Dr Kathryn Rix

The History of Parliament is moving from Bloomsbury to pastures new next month. I shall miss lots of things about our old office, but high on the list is enjoying the view of this tree across the changing seasons.

From Rochdale to Westminster: Emily Kelsall and the new Houses of Parliament This post from our assistant editor Dr Kathryn Rix was first published on the Parliamentary Archives: Inside the Act Room blog, which has many more articles to read on parliamentary history, from t…

Today is the anniversary of the laying of the foundation stone of the Clock Tower (now the Elizabeth Tower) at the Houses of Parliament. Find out more about the 15 year old who wielded this ceremonial trowel in 1843: victoriancommons.wordpress.com/2020/06/11/f...

On a side project looking at MPs killed during WW2. Edward Kellett, MP for Aston, Birmingham 1939-43, apparently 'had two drawbacks' to overcome when he entered politics, 'his ginger moustache' and 'his nickname "Flash".

Had a very interesting day in Bloomsbury at the 'What is a Parliament?' workshop organised by @stephenholdenbates.bsky.social @benworthy.bsky.social and @pseaward.bsky.social Thanks to them and to all the speakers who gave such thought-provoking papers!

'I have attached myself to no party': Daniel Gaskell and parliamentary life in the 1830s - The History of Parliament Our Victorian Commons project is shedding new light on the increasingly important role played in the behind-the-scenes business of the post-1832 House of

Born #OTD 1782, Daniel Gaskell, who was elected as the first MP for the new constituency of Wakefield after the 1832 Reform Act.

Dr Kathryn Rix looks at his parliamentary career, as well as his friendship with the author Mary Shelley:
historyofparliament.com/2025/09/11/d...

Having ploughed through Mackie's two volumes, he is certainly unsparing in the details on many subjects where I would happily have been spared!

Currently researching Duncan McLaren, Liberal MP for Edinburgh from 1865. On holiday in 1868 the men of the family went to a Liberal meeting at Oban, but the women did not. McLaren's wife Priscilla Bright McLaren wrote: 'As we have the misfortune to wear petticoats we are not to go’.

‘The status of the Press is changed indeed’: the reporters’ gallery in the nineteenth-century House of Commons - The History of Parliament MPs temporarily moved into the chamber previously used by the House of Lords. A dedicated reporters’ gallery with its own separate entrance was created within this space in 1835.

New article today from @victoriancommons.bsky.social.

Dr Kathryn Rix explores the creation of a dedicated reporters' gallery in the House of Commons after the fire of 1834, showing the growing importance of the press in reporting proceedings in the Commons in the 19th century:
buff.ly/Y1uTIXt

I also enjoyed these talks @womenshistnet.bsky.social, especially hearing about Joyce Butler MP - a great project from @teadevotee.bsky.social and Julie Melrose - and about life in Churchill Archives in the 1970s.

I learned a lot at the very interesting @womenshistnet.bsky.social conference, but unsurprisingly this was my favourite panel! Many thanks to all the organisers and speakers.

Women's History Network For anyone with a passion for women’s history

And just like that, #womenshistory conference is over for another year.

Thanks to everyone @womenshistnet.bsky.social for organising - it's been a great two days!

If you're not following WHN please do! And check out their website for more information
womenshistorynetwork.org

@chloechallender.bsky.social will have an article on women's modes of entry to the early nineteenth-century parliament in our next issue, coming in October. More to follow!

Looking forward to day 2 of the @womenshistnet.bsky.social conference online. Especially looking forward to the parliamentary themed papers from @chloechallender.bsky.social and @satisfactory20.bsky.social

This is a brilliant profile of a man who sadly only has a walk-on part in my forthcoming book about temperance life assurance. Rotch's busy-ness and crankiness seem characteristic of some other mid-century teetotalers, reminding us that temperance could be radical--or just plain weird

A ginger cat lying on its back on a blue bed cover. It looks sleepy.

