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Marrying for the vote: the freedom-by-marriage franchise before 1832
Of all the bizarre voting qualifications in operation before 1832 – from potwallopers to burgage holders – one of the…
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‘We approached each other slowly like medieval knights with lances’: Hamilton versus Bell, Tatton, 1997
One of the highlights of the 1997 general election was the contest in Tatton. The Conservative Neil Hamilton, then under…
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Sir William Hart Dyke: Conservative MP, Disraeli’s chief whip – and the ‘inventor of lawn tennis’?
Who created the modern game of lawn tennis? As Dr Naomi Lloyd-Jones discusses, one possibly surprising 19th-century pioneer could have…
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The poetic memorialization of late-medieval MPs
Producing biographies on late-medieval MPs comes with its unique set of challenges, notably the lack surviving records indicative of their…
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‘A very unequal and a forced maintenance’: The failure of the Quakers Tithe Bill in 1736
In 1736 an almost united bench of bishops in the House of Lords scuppered legislation to relieve Quakers from prosecution…
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Politics, popular celebration and the Trojan War
The recent release of Christopher Nolan’s latest epic, The Odyssey, has sparked debate in many quarters for its depiction of…
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Monarchy and Democracy: A History of Leadership
In June, The History of Parliament and St James’s House celebrated the publication of their latest collaboration, Monarchy and Democracy:…
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Reappraising England’s reformed electoral map, 1832-1868: the impact of the 1832 Reform Act
Dr Martin Spychal, Senior Research Fellow on our House of Commons 1832-1868 Commons project, discuses the impact of the 1832…
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Elizabeth I’s half-brother? Henry Carey, 1st Baron Hunsdon
It has long been known that Henry Carey, 1st Lord Hunsdon, was Elizabeth I’s closest living male relative. However, it…
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Who could vote? From potwallopers to ten-pounders: post-1832 franchises explained
Clarifying the workings of England’s historic electoral system, Philip Salmon examines who could vote following the changes made by the…
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The Speakership election of 1835
In this article Dr Kathryn Rix and Dr Martin Spychal of our House of Commons, 1832-1868 project discuss a pivotal…
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A Disappointed Father: The 1st Earl of Bolingbroke and His Son
Dr Alex Beeton explores the strained relationship of the earl of Bolingbroke and his wayward son and heir, Lord St…
