Author Archives: millerhenryj

New book: Politics Personified

Posted on February 9, 2015 by millerhenryj

One of our former Research Fellows on the 1832-68 project, Dr. Henry Miller, has just published his first book, with Manchester University Press, entitled Politics Personified: Portraiture, Caricature and Visual Culture, 1830-1880. He shares some of the key insights from … Continue reading →

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MP of the Month: Michael Thomas Bass

Posted on August 14, 2013 by millerhenryj

Michael Thomas Bass (1799-1884) was one of Victorian Britain’s most successful businessmen, but as this blog shows, he was also a highly effective MP. Taking over the management of his family’s Burton-on-Trent brewery in 1827, he converted the firm of … Continue reading →

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The Scottish dimension (2)

Posted on April 26, 2013 by millerhenryj

Following on from the first blog in this series in January, this post focuses on the distinctive nature of the Scottish representative system before and after the 1832 Scottish Reform Act. Both the franchise (who had the right to vote) … Continue reading →

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Horsemeat in historical perspective: food adulteration in Victorian Britain

Posted on March 8, 2013 by millerhenryj

The recent scandal about beef and other ready meals containing horsemeat has shown how food can quickly become a hot political topic, with consumers and the media putting pressure on retailers and politicians for action. Following the publication of its … Continue reading →

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MP of the Month: Viscount Ingestre

Posted on February 21, 2013 by millerhenryj

Viscount Ingestre (1803-68) was an Ultra-Tory MP whose greatest claim to fame was as the tireless champion of the dubious inventions of the charlatan ‘Captain’ Warner which would supposedly revolutionise naval warfare. Lord Stanley, the earl of Derby’s heir, noted … Continue reading →

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The Scottish dimension (1)

Posted on January 10, 2013 by millerhenryj

The 1832 Scottish Reform Act increased Scotland’s representation from 45 to 53 MPs, who represented 51 constituencies. In the 1832-68 period, 221 different men sat for Scottish constituencies. The number of Scotsmen who sat for English, Irish and Welsh seats … Continue reading →

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Paper at Politics and the Power of Print Conference, Manchester, 30 Nov. 2012

Posted on November 23, 2012 by millerhenryj

On the 30th Nov. 2012 at Chetham’s Library, Manchester, I am giving a paper at the Politics and the Power of Print Conference organised by Manchester Metropolitan University. The paper is titled ‘ “Agitate, agitate, agitate”: the publishing career of … Continue reading →

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Paper at EUPARL Conference, Paris, 8-9 Nov. 2012

Posted on November 9, 2012 by millerhenryj

This week I am giving a paper, titled ‘The British Parliament and the representation of public opinion before democracy, c. 1800-1914’, at a conference organised by the European Information and Research Network on Parliamentary History (EUPARL). The conference is being … Continue reading →

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New article on Thomas Attwood and the Birmingham School in latest issue of Parliamentary History

Posted on October 23, 2012 by millerhenryj

My article ‘Radicals, Tories or monomaniacs?: The Birmingham currency reformers in the House of Commons, 1832-67’ has just been published in the latest issue of Parliamentary History, 31 (2012), pp. 354-77. The article grew out of research for the 1832-68 … Continue reading →

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Disraeli and One Nation Conservatism

Posted on October 5, 2012 by millerhenryj

The Labour leader Ed Miliband mentioned ‘One Nation’ 44 times in his conference speech on Tuesday. The term ‘One Nation’, as many commentators have pointed out, is indelibly associated with the 19th century Conservative leader and prime minister Benjamin Disraeli … Continue reading →

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William Fox Talbot MP: the inventor of photography

Posted on September 17, 2012 by millerhenryj

The inventor of photography William Fox Talbot died one hundred and thirty-five years ago today. A man of many talents, Talbot made distinguished contributions to maths, physics, botany, archaeology, and astronomy. What is less well known is that Talbot was … Continue reading →

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Quantitative easing in 19th century Britain

Posted on September 3, 2012 by millerhenryj

Since 2008 governments and central banks have resorted to a variety of unconventional policies to revive flat-lining economies. With interest rates already at historic lows, central banks have used Quantitative Easing or QE to inject money into stricken economies. In … Continue reading →

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New article on popular petitioning and corn laws in latest issue of English Historical Review

Posted on August 7, 2012 by millerhenryj

My article, ‘Popular petitioning and the corn laws, 1833-46’ has just been published in the August issue of English Historical Review, vol. 127 (2012), pp. 882-919. The article sheds new light on one of the most important political campaigns of 19th century Britain, … Continue reading →

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