Category: 19th Century history

19th Century history, Victorian, Victorian Commons

Prisoner, prize-fighter, politician: John Gully’s rise to fame 

Amongst his many endeavours, John Gully’s venture into politics was an unexpected, yet successful, career choice. In this article Dr Kathryn Rix of our House of Commons, 1832-1945 project explores Gully’s life, from his humble beginnings to his sporting fame and his election as MP for Pontefract following the upheaval of the 1832 Reform Act. In March 1833 the cartoonist ‘H.B.’ (John Doyle) chose three … Continue reading Prisoner, prize-fighter, politician: John Gully’s rise to fame 

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Victorian Commons, 19th Century history, Arthur Wellesley, 1st duke of Wellington, Charles Grey, 2nd Earl Grey, Electoral Reform, Legislative History, Queen Victoria, Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd marquess of Salisbury, Victorian

House of Lords reform: a Victorian perspective

Unlike the House of Commons, which underwent major ‘democratic’ reform in the 19th century, the Lords remained virtually unchanged during the entire Victorian period. With a new hereditary peers bill now entering its final stages, Dr Philip Salmon explores how and why the House of Lords was able to survive the ‘age of reform’, highlighting constitutional difficulties that still have relevance today. The 19th century … Continue reading House of Lords reform: a Victorian perspective

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Victorian Commons, 19th Century history, LGBTQ+ History, Parliamentary Life, Victorian

The ‘beautiful boy’ of the Commons: Lord Ronald Gower (1845-1916) and sexual identity in Parliament at the time of the Second Reform Act

In the third of his article series on Lord Ronald Gower (1845-1916), Dr Martin Spychal explores Gower’s parliamentary reputation as the ‘beautiful boy’ of the Commons, and his increasing disaffection with conventional aristocratic society during the 1868 parliamentary session. In May 1868 the twenty-two-year-old MP for Sutherlandshire, Ronald Gower (1845-1916), made his maiden parliamentary speech. When reporting on the speech the Leeds Mercury shared some … Continue reading The ‘beautiful boy’ of the Commons: Lord Ronald Gower (1845-1916) and sexual identity in Parliament at the time of the Second Reform Act

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19th Century history, Art, Fashion and Material Culture, LGBTQ+ History, Victorian, Victorian Commons

Lord Ronald Gower (1845-1916): the life of a queer MP at the time of the Second Reform Act

Dr Martin Spychal introduces his series of articles on Lord Ronald Gower (1845-1916), who was elected as MP for Sutherland in 1867. This is the first of five articles originally published on the Victorian Commons website between February 2020 and May 2021. Born into ‘the inner circle of English aristocratic life’, Lord Ronald Gower (1845-1916) is best known as the likely inspiration for the hedonistic … Continue reading Lord Ronald Gower (1845-1916): the life of a queer MP at the time of the Second Reform Act

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Victorian Commons, 19th Century history, Art, Fashion and Material Culture, LGBTQ+ History, Victorian

Lord Ronald Gower (1845-1916): the social life of a queer MP at the time of the Second Reform Act

In the second article in his series on Lord Ronald Gower (1845-1916), Dr Martin Spychal explores Gower’s London social life during his first year in Parliament, including a brief summer romance with the son of the commissioner of the Metropolitan Police. One of the most privileged men in nineteenth-century Britain, Lord Ronald Gower (1845-1916), was returned to Parliament in May 1867, aged 21, for his … Continue reading Lord Ronald Gower (1845-1916): the social life of a queer MP at the time of the Second Reform Act

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Georgian Lords, 18th Century history, 19th Century history, Factions, George Canning, Georgian

Canning’s ‘little senate’, 1798-1813

George Canning (1770-1827) was the most talented Member of the House of Commons of his generation, but his political career, which took him (briefly) to the pinnacle, was chequered and controversial. He entered the House in 1793 as a devoted Pittite, and by 1798 had there a band of ten personal followers, chiefly friends from Eton and Christ Church. Between 1801 and 1809, both in … Continue reading Canning’s ‘little senate’, 1798-1813

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19th Century history, Irish History, Victorian, Victorian Commons

‘A kindhearted savage of a man’: Arthur Wills Blundell Sandys Trumbull Windsor Hill, Earl of Hillsborough (1812-68)

Today (6 August) marks the anniversary of both the birth and death of the Irish MP Arthur Wills Blundell Sandys Trumbull Windsor Hill, Earl of Hillsborough (and from 1845 Marquess of Downshire). Hillsborough‘s repeated physical altercations implicated him in two deaths and earned him a ferocious reputation, as this article from our House of Commons, 1832-1945 project explains. Hillsborough’s family (marquesses of Downshire) possessed large … Continue reading ‘A kindhearted savage of a man’: Arthur Wills Blundell Sandys Trumbull Windsor Hill, Earl of Hillsborough (1812-68)

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19th Century history, Victorian, Victorian Commons, Women and Parliament

Josiah Wedgwood (1769-1843): from pottery to politics

Today (3rd August) marks the anniversary of the birth of Josiah Wedgwood MP in 1769. Wedgwood has a special significance for the History of Parliament Trust, being the great-grandfather (and namesake) of our founder. Dr Kathryn Rix of our House of Commons, 1832-1945 project looks at his brief career as MP for Stoke-on-Trent. The name Josiah Wedgwood is commonly associated with pottery. However, the Wedgwood … Continue reading Josiah Wedgwood (1769-1843): from pottery to politics

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19th Century history, Victorian, Victorian Commons

Defying the Whip: ‘rebel’ MP Swynfen Jervis (1797-1867)

On the anniversary of Swynfen Jervis’s return for Bridport in 1837, Dr Philip Salmon of the Victorian Commons explores the career of this ‘eccentric’ MP, focusing on the way in which he defied the Whig-Liberal government in 1839… One of the themes being explored by the Victorian Commons project is the decline of ‘independence’ in the 19th-century Commons and the rise of party-based voting by … Continue reading Defying the Whip: ‘rebel’ MP Swynfen Jervis (1797-1867)

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Victorian Commons, 19th Century history, Constituencies, Elections, Electoral Reform, Victorian

The 1872 Secret Ballot and Multiple Member Seats

In this post about the introduction of the ballot in UK elections, based on a seminar talk (click here to view), Dr Philip Salmon examines some of the problems secret voting initially caused and their unintended consequences. The Ballot Act of 1872 sits alongside the three major Reform Acts of the 19th century (and various Corrupt Practices Acts) in helping to transform British elections into … Continue reading The 1872 Secret Ballot and Multiple Member Seats

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