History of Parliament

8/ Although unable to run or sit as an MP, or even to vote at elections, during the 1830s Harriet Grote enjoyed as much influence at Westminster as many of her male counterparts.

Ballot boxes, bills and unions: Harriet Grote (1792-1878) and the public campaign for the ballot, 1832-9 Dr Martin Spychal explores the role of Harriet in the popular and parliamentary campaign for the ballot during the 1830s.

7/ Harriet and George then turned their attention again to the ballot. Although they gained considerable support for their approach, the failed ballot motion in 1839 marked the beginning of the end for the Grotes’ parliamentary aspirations.

‘She, yes, she was the only member of parliament’: Harriet Grote, radical parliamentary tactics and House of Lords reform, 1835-6 Dr Martin Spychal explores Harriet’s relationship with the veteran radical Francis Place.

6/ Even after the failed attempt to form a new party, Harriet established herself as an accomplished political analyst and tactician. This is exemplified in Martin’s piece on her tactics in attempting to encourage reform of the House of Lords in 1835-6.

Harriet Grote, the 1835 Parliament and the failed attempt to establish a radical party Dr Martin Spychal looks at Harriet’s involvement in the abortive attempt to establish a radical party at Westminster.

5/ After the 1835 election returned further radical MPs, Harriet and George tried to form a new radical party alongside their allies. Yet Joseph Parkes, whom Harriet saw as a friend, acted to limit her power.

Harriet Grote (1792-1878) and the first reformed Parliament, 1833-34: a woman at Westminster Dr Martin Spychal looks at Harriet’s introduction to politics at Westminster during the first ‘reformed’ Parliament of 1833-34.

4/ The 1832 election returned a significant number of Radical MPs to the Commons.

Seeking further electoral reform after the 1832 Reform Act, George brought forward a motion to introduce the ‘ballot’ (secret voting) at elections, with Harriet viewing the debate from the ventilator above the House.

The radical hostess of Parliament Street: Harriet Grote (1792-1878), the 1832 election and establishing influence as a woman at Westminster Dr Martin Spychal explores Harriet’s introduction to electoral politics at the 1832 election.

3/ In 1832, her husband George Grote won election as MP for London. Harriet co-opted the aristocratic model of the political hostess at their new home at 34 Parliament Street, which quickly became a political hub for reformers and radicals.

‘Had she been a man, she would have been the leader of a party’: Harriet Grote (1792-1878), radicalism and Parliament, 1820-41 Dr Martin Spychal explores Harriet’s early life, her emergence as a central figure among London’s intellectual radicals during the 1820s...

2/ Martin first investigates Harriet’s early life, from the comfortable surrounds of Ridgeway Castle near Southampton to becoming an established central figure among London’s intellectual radicals during the 1820s.

A half-length coloured portrait of a woman, which in front of a dark brown background, it is a half-length portrait where she is wearing a dark blue dress with a cream lace frilled collar and sleeve cuffs, and is wearing a beaded necklace with many shades of blue. She is wearing a dark red lipstick with very long dark brown hair tied up.

Another figure we want to shed light on this #WomensHistoryMonth is Harriet Grote.

In a series of articles, Dr Martin Spychal explores how she was able to establish herself as one of Westminster’s leading radical politicians.
@martinspychal.bsky.social
@victoriancommons.bsky.social

‘A woman actually voted!’: Lily Maxwell and the Manchester by-election of November 1867 - The History of Parliament More than half a century before the partial enfranchisement of women in 1918, Lily Maxwell, a Manchester shopkeeper, cast a parliamentary vote. Dr Kathryn Rix

This #InternationalWomensDay we wanted to highlight Lily Maxwell, who was able to vote at a parliamentary by-election in 1867.

Dr Kathryn Rix explores how Maxwell was able to cast her vote over half a century before some women first gained the right to vote in 1918.

'Matters false and scandalous': the Scots and the emergence of party in the mid-1640s - The History of Parliament What had contributed much to the crystallisation of these parties was the signing of the Solemn League and Covenant in the early autumn of 1643. The Scottish

Why did a 1646 committee resolve that the book Truth's Manifest should be 'burnt by the Hands of the common hangman'?

Professor Laura Stewart explores this question, the work of Scottish polemicist David Buchanan and how his writings influenced partisan rivalries in the Parliaments of the 1640s.

‘One of the greatest Rugby players who ever sat in the House’: Pat Munro MP - The History of Parliament Pat Munro made his debut as a Scotland rugby international on 4 February 1905 at Inverleith, Edinburgh, taking on Wales in the Home Nations Championship (the

Did you know that a former Scottish Rugby captain sat in the House of Commons?

With Scotland taking the field against France later today in the #SixNations, @kathrynrix.bsky.social explores the sporting and political career of Pat Munro MP.

‘Am I not your uncle?’: John of Gaunt, the murder of Friar Latimer and the Salisbury Parliament of 1384 - The History of Parliament Recently on the History of Parliament blog we have been looking into some of the occasions when Parliament met away from Westminster. In April 1384 they

In 1399, John of Gaunt, son to Edward III and father of Henry IV, died.

Founder of the royal house of Lancaster, Gaunt was a highly influential figure in medieval England.

However, an accusation of treason in 1384 threatened to end his influence.

In 1992, Betty Boothroyd made history, becoming the first and only woman appointed as Speaker of the House of Commons.

Find out more about her illustrious career below:
#WomensHistoryMonth #WHM

World Book Day Down the rabbit hole in Parliament...

