{"id":19349,"date":"2026-01-01T08:30:00","date_gmt":"2026-01-01T08:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/historyofparliament.com\/?p=19349"},"modified":"2025-12-17T09:05:00","modified_gmt":"2025-12-17T09:05:00","slug":"happy-new-year-from-the-victorian-commons-for-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/historyofparliament.com\/2026\/01\/01\/happy-new-year-from-the-victorian-commons-for-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"Happy New Year from the Victorian Commons for 2026!"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Here\u2019s wishing all our readers a very enjoyable New Year! 2025 was a particularly memorable year for our 1832-68 House of Commons<\/a> project and the History of Parliament. After 20 years based at Bloomsbury Square in the so-called \u2018knowledge quarter\u2019 around the British Museum, we sorted and packed decades of research materials and relocated to a new open-plan office at 14-18 Old Street in Islington. The volume of manuscript transcripts and voting records assembled by the previous 1790-1820 and 1820-32 House of Commons projects was immense \u2013 a poignant reminder of the pre-digital methods and physical legwork that used to be part and parcel of historical research. One day we hope to digitise some of these impressive \u2018legacy\u2019 collections for wider use.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2025 also saw the 1832-68 Commons project take on a new PhD student, in a similar collaborative PhD partnership to those we have previously run with the University of Warwick (Dr Seth Thevoz<\/a>) and the Institute of Historical Research (Dr Martin Spychal<\/a>). The successful candidate was Megan Hall. She is now working at the University of Sheffield on a fascinating study exploring the experiences of 19th<\/sup> century Irish MPs<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"A<\/a>
Charles Dickens, aged 18, by Janet Barrow, 1830. Image credit: Dickens Museum<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Many of our Victorian Commons posts in 2025 explored themes beyond the remit of the MP biographies and constituency histories we write for the 1832-68 project. Kathryn Rix continued her research into the reporting of parliamentary debates<\/a>, showing how growing demands for accurate reporting led to major changes in the reporters\u2019 gallery, as famously used by a young Charles Dickens<\/a>. She also described the often-misunderstood role of Hansard<\/em> and modifications to both the temporary House of Commons and Charles Barry\u2019s new Victorian Palace. At one point in the 1850s a brand-new roof even had to be rebuilt to improve acoustics.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"A<\/a>
‘Reporters’ Gallery’, Illustrated London News, 18 Feb. 1882. Image credit: P. Salmon. The reporters are shown at work in their gallery in Barry’s House of Commons<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Martin Spychal, meanwhile, extended his work on the first Black MP<\/a> to represent a Scottish constituency. He investigated Peter McLagan\u2019s complex heritage<\/a> and extraordinary wealth as the son of a Demerara slave owner and an enslaved woman. This new series of articles was complemented by a one-day workshop held jointly with Joe Cozens<\/a> at The National Archives, involving scholars of slavery and colonialism. More posts in this series will follow.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"A<\/a>
Peter McLagan in full masonic attire 1887. Image courtesy of Linlithgow Heritage Trust<\/a><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Alongside this political \u2018first\u2019, Naomi Lloyd-Jones offered a memorable \u2018last\u2019 with her account of the last known political duel<\/a> involving MPs. One of the combatants was the noted \u2018pistoleer\u2019 George Smythe MP (1818-1857), later 7th Viscount Strangford and 2nd Baron Penshurst, who was also notorious for getting a daughter of the earl of Orford pregnant but refusing to marry her. His adversary was his fellow MP for Canterbury Frederick Romilly, with whom he had fallen out over election arrangements. Their exchange of shots in a wood in 1852 captured the attention of the national press and was widely ridiculed, helping both MPs get defeated at the next election.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Colour<\/a>
The dance of death: the duel. Coloured aquatint after T. Rowlandson (1816). PD via Wellcome Collection<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Electoral corruption<\/a> is a standard feature in all our research on 19th<\/sup> century politics. Anyone thinking there was little left to say, however, should read Naomi\u2019s post about the murky world of behind-the-scenes dealing in election petitions<\/a>. This was especially revealing about the understudied practice of party agents \u2018pairing off\u2019 or \u2018swapping\u2019 challenges against recently elected MPs accused of bribery or malpractice. This \u2018secret\u2019 dealing in corruption allegations between the parties seems to have become rife before the reform of the whole election petition system in 1868. The changing nature of corruption also featured strongly in Kathryn Rix\u2019s post comparing the practices and culture of the 1835 and 1865 general elections<\/a> \u2013 an important reminder that adjustments to the UK\u2019s electoral system were ongoing and not just confined to landmark Reform Acts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Changes to the electorate between the 1832 and 1867 Reform Acts<\/a> formed the basis of another article by Martin Spychal, drawing on research undertaken for his recent book<\/a>. Taking into account the anomalies caused by plural voters, multiple qualifications and inconsistencies in the way \u2018returns\u2019 were compiled, this post showed how the large variations in the levels of adult male enfranchisement across the UK\u2019s constituencies narrowed significantly from 1832 to the 1860s. Again this showed that the first reformed electoral system was far from ‘fixed’. <\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"A<\/a>
