Category: Factions

20th century history, Constituencies, Contemporary History, Elections, Factions, John Major, Margaret Thatcher, Modern, Oral history, Parliamentary Life, Parties, Scottish History

Crossing the Floor: Tales from the Oral History Project

Following some recent, high-profile, political defections, Alfie Steer and Dr Emma Peplow have delved into the History of Parliament’s Oral History archive to explore historical cases of MPs changing their party affiliations: their causes, motivations and wider significance. Political defections, commonly known in Westminster parlance as ‘Crossing the Floor’, have been a phenomenon in Parliament since at least the 17th century. This has either happened … Continue reading Crossing the Floor: Tales from the Oral History Project

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History of Parliament Trust, 17th Century history, 18th Century history, Art, Fashion and Material Culture, Buildings and Architecture, Factions, George III, Georgian, Georgian Lords, James II, Local History, Margaret Thatcher, Mary II, Military history, Parties, Stuart, William III, William Pitt the Younger

‘Confirmation of the People’s Rights’: commemorating the ‘Glorious Revolution’ of 1688

For many, the beginning of November means the advent of longer nights as the year winds down to Christmas. Some may still enjoy attending firework displays marking the failure of the 1605 Gunpowder Plot. In November 1788, though, serious efforts were made to establish a lasting memorial to the Revolution of 1688, whose centenary was celebrated nationwide. However, as Dr Robin Eagles shows, no one … Continue reading ‘Confirmation of the People’s Rights’: commemorating the ‘Glorious Revolution’ of 1688

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History of Parliament Trust, 18th Century history, Diplomacy and International Relations, Factions, George III, Georgian, Georgian Lords, Parties, William Pitt the Younger

‘The sect of Alarmists’: The Third Party and the reluctant leadership of William Windham, 1793-4

In this latest post, the Georgian Lords welcomes a guest article by James Orchin, PhD student at Queen’s University, Belfast, re-examining William Windham’s ‘Third Party’, known as ‘The Alarmists’. The group was mostly made up of former Foxite Whigs, who had split from Fox over the French Revolution, and found itself positioned somewhat unhappily between Pitt the Younger’s administration and the Foxite opposition in the … Continue reading ‘The sect of Alarmists’: The Third Party and the reluctant leadership of William Windham, 1793-4

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18th Century history, Factions, Georgian, Georgian Lords

The Foxite Whig Rump

The death of Charles James Fox on 13 September 1806, just over eight months after that of his long-term rival, William Pitt the Younger, robbed British politics of a titan who had dominated affairs since the 1780s. And yet, in spite of being the talented heir to a parliamentary dynasty, Fox spent only a few months in office, and much of the latter part of … Continue reading The Foxite Whig Rump

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History of Parliament Trust, 18th Century history, Charles Watson-Wentworth, 2nd Marquess of Rockingham, Factions, George Grenville, George II, George III, Georgian, Georgian Lords, Parliamentary Life, Social history

From Jockeys to Ministers: How Horse Racing Shaped Rockingham’s First Ministry

In the latest post for the Georgian Lords, we welcome Ioannes Chountis de Fabbri from the University of Aberdeen, who considers the importance of horse racing in the formation of the Rockingham administration of 1765. The structure of mid-eighteenth-century politics was often defined as much by social custom as by constitutional form. What Leslie Mitchell has called the ‘circle of acquaintances’ of the ruling, largely … Continue reading From Jockeys to Ministers: How Horse Racing Shaped Rockingham’s First Ministry

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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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portrait of a young man in 18th-century dress
Georgian Lords, 18th Century history, Constituencies, Elections, Factions, Frederick North, 2nd earl of Guilford, George III, Georgian, Local History, Parties, William Pitt the Younger

‘of all others most desirable’: Pitt the Younger and elections for Cambridge

From the onset of his lengthy political career, William Pitt the Younger had his eyes fixed on representing his alma mater, the University of Cambridge. Writing to his mother in July 1779, he observed that the University seat was ‘of all others most desirable, as being free from expense, perfectly independent, and I think in every respect extremely honourable’. In this latest guest post for … Continue reading ‘of all others most desirable’: Pitt the Younger and elections for Cambridge

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Painting of a man in 18th-century dress with a long grey wig, wearing a brown coat with a blue robe set among classical figures.
18th Century history, Constituencies, Factions, George II, George III, Georgian, Georgian Lords, Henry Pelham, John Stuart, 3rd earl of Bute, Legal history, Local History, Parliamentary Life, Parties, Robert Walpole, Social history, Spencer Compton, 1st earl of Wilmington

Some thoughts on William Pulteney, earl of Bath

The 31 May 2025 marks Dr Stuart Handley’s last day at the History of Parliament. One of his last biographies for The House of Lords, 1715-90 has been William Pulteney, earl of Bath. It will be the third History of Parliament biography of Pulteney, his long career having been covered by Dr Andrew Hanham in The House of Commons, 1690-1715, and by Dr Romney Sedgwick … Continue reading Some thoughts on William Pulteney, earl of Bath

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Scottish History, 17th Century history, 18th Century history, Diplomacy and International Relations, Factions, George III, Georgian, Georgian Lords, James II, Military history, Religious history, William Pitt the Younger

The Last of the Jacobites: Henry Benedict

Henry Benedict, Cardinal York (1725-1807), born 300 years ago this March, was the last member of the royal family to take an active role in a papal Conclave, when he participated in the election of Pope Pius VII at Venice in 1800. Dr Robin Eagles investigates how he found himself in that position… On 6 March 1725, Pope Benedict XIII (1724-30) was roused from a … Continue reading The Last of the Jacobites: Henry Benedict

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Conferences, Seminars and Events, 20th century history, Factions, Modern, Parties

‘A Socialist Identity in Parliament’? The Campaign Group of Labour MPs, 1982-2015

Ahead of next Tuesday’s Parliaments, Politics and People seminar, we hear from Alfie Steer of Hertford College, University of Oxford. On 11 February Alfie will discuss the Campaign Group of Labour MPs, 1982-2015. The seminar takes place on 11 February 2025, between 5:30 and 6.30 p.m. It is fully ‘hybrid’, which means you can attend either in-person in London at the IHR, or online via Zoom. Details of … Continue reading ‘A Socialist Identity in Parliament’? The Campaign Group of Labour MPs, 1982-2015

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