Speakers of the House
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Sir William Oldhall, Speaker in the Parliament of 1450-1
In recent months we have been looking into some of the more notable parliamentarians to hold the post of ‘Speaker’…
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“A great lover of forms, and a regular Speaker”: Sir Spencer Compton, Speaker of the House of Commons 1715-1727
Sir Spencer Compton, earl of Wilmington, is often overlooked, overshadowed by his colleague and predecessor Sir Robert Walpole. But as…
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‘It was the dissimulation of this one man that stirred up that whole plague of evils which followed’: William Catesby, Speaker in the Parliament of 1484, and the accession of Richard III
On 25 August 1485 William Catesby, Speaker of the House of Commons, was executed. But what brought about the downfall…
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Benjamin Valentine and the politics of protest
Prompted by the recent assault on the United States Congress, and the passions which fuelled that incident, Dr Paul Hunneyball,…
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The 14th century origins of the parliamentary impeachment process
In light of recent proceedings in the United States, in our latest blog Dr Charles Moreton, senior research fellow with…
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The ‘Interruption’ of Parliament and the quest for political settlement, October 1659
In the first of a new blog series charting the collapse of the British Republic, Dr Vivienne Larminie of the…
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The Speaker and the same question: a view from the Victorian Commons
In today’s blog Dr Philip Salmon, editor of the 1832-1945 House of Commons project, explores some of the historical background…
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Taking control: Speaker William Lenthall, precedent and the Long Parliament
In the midst of extraordinary times at Westminster, Dr Vivienne Larminie of the House of Commons 1640-1660 section looks at…
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Sir John Popham: A Speaker-Elect Makes a Quick Escape from the Parliamentary Turmoil caused by England’s Precipitous Exit from Europe
In light of the recent controversy surrounding the current Speaker of the House of Commons and his position on Brexit,…
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Acquitted with three huzzas: the impeachment of Robert Harley, earl of Oxford
In today’s ‘Reporting Parliament’ series for Parliament Week 2017, Dr Robin Eagles considers the value of manuscript news accounts of…