Ralph Bernal, chair of ways and means, \u201ccaught napping\u201d in a cartoon by H.B., 8 Feb. 1832. Image courtesy P. Salmon<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Another type of change was explored in Philip Salmon’s post examining the work of the chairman of ways and means<\/a>. It was during the 19th<\/sup> century that this key position in the Commons evolved into its recognisably modern form. The character and impartiality of the men appointed altered significantly. Early 19th<\/sup> century officeholders – among them a crop of slave owners and fraudsters – were gradually replaced by a series of increasingly high calibre administrators. In 1853 the chairman also began to act as deputy speaker, a move reflected in the growing tendency for retirees to receive a peerage or even be promoted to the Speakership itself. One highlight here was the inclusion of a rare Victorian audio recording<\/a> of Henry Cecil Raikes MP, the chair of ways and means from 1874-80.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Two<\/a>
The Lords being attacked by a battering ram with the head of O\u2019Connell, H. B. (John Doyle), Sketches<\/em>, June 1836. PD via Wellcome Collection<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Any idea that the changes outlined in all these posts increased the status or power of the Commons, however, was countered by an article by Philip examining the role and significance of the 19th<\/sup> century House of Lords<\/a>, based on a talk given in the River Room, House of Lords. As well as challenging the view that the Lords became subservient to the Commons in the 19th<\/sup> century, this examined various attempts by Liberals, Radicals and even some Conservatives to reform the Lords. It also charted its perception as a legitimate alternative to the Commons in representing \u2018popular opinion\u2019 and the ‘will of the nation’ on key issues. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

House of Lords reform, of course, is likely to be a topic that many commentators will be turning their attention to – historical and otherwise – during the new year. We will be continuing our research into 19th century parliamentary politics, MPs and elections, and look forward to sharing more highlights in 2026.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Here\u2019s wishing all our readers a very enjoyable New Year! 2025 was a particularly memorable year for our 1832-68 House of Commons project and the History of Parliament. After 20 years based at Bloomsbury Square in the so-called \u2018knowledge quarter\u2019 around the British Museum, we sorted and packed decades of research materials and relocated to a new open-plan office at 14-18 Old Street in Islington. The volume … Continue reading Happy New Year from the Victorian Commons for 2026!<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":37925350,"featured_media":19354,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_coblocks_attr":"","_coblocks_dimensions":"","_coblocks_responsive_height":"","_coblocks_accordion_ie_support":"","_crdt_document":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"_wpas_customize_per_network":false},"categories":[4706867,774275740,774276112,34931755,19815253,774275561,124494893],"tags":[774275949,774276088,774276181,1923743,35890,774276086,774276122,4908,774276182],"class_list":["post-19349","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-19th-century-history","category-constituencies","category-corruption","category-elections-2","category-speakers-of-the-house","category-victorian","category-victorian-commons","tag-1883-corrupt-and-illegal-practices-prevention-act","tag-chairman-of-ways-and-means","tag-charles-dickens","tag-duelling","tag-featured","tag-house-of-lords-reform","tag-peter-mclagan","tag-power","tag-reporters-gallery"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/historyofparliament.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/image_20251210_0001.jpg?fit=2795%2C2259&ssl=1","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p2QYNW-525","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":994,"url":"https:\/\/historyofparliament.com\/2015\/06\/18\/mps-and-waterloo\/","url_meta":{"origin":19349,"position":0},"title":"MPs and Waterloo","author":"Philip Salmon","date":"June 18, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"To mark today's anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo, Dr Philip Salmon, Editor of the Victorian Commons, explores the impact of the battle's veterans on the House of Commons... As we celebrate the 200th anniversary of the battle of Waterloo, much of the focus inevitably centres on the duke of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Victorian Commons"","block_context":{"text":"Victorian Commons","link":"https:\/\/historyofparliament.com\/category\/sections\/victorian-commons\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/historyofparliament.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/horace-seymour-mp-with-his-waterloo-medal.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2300,"url":"https:\/\/historyofparliament.com\/2018\/04\/12\/parliament-and-popular-sovereignty-in-the-nineteenth-century\/","url_meta":{"origin":19349,"position":1},"title":"Event review: Parliament and Popular Sovereignty in the nineteenth century, 22 March 2018.","author":"History of Parliament","date":"April 12, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Today\u2019s blog is a summary of our afternoon event about Parliament and Popular Sovereignty in the nineteenth century, which was held before Easter at the Palace of Westminster \u2026 On \u00a022 March 2018 the History of Parliament hosted an event in the Jubilee Room at the Palace of Westminster entitled,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Victorian"","block_context":{"text":"Victorian","link":"https:\/\/historyofparliament.com\/category\/periods\/victorian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":4749,"url":"https:\/\/historyofparliament.com\/2020\/05\/27\/parliamentary-reform-and-its-impact-on-exeter-1820-1868\/","url_meta":{"origin":19349,"position":2},"title":"\u2018The power of returning our members will henceforth be in our own hands\u2019: parliamentary reform and its impact on Exeter, 1820-1868","author":"Martin Spychal","date":"May 27, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Dr Martin Spychal, research fellow for the Commons 1832-68, uses polling and voter registration data to explore the 1832 Reform Act\u2019s impact on elections in Exeter.","rel":"","context":"In "Victorian Commons"","block_context":{"text":"Victorian Commons","link":"https:\/\/historyofparliament.com\/category\/sections\/victorian-commons\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/historyofparliament.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/exeter-1831-pro-reform-poster-sepia.jpg?fit=745%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/historyofparliament.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/exeter-1831-pro-reform-poster-sepia.jpg?fit=745%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/historyofparliament.