers of Parliament: from the galleries of the 18th-century Lords to the division lobbies of the 19th-century Commons
Ahead of next Tuesday’s Virtual IHR Parliaments, Politics and People seminar, we hear from Dr Robin Eagles and Dr Kathryn Rix,…
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Life as an MP: a recipe for marital bliss?
In today’s blog Dr Emma Peplow, coordinator of the History of Parliament’s Oral History Project, picks up our recent theme…
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Elizabeth I, the ‘estate of marriage’, and the 1559 Parliament
To mark Women’s History Month, Dr Paul Hunneyball, assistant editor of our Lords 1558-1603 section, recalls the first public statement…
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A History of Parliamentary Cucumbers
Our friends at Hansard at Huddersfield provide a great tool for tracking the popularity of certain words in parliamentary debate.…
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Violence at the Door of Parliament, 1640-48
Over the past few weeks the eyes of the world have been on Washington. As the United States prepares to…
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Did the Puritans ban Christmas dinner?
The Puritans are often accused of banning Christmas, and although the House of Commons did sit on Christmas Day during…
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Taking back control of a ‘disordered and distracted nation’: the Provisional Government 11-25 December 1688
As many of us face a very unusual and unsettled Christmas due to the Covid-19 pandemic, we are reminded that…
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Asleep on the job? Prime Minister Lord North 250 years on
Accompanying the publication of a new collection covering 300 years of British Prime Ministers, the book’s editor compiled a list…
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First impressions of Westminster in the words of former MPs: back to school, into ‘Dracula’s castle’ or safe at home?
Ahead of Tuesday’s Virtual IHR Parliaments, Politics and People seminar, we hear from Emma Peplow & Priscila Pivatto, responsible for…
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‘Manifest injustice and glaring violation of all truth’: Disputing controverted 18th-century elections in Parliament
In the latest blog for the Georgian Lords, Dr Charles Littleton considers the way in which 18th-century elections were frequently…
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Divorce, cuckoldry and bastardy: two unhappy medieval marriages
Today’s blog comes from Dr Charles Moreton, senior research fellow in our Commons 1461-1504 project, who begins our latest blog…