In honour of #WorldBookDay today, @jhdavey.bsky.social searched through the (digital) pages of Hansard to see which fictional characters have made an appearance in the House of Commons chamber...

Read all about it via our substack:

The latest issue of @parlhistjournal.bsky.social explores the practices and organisation of politics in the long 19th century.

Edited by #HistParl's Dr Naomi Lloyd-Jones, this special issue can be accessed now:

A New Dawn? The accession of Edward IV on 4 March 1461 - The History of Parliament On 4 March 1461 Edward duke of York was proclaimed King in Westminster Hall. But the authority of this new regime was not universally accepted. Dr Hannes

In 1461, during the Wars of the Roses, Edward IV was proclaimed King after overthrowing his cousin Henry VI.

However, as Dr Hannes Kleineke explores, the authority of this new regime was not universally accepted.

New post on the #HistParl website from @kathrynrix.bsky.social!

Read it here:

Before the vote was won: women and politics, 1868-1918 - The History of Parliament Dr Kathryn Rix, Assistant Editor of the House of Commons 1832-1868 Section explains the relationship between women, Parliament and politics in the late

This Women's History Month we are highlighting the long history of female involvement in Parliament and politics.

Below, Dr Kathryn Rix overviews the political involvement of women in the years leading up to some women gaining the right to vote in 1918.

#WomensHistoryMonth #WHM

It is great to see that this special issue of @parlhistjournal.bsky.social, edited by #HistParl's Naomi Lloyd-Jones, is now available to read!

Click below to access this special collection of articles, discussing the politics of organisation in the long 19th century.

St. David’s Day: Parliament and the Welsh Language (Part One) Dr Stephen Roberts, our Director, offers this first of two blogs outlining a brief history of the relationship between Parliament and the Welsh language.

If you would like to read the English version - split into two parts - find it here:

Parliament and the Welsh Language/Dydd Gwyl Dewi: Y Senedd a’r Iaith Gymraeg. To mark St David’s Day this year, we are publishing a translation into Welsh of a blog written in 2018, which provides an overview of relations between the

Happy St David's Day!

To mark the celebration, why not revisit Dr Stephen Roberts' overview of relations between the Westminster Parliament and the Welsh language, translated into Welsh.

Maureen Colquhoun: "an open lesbian-feminist woman" in the House of Commons - The History of Parliament In our second blog for LGBTQ+ History Month our Public Engagement Manager, Sammy Sturgess, explores the parliamentary career of Maureen Colquhoun who was the

In 1974 Maureen Colquhoun, who later became the first openly lesbian MP, was elected to Parliament for Northampton North.

Colquhoun campaigned fiercely for women's rights, human rights and environmental issues and was often at odds with other MPs.

LGBTQ+ History Month Parliamentary and LGBTQ+ histories have long been connected.

In the latest post on our Substack, 'Scribble Book', @jhdavey.bsky.social reflects on LGBTQ+ History Month within Parliamentary history.

Read it here:

In this video, co-produced with the History Hub channel at Royal Holloway for the 'Peterloo to the Pankhursts' free online course, we explore Benjamin Disraeli's career in relation to parliamentary… Benjamin Disraeli and Parliamentary Reform

#OTD 1868 Benjamin Disraeli became Prime Minister after the earl of Derby resigned due to poor health. He said that ‘I have climbed to the top of the greasy pole’!

Find out more about Disraeli's premiership & approach to parliamentary reform in this video 👇👇

We're aware that some users on our research website may currently be experiencing difficulty accessing the site. This is owing to work on the server and affects some browser types.

Things should be back to normal tomorrow, but please send any further enquiries to contactus@histparl.ac.uk.

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The 'Bifrons Purse': Elizabeth, Marchioness Conyngham and aristocratic women's participation in nineteenth-century elections - The History of Parliament our research fellow Dr Naomi Lloyd-Jones explores the political life of Elizabeth, Marchioness Conyngham (1769-1861). Best known as George IV’s final mistress...

Elizabeth, Marchioness Conyngham, is best known as the final mistress of George IV.

However, as Dr Naomi Lloyd-Jones explores below, her electioneering activity offers an important example of the behind-the-scenes roles wealthy women could play in politics during the 19th century.

‘A woman actually voted!’: Lily Maxwell and the Manchester by-election of November 1867 - The History of Parliament More than half a century before the partial enfranchisement of women in 1918, Lily Maxwell, a Manchester shopkeeper, cast a parliamentary vote. Dr Kathryn Rix

With the Gorton and Denton by-election taking place tomorrow, we're sharing our article on an earlier Manchester by-election. How was a woman able to vote there in 1867, decades before women received the parliamentary franchise? Find out more here: historyofparliament.com/2025/03/14/l...

Christchurch 1993: By-election Campaigning in the Glare of the Media - The History of Parliament On Thursday the voters of Gorton and Denton will elect their new MP after weeks of media speculation. This by-election had huge attention before it was even

This Thursday the voters of Gorton and Denton will elect their new MP after weeks of media speculation. To mark the occasion, @emmapeplow.bsky.social has delved into our oral history archive to look at another by-election that full under the media spotlight: Christchurch 1993.

The other Elizabethan succession crisis: the fight to succeed the 1st Lord Burghley, 1592-1598 - The History of Parliament The long-running problem of who would inherit the English throne was not the only succession crisis of Elizabeth I’s reign. In the first of our series of

Robert Devereux, 2nd earl of Essex, was executed on this day in 1601.

In the fight to succeed William Cecil, 1st Lord Burghley, as Elizabeth's chief minister after his death in 1598, Essex's attempt to overthrow Burghley's son Robert ended in his own execution.