@georgianlords.bsky.social
The History of Parliament's House of Lords 1660-1832 section, researching the history of the Lords, Parliament and society across the 'long 18th century'. https://www.historyofparliamentonline.org/ https://historyofparliament.com/the-georgian-lords/
We are reaching out to mid-career historians who specialise in 17th-century British history! ๐ The IHR Ian Roy Mid-Career Library Bursary offers support for travel and accommodation for research using the IHR's incredible library collections in London. www.history.ac.uk/fellowships-...
Welcome to the Lords, Kathryn!
We are, of course, awash with them in the 18th century:
Wilmington, Newcastle, Devonshire, Bute, Rockingham, Chatham, Grafton, Shelburne and Portland... all headed administrations from the Lords.
It may appear strange today that a member of the House of Lords could serve as Prime Minister.
However, as @kathrynrix.bsky.social has explored in a new article, the 19th century saw more Prime Ministers leading from the Lords than the Commons.
The HAโs Modern Britain films can support KS4 units on identity, migration and protest by offering clear historical context, expert insight and accessible narratives.
Watch the series: www.history.org.uk/historian/ca...
George II was an active member of the House of Lords as Prince of Wales before becoming king, so will be receiving an entry in our Lords 1715-90 volumes.
Must admit, his belief in vampires was not something we were expecting to have to deal with.
Gainsborough, alas, had little time to prove whether he would have been a match for people like Fox. Shortly after leaving Eton, he travelled abroad and died in Geneva aged just 19. His brother, Henry, succeeded to the peerage, but proved to be the last of the line.
Approaching the end of another reporting period at @histparl.bsky.social and beginning to go through the latest drafts. Among them, Baptist, 5th earl of Gainsborough, who quit Eton in 1758, the year Charles James Fox arrived.
Fox left in 1764 'too witty to live there - and a little too wicked'.
When Lord Hervey (heir to the earldom of Bristol) was summoned to the House of Lords by writ of acceleration in 1733, he celebrated becoming free of 'all Corporation solicitation, hypocrisy, flattery and nonsense'...
One of those speaking on the House of Lords (Hereditary Peers) bill yesterday was the 16th earl of Kinnoull, a direct descendant of Robert Harley, earl of Oxford and Earl Mortimer, who is one of the key figures in the early stages of the Lords 1715-90 and was, arguably, the first ever PM.
#HistParl
The passage of the Hereditary Peers Bill in the Lords yesterday means an end to 366 unbroken years of membership of Parliament by peers claiming their seats by hereditary right.
If one overlooks the hiatus of 1649-1660, their participation dates back to the very beginning of parliaments.
#HistParl
๐ฃ New internship ๐ฃ
An exciting opportunity has arisen for a PhD student or Early Career Researcher to work as a research intern for the Elizabeth Montagu Correspondence Online (EMCO).
Applications close 1 April 2026. For more details, please see: shorturl.at/pdO1r
#18thcentury #eighteenthcentury
Showing the eclectic and wide-ranging nature of @histparl.bsky.social's work, a search on the website for 'herrings' brings up 7 hits: historyofparliament.com?s=herrings+ Top marks to @georgianlords.bsky.social for finding โHerringโs Norfolk antidote for the bite of a mad dog and other mad animalsโ.
Lansdown(e) is one of the pieces we have drafted for 1715-90. A few weeks after the Hanoverian accession he was agitating for promotion as earl of Corbeil. He was overlooked, which has been seen by some as one of the things that prompted him to plot against the new regime.
#OTD 1666
Why did clergymen marry? What did a wife offer them in serving their parishes? Why on earth would Charlotte Lucas marry Mr Collins? Answers to these questions, & much more, at this talk using the @thejohnrylands.bsky.social collections with curator Paul Carlyle. www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/clerical-c...
A week left to reply for this fantastic role. Closes 15 March
We were also able to catch John Wesley, off on his rounds from the New Room.
#skystorians
The Georgian Lords have been off on a busman's holiday in Bristol, where it was impossible to miss the inevitable statue to Edmund Burke...
#HistParl
We have an entry on Monmouth in our @histparl.bsky.social Lords 1660-1715 volumes.
The article makes the point that as early as 1662 efforts were being made to secure (Scots) letters of legitimation for Monmouth by the king. Unlikely that would have been the case if he was doubtful of paternity.
Excellent to hear Henry Sacheverell remembered today on BBC Radio Wiltshire on the Sue Davies programme.
#HistParl
Congratulations to our colleague in the @victoriancommons.bsky.social section, Naomi, on this splendid special issue of Parliamentary History.
The 2026 special issue, edited by Naomi Lloyd-Jones is now live! The issue is the product of a 2023 conference at @durhamhistory.bsky.social discussing collective action and the politics of organisation in Britain and Ireland in the long nineteenth-century:
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/1750...
I think we would be inclined to agree. It's a period that needs to be much more widely known.
We would also speak out for George II (much overlooked, bar a spike around 1745-6 for obvious reasons).
In his opening remarks #OTD 1710, the attorney general, Sir James Montagu emphasized that Sacheverell had set out to asperse the queen (Anne) and her Revolution 'by insinuating fears, and suggesting False lies', which were 'not a doctrine proper at this time'.
#HistParl
#OnThisDay 1710 the state trial of Dr Henry Sacheverell got underway in Westminster Hall.
Sacheverell had infuriated the Whig ministry by preaching against the 1688 Revolution. Their efforts to impeach led to widespread rioting and ultimately brought the ministry down.
#HistParl
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Things should be back to normal tomorrow, but please send any further enquiries to contactus@histparl.ac.uk.
With by-elections and the state of the current electoral system in the news, another chance to consider one of the most famous sets of by-elections in the 18th century, when John Wilkes was re-elected multiple times for Middlesex, even though he was in gaol:
historyofparliament.com/2024/03/07/e...
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.
Back to a system we would recognize in our period.