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/exeter-1831-pro-reform-poster-sepia.jpg?fit=745%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/historyofparliament.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/exeter-1831-pro-reform-poster-sepia.jpg?fit=745%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1040,"url":"https:\/\/historyofparliament.com\/2015\/08\/13\/paul-langford\/","url_meta":{"origin":19349,"position":3},"title":"A tribute to Professor Paul Langford FBA","author":"Robin Eagles","date":"August 13, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Our director, Dr Paul Seaward, and Dr Robin Eagles, Senior Research Fellow in the House of Lords 1660-1832 section remember Professor Paul Langford FBA... The death of Professor Paul Langford FBA at the end of July robs us not only of one of our best historians of the eighteenth century,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "History of Parliament Trust"","block_context":{"text":"History of Parliament Trust","link":"https:\/\/historyofparliament.com\/category\/history-of-parliament-trust\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/historyofparliament.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/img_0025.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/historyofparliament.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/img_0025.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/historyofparliament.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/img_0025.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/historyofparliament.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/img_0025.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/historyofparliament.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/img_0025.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/historyofparliament.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/img_0025.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":3607,"url":"https:\/\/historyofparliament.com\/2019\/09\/12\/a-victorian-record-breaker-christopher-rice-mansel-talbot-father-of-the-house\/","url_meta":{"origin":19349,"position":4},"title":"A Victorian record-breaker: Christopher Rice Mansel Talbot, Father of the House","author":"Kathryn Rix","date":"September 12, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Today we hear from Dr Kathryn Rix, Assistant Editor of our Commons 1832-68 project about the lengthy parliamentary career of Christopher Rice Mansel Talbot as part of our Mothers and Fathers of the House series. Christopher Rice Mansel Talbot In January 1890 Christopher Rice Mansel Talbot (1803-90), the Father of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Victorian Commons"","block_context":{"text":"Victorian Commons","link":"https:\/\/historyofparliament.com\/category\/sections\/victorian-commons\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/historyofparliament.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/lynx-image-credit-city-county-of-swansea-museum-collection.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/historyofparliament.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/lynx-image-credit-city-county-of-swansea-museum-collection.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/historyofparliament.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/lynx-image-credit-city-county-of-swansea-museum-collection.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/historyofparliament.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/lynx-image-credit-city-county-of-swansea-museum-collection.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":4851,"url":"https:\/\/historyofparliament.com\/2020\/06\/17\/the-1820-queen-caroline-affair\/","url_meta":{"origin":19349,"position":5},"title":"The royal scandal that helped change British politics: the 1820 Queen Caroline affair","author":"Philip Salmon","date":"June 17, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"On 5 June 1820 Caroline of Brunswick returned to England to take her place as Queen Consort to George IV. But the breakdown in the couple's relationship would become a matter of parliamentary and national importance. This blog from Dr Philip Salmon, editor of our Commons 1832-68 project, explores the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Georgian"","block_context":{"text":"Georgian","link":"https:\/\/historyofparliament.com\/category\/periods\/georgian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/historyofparliament.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/caroline-receiving-loyal-addresses.jpg?fit=1057%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/historyofparliament.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/caroline-receiving-loyal-addresses.jpg?fit=1057%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/historyofparliament.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/caroline-receiving-loyal-addresses.jpg?fit=1057%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/historyofparliament.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/caroline-receiving-loyal-addresses.jpg?fit=1057%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/historyofparliament.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/caroline-receiving-loyal-addresses.jpg?fit=1057%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/historyofparliament.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19349","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/historyofparliament.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/historyofparliament.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/historyofparliament.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/37925350"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/historyofparliament.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19349"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/historyofparliament.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19349\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":19373,"href":"https:\/\/historyofparliament.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19349\/revisions\/19373"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/historyofparliament.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/19354"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/historyofparliament.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19349"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/historyofparliament.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19349"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/historyofparliament.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19349"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}