I can't leave #GingerCatAppreciationDay unmarked! Here is my ginger cat enjoying life.

From patent laws and prison reform to a threatened duel: the intriguing life of Benjamin Rotch MP - The History of Parliament Untangling the eclectic career of Benjamin Rotch (1793-1854), Whig MP for Knaresborough, 1832-5, proved to be an extremely interesting piece of research for

New on the @histparl.bsky.social site is one of my favourite MPs to research, because of the range of his interests. Who doesn't want to know more about ‘Drinkwater Rotch, the Sheep-shearing Magistrate’, who challenged the lord mayor of London to a duel?! historyofparliament.com/2025/08/31/l...

The Women’s History Network Annual Conference Women’s History Network 33rd Annual Conference  Online via Zoom    Thursday 4 & Friday 5 September 2025 Hidden in Plain Sight: Women in Archives, Libraries, Museums and Personal Collections Reg…

If you love women's history, sign up for the Women's History Network ‪@womenshistnet.bsky.social‬ annual conference. Running over 4-5 Sept, it's free, online, & packed with great panels on activism, archives, the arts and fashion, economic life, sexualities
womenshistorynetwork.org/the-womens-h...

A 'revolution' in electioneering? The impact of the 1883 Corrupt Practices Act - The History of Parliament Concluding her series on the 1883 Corrupt Practices Act, Dr Kathryn Rix of our House of Commons, 1832-1945 project looks at the long-term consequences of this

Today marks the anniversary of the Corrupt and Illegal Practices Prevention Act receiving royal assent in 1883. My new post for @histparl.bsky.social looks at the Act's impact on election expenditure and electoral corruption: historyofparliament.com/2025/08/25/1...

Great piece here from my colleague Philip Salmon.

'The Right Honorable J. Ramsay MacDonald addressing the House of Commons', by Sir John Lavery, 1923. Oil on Canvas. Credit Glasgow Life Museums. https://artuk.org/discover/artworks/the-right-honourable-j-ramsay-macdonald-addressing-the-house-of-commons-84786

The Parliamentary History Essay Prize 2025 is open!
The prize is worth £500 and winners will have their essay published in our journal!

The submission deadline is 30 Nov 2025!

For details 👇
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@histparl.bsky.social @georgianlords.bsky.social @victoriancommons.bsky.social

Some really interesting papers here - looking forward to hearing from some familiar faces including @satisfactory20.bsky.social @teadevotee.bsky.social and @chloechallender.bsky.social as well as some new ones.

Can't quite believe that it is 13 years since I made my first foray into Wordpress and created our Victorian Commons site! Very proud of all the work my colleagues have put in to sharing our research highlights and enthusiasm for 19th century history.

Very interesting post from my colleague Naomi Lloyd-Jones on the last political duel in England.

@histparl.bsky.social @victoriancommons.bsky.social

🗳️ #OTD 2 July 1928: The Equal Franchise Act received royal assent in the UK, granting all women over 21 the vote—regardless of property.

It gave women electoral equality with men, adding 5 million to the roll and making them the majority in the 1929 election. #VotesForWomen #Suffrage #GenderHist

A pensioner gives her verdict on an organised excursion to Cambridge, early 1960s: the colleges were dirty, she disliked the fish and chips, but the cemetery was fun.

Great thread with links to @martinspychal.bsky.social's series of articles on the influential Harriet Grote and politics in the 1830s.

📢📢📢 CfP: What is a Parliament?

***Hurry! Deadline is this Friday!***

Interdisciplinary workshop on 19th September 2025 in London.

Full details below.

Kindly sponsored by Birkbeck, the University of Birmingham and
@psa-parliaments.bsky.social

Please apply and/or spread the word!

Thanks - I would be very interested to attend, but have too many other things I should be writing at the moment to be able to put in a paper!

Will attendance be open to those not presenting papers?