Robert Spankie, who was returned for Finsbury in 1832, had an unusual pre-parliamentary career. Dr Martin Spychal, Senior Research Fellow on our House of

Legend told that the tower had been funded out of a fine levied on a judge for accepting a bribe. Whether that was so or not, during the reign of Henry VI

This post from our assistant editor Dr Kathryn Rix was first published on the Parliamentary Archives: Inside the Act Room blog, which has many more articles to read on parliamentary history, from t…

Although first constructed in the 11th century, Westminster Hall still stands tall as an important building within the modern-day Houses of Parliament. As Dr

Last week, the History of Parliament supported a workshop on the history of Westminster Hall.

This blog, which explores the parliamentary context of the abolition of slavery, is based on Michael’s full-length seminar paper, ‘The West India Interest and Colonial Slavery in Parliament,…

A quick list from Hansard

21 April, 1945, Eastern Germany, a plane crashes. Rumours spread about Hitler's diaries.

As Easter weekend - late this year - approaches, Dr Robin Eagles, Senior Research Fellow in the House of Lords 1660-1832 section, discusses the timing of

What happened after Guy Fawkes was captured?

Have you just heard that an MP has resigned by ‘taking the Chiltern Hundreds’? Our Senior Research Fellow, Dr Martin Spychal, explains the practice and

A quick list from Hansard

It is back to school season, and next week MPs and Peers also return to Parliament (although possibly with fewer new rucksacks and patent Mary Janes).

Songwriter of I Will Always Love You, Jolene and 9 to 5 also invested millions in child literacy, Covid-19 vaccine development and other causes

Of all the bizarre voting qualifications in operation before 1832 – from potwallopers to burgage holders – one of the most striking was the

The inventor of photography William Fox Talbot died one hundred and thirty-five years ago today. A man of many talents, Talbot made distinguished contributions to maths, physics, botany, archaeolog…

One of the highlights of the 1997 general election was the contest in Tatton. The Conservative Neil Hamilton, then under a cloud of corruption allegations,

This summer, Westminster Hall is home to “A Historic Farewell: Elizabeth II’s Lying-in-State”, an exhibition showcasing the new artworks commissioned by Parliament to commemorate the Lying-in-State of...

A walk through a modern apartment, through the eyes of the people for whom everything in it was new.

A few weeks ago, I wrote a short newsletter about Hansard to mark the digital release of all the volumes from 1809 on https://hansard.parliament.uk. I was also invited onto Matt Chorley’s show on BBC ...

To lose one database is a misfortune; to lose four feels like a conspiracy. Recently three online databases and one audiovisual digital archive with underlying database, on each of which I worked f…

In 1736, however, Walpole suffered a rare miscalculation and was unprepared for the almost unanimous opposition that the bishops presented against his

Mark and Cory are joined by Elinor Taylor for our first book! It is Ellen Wilkinson’s The Division Bell Mystery, a political thriller disguised as a golden age detective story.

Farmers say summer ripening will have knock-on effects for birds.

Pat Munro made his debut as a Scotland rugby international on 4 February 1905 at Inverleith, Edinburgh, taking on Wales in the Home Nations Championship (the

The list of 34 candidates standing in the Clacton by-election is nearly a metre long.

The recent release of Christopher Nolan’s latest epic, The Odyssey, has sparked debate in many quarters for its depiction of Odysseus’ efforts to get back

It is the Summer Recess for both Houses of Parliament, allowing MPs, Peers and parliamentary staff the opportunity to take some time off.

In this article Dr Kathryn Rix and Dr Martin Spychal discuss a pivotal vote in the early nineteenth-century Commons – the selection of the Speaker in February 1835. They explore popular reaction to…

Last week, I attended an event hosted by the Hansard Society, where Lord Forsyth of Drumlean delivered his first major public speech since being elected Lord Speaker.

Philip Salmon examines who could vote following the changes made by the ‘Great’ Reform Act of 1832. This article covers the system which was in operation until the next major Reform Act in 1867.

Government has made great strides in opening itself up to inputs from the UK’s world-leading university sector – but it can do still more.

In this article Dr Kathryn Rix and Dr Martin Spychal of our House of Commons, 1832-1868 project discuss a pivotal vote in the early nineteenth-century Commons