Author: Robin Eagles

Georgian Lords, 18th Century history, Art, Fashion and Material Culture, George III, Georgian, Social history

A ‘cook’d up’ affair: Queen Charlotte’s 1794 Epiphany Ball

The Court of George III and Queen Charlotte has often been characterized as a rather dull affair, a stark contrast to the more glitzy events on offer in the household of their son, the Prince of Wales. Just how ad hoc things might be is perhaps not quite as much appreciated. In the latest article for the Georgian Lords, Dr Robin Eagles considers Queen Charlotte’s … Continue reading A ‘cook’d up’ affair: Queen Charlotte’s 1794 Epiphany Ball

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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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18th Century history, 16th Century history, 17th Century history, Georgian, Oliver Cromwell, Stuart, Tudor

The Last of the Cromwells

The current BBC production of Wolf Hall: the Mirror and the Light, the last of Hilary Mantel’s novels charting the rise and fall of Thomas Cromwell, is a reminder that Cromwell’s dynasty did not end with him on the block. In this post, Dr Robin Eagles considers the careers of some of the direct heirs and how Cromwell’s descendant, Elizabeth, attended the coronation of Queen … Continue reading The Last of the Cromwells

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Georgian, 18th Century history, Buildings and Architecture, Factions, Georgian Lords, Legal history, Local History, Religious history, Scottish History, Social history

The day Parliament was invaded

In the summer of 1780 London, and several other cities across England, experienced some of the worst rioting they had seen in a generation, following the presentation of a petition to Parliament calling for the repeal of the Catholic Relief Act. In the latest post for the Georgian Lords, Dr Robin Eagles considers the evidence of Lord George Gordon’s trial report and the insights it … Continue reading The day Parliament was invaded

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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, Elections, Georgian

Declaring the result of an Eighteenth Century Election

Today the nation will be casting their votes in the 2024 General Election with most constituencies declaring their results in the early hours of the morning. However, as Dr Robin Eagles explains in our final Georgian Elections Project blog, 18th-Century voters would have had to wait for considerably longer to find out who their new MPs were… Even in a snap election, polling day is … Continue reading Declaring the result of an Eighteenth Century Election

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Georgian Elections Project, 18th Century history, Elections, Electoral Reform, Factions, Georgian, History of Parliament Trust, Parties

Breaking the Political Mould: a new 18th-century political party

With a multiple of parties vying for your vote in the 2024 General Election, the Whig and Tory monopoly of the 18th Century would have presented a much more limited choice for Georgian voters. However, in today’s blog for the Georgian elections project Dr Robin Eagles explores how one new party in particular threatened to upset the apple cart… Direct comparisons with today’s political parties … Continue reading Breaking the Political Mould: a new 18th-century political party

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Georgian Elections Project, 18th Century history, Elections, Georgian, History of Parliament Trust, Local History, Parties

Hustings and leadership debates 18th-century style

Leadership debates, as experienced in modern elections, were not a feature of 18th-century contests. However, as Dr Robin Eagles shows in the latest post for the Georgian Elections Project, that does not mean that there was not plenty of opportunity for candidates to address their prospective constituents and be quizzed on their record. As Frank O’Gorman has shown, the qualities looked for in 18th-century MPs, … Continue reading Hustings and leadership debates 18th-century style

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Georgian Elections Project, 18th Century history, Elections, Georgian, History of Parliament Trust, Social history

Chairing successful candidates

As the results of the 2024 General Election start to come in, successful candidates will have different ways to celebrate their win- but it is unlikely that these newly-elected MPs will be hoisted in the air in a traditional ‘chairing’ ceremony… In the latest blog for our Georgian elections project Dr Robin Eagles looks at this tradition and some of the 18th century constituencies that … Continue reading Chairing successful candidates

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Georgian Elections Project, 18th Century history, Elections, Georgian, History of Parliament Trust, Social history

‘Abuse and scurrility’? Press reporting of 18th-century elections

As newspapers and television broadcasts continue to be filled with daily news from the 2024 General Election, in today’s blog for the Georgian elections project Dr Robin Eagles turns his attention to the role of the press in 18th century election campaigns… Relations between Parliament and the press in the 18th-century were often strained. Strictly speaking, it was a breach of privilege for the details … Continue reading ‘Abuse and scurrility’? Press reporting of 18th-century elections

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