Debbie Kilroy

Dashwood was once described as ‘the worst chancellor of the Exchequer that ever appeared’, ‘the most confused, most incapable, and most ignorant of all, who ever accepted the seals of that high office’ - not least because he taxed cider. But he did have some redeeming features.

It feels about time to repost this thread, for no particular reason... 👀

Henry Wharton by John Riley

On this day, 28 October 1689, Henry Wharton, sufferer of road rage and killer of Nell Gwyn’s horse, died of a ‘raging sickness, occasioned by the unwholesomeness of the place, wet weather and ill food’ two months after landing in Ireland to fight against the forces of the deposed James II.

Private James Wightman (pictured centre), looking back from 1892 on the Charge of the Light Brigade at the Battle of Balaclava, which happened on this day - 25 October - 1854.

The broken and fast-thinning ranks raised rugged peals of wild fierce cheering that only swelled the louder as the shot and shell from the battery tore gaps through us, and the enfilading musketry fire from the infantry in both flanks brought down horses and men ... 2/3

Richard Caton Woodville Jr, 1894

For hell had opened upon us from front and either flank, and it kept open upon us during the minutes – they seemed hours – which passed while we traversed the mile and a quarter at the end of which was the enemy. 1/3

Great to see Helen Wilson, who was co-supervised by Amanda Goodrich and @histparl.bsky.social's own Robin Eagles (@georgianlords.bsky.social) featured on this term card. Helen's will be a joint session with the Parliaments, Politics and People seminar (for other PPP seminars, see the link).

Luckily for the men, women, and children aboard the ship, they managed to escape and a manhunt was soon set up for the real felons. Macleod, however, also escaped, with the help of a fellow MP who happened to be a judge. 4/4

The mastermind behind the plan was the victims' landlord, looking to make a quick buck while removing potentially troublesome tenants. He was also an MP: Norman Macleod. 3/4

Indeed, the only criminals aboard were the captain and crew. In the days before, men had raided Scottish villages, grabbing inhabitants from their beds in the dead of night and bundling them aboard the ship. 2/4

By The original uploader was Mattrhysmic at English Wikipedia. - Transferred from en.wikipedia to Commons by Leoboudv using CommonsHelper., CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=8522595

On this day - 20 October - 1739, a Scottish slave ship landed at Donaghadee on the coast of Ireland to reprovision. But it was no ordinary slaver, and its inmates had not opted for transportation over the noose. 1/4

Knowing a hopeless case when he saw it, Sinclair fled back abroad shortly after the Battle of Sheriffmuir (pictured). 4/4

He escaped execution by fleeing abroad and fighting in the Prussian army. But he returned to Britain in time to fight for the Jacobites against the new Hanoverian king, George I, in the Rising of 1715. 3/4

The fact that he was tried, and sentenced to death, for murder was of less consequence than the fact that he was technically disqualified from standing as the eldest son of a Scottish lord. 2/4

Battle of Sheriffmuir by John Wootton

On this day – 17 October – 1708 was the court martial of the visually elusive John, Master of Sinclair. Elected as an MP in May 1708, he never had the chance to take up his seat in parliament. 1/4

Michael Rush and the Database - The History of Parliament We were sad to hear recently of the death of Professor Michael Rush of the University of Exeter. Michael was a pioneering and indefatigable scholar of

We reflected on Professor Rush's career and the development of his groundbreaking Database on the #HistParl website.

Read about it here:
historyofparliament.com/2025/10/15/m...

And he caused a national uproar when he dishonourably weighted a duel in his favour, and used a legal loophole to get out of the subsequent charge of attempted murder. A national hero indeed! 3/3

Rising through the Army on purchase rather than merit, he showed 'an injudicious zeal in the enforcement of military discipline'. He also went against orders, wasted military time/funds, and displayed a complete lack of concern for the men and horses under his command. 2/3

James Thomas Brudenell, 7th Earl of Cardigan by Sir Francis Grant oil on canvas, circa 1841 NPG 5369 © National Portrait Gallery, London

James Thomas Brudenell, Lord Cardigan, was born on this day - 16 October - 1797. He is best known for 'leading' the Charge of the Light Brigade, but that wasn't his only fault.

Good luck with the move. I hope everything goes well.

Moving quickly to a world where students use AI to complete work, profs use AI to grade it, no one learns anything and we will live in a world of mediocrity and incompetence where only the billionaires benefit.

Nevertheless, by the time he died in 1804 he had frittered away the majority of his immense wealth on gambling, art and feasting. 4/4

Returning to Britain, he bought election to the Commons to protect his wealth, making sure to vote with the government to discourage any investigation before it started. 3/4

Born into a family with East India Company connections, he followed in their footsteps, making an obscene fortune in India (enough to give him billionaire status today) through smuggling, extortion, oppression and torture. 2/4

MP Richard Barwell was born on this day - 8 October - 1741. It would be a life of blessings for him - although not for his Indian victims. 1/4

A constituency wasn't the only thing the two shared. When Lewis died in 1838, Disraeli courted his widow. After dismissing many reservations, she married him. Mary Anne Disraeli would later reportedly say, 'Dizzy married me for my money, but if he had the chance again, he would marry me for love.’

The Silent Minute What do you do when your army has retreated, your ally has capitulated, and you face invasion? You pray.

What connects Glastonbury Chalice Well with Winston Churchill? Kit Kowol explains all in his fascinating new article.

I agree with every word Zelda Williams says. And this at the end from OpenAI makes me want to go full Ned Ludd. Creators can’t have a blanket opt-out on copyright infringement of their work and have to fill out a form appealing to OpenAI’s mercy every time? Fuck off into the sun

From draper’s apprentice to attorney-general: Sir John Rolt and the 1867 Reform Act With this year marking the 150th anniversary of the passing of the Second Reform Act, our MP of the Month is one of the lesser known architects of this measure, the attorney-general, Sir John Rolt,…

A surprising number of the MPs in our 1832-68 project came from humble backgrounds. John Rolt, born #OnThisDay 1804, began his working life as a draper’s apprentice. Find out more about his rise to the position of attorney-general here: victoriancommons.wordpress.com/2017/10/23/f...

Eighty-four arrests were made during what became known as the Battle of Cable Street, and hundreds of people – fascists, locals, communists and police – needed medical treatment. 3/3