Tag: House of Lords

Contemporary History, 20th century history, Legislative History, Modern, Tony Blair

‘A negative achievement’: Behind the scenes of the House of Lords Act 1999

Ahead of major pieces of legislation designed to reform the composition of the House of Lords, and our recent event ‘Reforming the House of Lords’ discussing the history of this tricky issue, Dr Emma Peplow, Head of Contemporary History, draws upon our Oral History Project to revisit the last time significant reforms were introduced. The House of Lords Act 1999 was the last major reform … Continue reading ‘A negative achievement’: Behind the scenes of the House of Lords Act 1999

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Portrait of a young man with dark hair wearing 18th-century clothing, a dark coat and a buff waistcoat
History of Parliament Trust, 18th Century history, Elections, Factions, George III, Georgian, Georgian Lords, Military history, Parties, Scottish History, Social history

Robert Burns in Edinburgh: peers, patrons, and politics

In the wake of Burns Night, it is worth considering how the patronage of a small number of Scottish nobles helped Robert Burns become established as the national bard. In his latest piece for the Georgian Lords, Dr Charles Littleton, considers the important role played by a clutch of elite Scots families. Burns first published his Poems, Chiefly in the Scottish Dialect, in Kilmarnock in … Continue reading Robert Burns in Edinburgh: peers, patrons, and politics

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History of Parliament Trust, 18th Century history, Factions, George III, Georgian, Georgian Lords, Health and Medicine, John Stuart, 3rd earl of Bute, Parliamentary Life, Parties, William Pitt the Younger, Women and Parliament

A Meddlesome Mother? Queen Charlotte and the Regency Crisis

In October 1788, George III fell ill with an unknown ‘malady’ which rendered him unable to fulfil his duties as sovereign: the beginning of the king’s famous ‘madness’. In the latest post for the Georgian Lords, we welcome Dr Natalee Garrett, who considers the role of Queen Charlotte during the period of the king’s illness, and more broadly. As the Prince of Wales was 26 … Continue reading A Meddlesome Mother? Queen Charlotte and the Regency Crisis

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The First Elizabethan Age, 16th Century history, Legal history, Tudor

Poison and the Tudor nobility: the De La Warr peerage case

With House of Lords membership once again on the political agenda, Dr Ben Coates of our Lords 1558-1603 section explores how one aristocratic family’s murderous internal struggles played out in Parliament in the sixteenth century… On 26 Feb. 1549 a private bill ‘to dis[in]herit William West, [for] attempting to poison’ his uncle Thomas West, 9th Lord De La Warr, received a first reading in the … Continue reading Poison and the Tudor nobility: the De La Warr peerage case

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Georgian Lords, 17th Century history, 18th Century history, Buildings and Architecture, Economic history, Military history, Social history

‘The most surprising instance of a change of fortune raised by a man himself’: the case of James Brydges, 1st duke of Chandos

In the latest blog for the Georgian Lords, Dr Charles Littleton, considers the career of the 1st duke of Chandos, a man who rose to become one of the most flamboyant peers of the early 18th century and a key patron of the composer, Handel. Last month saw the 280th anniversary of the death of an intriguing and, in his time, prominent 18th-century aristocrat. Intriguing, … Continue reading ‘The most surprising instance of a change of fortune raised by a man himself’: the case of James Brydges, 1st duke of Chandos

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Georgian Lords, 17th Century history, 18th Century history, 19th Century history, Elections, History of Parliament Trust, Irish History, Local History

The Southwells – from administrators to an ancient peerage

In the latest blog for the Georgian Lords, Dr Stuart Handley charts the history of the Southwell family, from their origins in Gloucestershire and as administrators in Ireland to their ultimate inheritance of one of the senior peerages in the House of Lords. It is particularly satisfying when the various sections of the History of Parliament allow the fortunes of one family to be traced … Continue reading The Southwells – from administrators to an ancient peerage

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Revolutionary Stuart Parliaments, 17th Century history, Interregnum, Oliver Cromwell, Social history

The Sport of Kings – and Protectors!

In this blog, Dr Patrick Little, of the 1640-60 Lords section, explores the enduring popularity of horse-racing, even during the rule of that archetypal puritan, Oliver Cromwell… Oliver Cromwell is blamed for many things without any basis. There are ruined castles said to have been destroyed by him (even though he never went near them); Christmas was famously banned by him (it wasn’t – blame … Continue reading The Sport of Kings – and Protectors!

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Georgian Lords, 18th Century history, Parties

“Honest and essential service”: Henry Fox, Lord Holland, government fixer

Even in the 18th century, governments of all sorts relied on tough politicians who were willing to do the dirty work to keep administrations afloat. In the latest post for the Georgian Lords, Dr Robin Eagles highlights the case of Henry Fox, Lord Holland, one of the most notorious of them all, who died 250 years ago. In the winter of 1762/3 Holland oversaw the … Continue reading “Honest and essential service”: Henry Fox, Lord Holland, government fixer

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Georgian Elections Project, 18th Century history, 19th Century history, Elections, Factions, Local History, Military history, Parties, Social history

Election Chairing Ballads: The Songs and Music of Electoral Victory from Handel to ‘Things Can Only Get Better’

In today’s blog for the Georgian Elections Project, Dr Kendra Packham (Institute of English Studies, University of London and Newcastle University) tells us about her research on eighteenth-century election ballads, and finds in the forgotten election ‘chairing’ song points of comparison with the campaign for the 2024 UK general election. In the eighteenth century, when the ability and opportunity to vote was heavily restricted, songs … Continue reading Election Chairing Ballads: The Songs and Music of Electoral Victory from Handel to ‘Things Can Only Get Better’

History of Parliament
Georgian Elections Project, 18th Century history, Elections, Georgian, Georgian Lords

The rules governing lengths of parliaments in the 18th century

Despite all of the political events of recent years, the upcoming General Election is the first time that the nation has gone to the polls since late 2019- nearly reaching the five year term limit, as determined by the Dissolution and Calling of Parliament Act 2022. But the length of Parliaments hasn’t always been five years and in the 18th century the rules came under … Continue reading The rules governing lengths of parliaments in the 18th century

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