Author: eledgerw

Contemporary History, 20th century history, Modern, Oral history, Social history, Women and Parliament

‘Neither fish, fowl nor good red herring’: Baroness Nicholson’s experiences of hearing loss

Emma Nicholson, Baroness Nicholson of Winterbourne, born 1941, was the MP for Torridge and West Devon 1987‒97. Elected as a Conservative MP, she crossed the floor to join the Liberal Democrats in 1995. After losing her seat in 1997 she was created a life peer, and served as a Member of the European Parliament for South East England for ten years (1999‒2009). Interviewed in 2013 … Continue reading ‘Neither fish, fowl nor good red herring’: Baroness Nicholson’s experiences of hearing loss

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Contemporary History, Disability history, Health and Medicine, Modern, Oral history, Women and Parliament

‘Helping the Disabled to Live to Capacity’: rediscovering Dr Margaret Agerholm through parliamentary history

Over the past few weeks UK Heritage institutions have been marking Disability History Month, and in today’s blog we hear from Dr Emmeline Ledgerwood, the History of Parliament’s Oral History Project Manager. Listening to the project’s interview with former MP Sir John Hannam sparked a research trail that led her towards a key figure in disability rights campaigning: Dr Margaret Agerholm. In his interview for … Continue reading ‘Helping the Disabled to Live to Capacity’: rediscovering Dr Margaret Agerholm through parliamentary history

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Contemporary History, 20th century history, Modern, Oral history, Speakers of the House, Women and Parliament

Women Speakers and Deputy Speakers

As we have seen in some of our previous blogs, the role of Speaker of the House has a long history, but it wasn’t until the late 20th century that women took to the Speaker’s Chair. Through the History of Parliament Oral History Project we have been able to interview some of the female former MPs who occupied the roles of Speaker and Deputy Speaker, … Continue reading Women Speakers and Deputy Speakers

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20th century history, Contemporary History, History of Parliament Trust, Modern, Oral history

Speaking about Animal Rights in the History of Parliament Oral History Project

As two animal welfare Bills progress through the stages of debate in Parliament, in our latest blog Emme Ledgerwood looks through our Oral History Project archive to explore former MPs’ responses to animal rights issues during their careers… The Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill and the Animal Welfare (Sentience) Bill are currently making their way through Parliament, the latest additions to the UK legislation which … Continue reading Speaking about Animal Rights in the History of Parliament Oral History Project

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Contemporary History, 20th century history, Modern, Oral history, Parliamentary Life, Social history

Postwar MPs’ Memories of Summer Holidays

This year we’ve been looking into the holiday habits of parliamentarians throughout history. In our latest blog Emme Ledgerwood has been listening through our Oral History project archive, to find out how MPs spent their summer holidays long before they stepped foot in the chambers of Parliament. When searching the History of Parliament’s oral history collection for MPs’ memories of summer holidays, descriptions of the … Continue reading Postwar MPs’ Memories of Summer Holidays

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Contemporary History, 20th century history, James Callaghan, Modern, Oral history, Parliamentary Life, Parties

When every vote counted: what minority government in the 1970s meant for MPs

With Parliament back and Theresa May’s government trying to pass controversial legislation, Emmeline Ledgerwood, one of our oral history project volunteers and PhD student at the British Library/University of Leicester, blogs on the periods of minority government during the 1970s, using excerpts from our oral history project archive… As Westminster returns to work after the summer recess, MPs must become accustomed to an environment which … Continue reading When every vote counted: what minority government in the 1970s meant for MPs

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Contemporary History, 20th century history, Elections, Modern, Oral history, Parties

MPs’ memories of candidate selection

Today’s blogpost is from one of our Oral History Project interviewers, Emme Ledgerwood, who has used our archive to explore the experience of candidate selection… The vast majority of MPs arrive at Westminster on a party ticket, and one of the most critical junctures on that road remains getting selected as a prospective parliamentary candidate for a political party. Candidate selection is governed only by … Continue reading MPs’ memories of candidate selection

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