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Author Archives: Martin Spychal
Mental illness on trial: Henry Meux’s commission of lunacy and the 1857 general election
This month our research fellow, Dr Martin Spychal, discusses the 1858 ‘commission of lunacy’ on the Hertfordshire MP, Henry Meux (pronounced “Mews”). Much of the trial centred around events in Hertfordshire during the 1857 general election, where Meux was elected … Continue reading
Posted in Biographies
Tagged 1857 election, commission of lunacy, Henry Meux, Hertfordshire, mental health
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‘The ballot without jokes has no meaning for members’: Henry Berkeley and the parliamentary campaign for secret voting, 1848-66
Following the Voting reform 150 years on from the 1872 Ballot Act: A symposium at the IHR in honour of Valerie Cromwell event earlier this month, our research fellow, Dr Martin Spychal, discusses Francis Henry Berkeley and his stewardship of the … Continue reading
Posted in Chartism, Conferences and seminars, Corruption, Elections
Tagged 1872 BALLOT ACT, ballot, HENRY BERKELEY, secret voting
2 Comments
Ballot boxes, bills and unions: Harriet Grote (1792-1878) and the public campaign for the ballot, 1832-9
This year marks the 150th anniversary of the 1872 Ballot Act, which introduced secret voting at general elections in the UK. In this extended blog, our research fellow, Dr Martin Spychal, explores the role of Harriet Grote (1792-1878) in the … Continue reading
Posted in Harriet Grote, Harriet Grote, women
Tagged 1830s, ballot, Female participation, George Grote, Harriet Grote, radicalism, secret ballot, women
4 Comments
‘She, yes, she was the only member of parliament’: Harriet Grote, radical parliamentary tactics and House of Lords reform, 1835-6
In the fifth of his blogs on Harriet Grote (1792-1878), our research fellow Dr Martin Spychal explores Harriet’s relationship with the veteran radical Francis Place (1771-1854), her views on radical tactics and her increasingly resourceful strategies for influencing Parliament during the 1835 and … Continue reading
Posted in Harriet Grote, Harriet Grote, Ireland, Parliamentary life, Voting and Divisions, women
Tagged Female participation, George Grote, Harriet Grote, House of Lords, Radicals, Reformers, Whigs, women
4 Comments
‘Another of my female politicians’ epistles’: Harriet Grote (1792-1878), the 1835 Parliament and the failed attempt to establish a radical party
In the fourth of his blogs on Harriet Grote (1792-1878), our research fellow Dr Martin Spychal looks at Harriet’s involvement in the abortive attempt to establish a radical party at Westminster in the wake of the 1835 election. In November … Continue reading
Posted in Harriet Grote, women
Tagged 1835 election, Female participation, George Grote, Harriet Grote, party labels, Radicals, Whigs, women
4 Comments
Harriet Grote (1792-1878) and the first reformed Parliament, 1833-34: a woman at Westminster
Harriet Grote (1792-1878), our research fellow Dr Martin Spychal, looks at Harriet’s introduction to politics at Westminster during the first ‘reformed’ Parliament of 1833-34. Continue reading
Surveying the UK’s parliamentary boroughs: map-making and the 1831-2 boundary commissions
To coincide with the publication of the initial proposals of the 2023 English boundary commission and the Society for One-Place Studies recent focus on maps, our research fellow, Dr Martin Spychal, explores the city and town plans created by the … Continue reading
Posted in Constituencies
Tagged 1832 Reform Act, boundaries, boundary changes, boundary commission, Constituencies, maps
4 Comments
The queen and the chemist’s son: Matthew Wood MP and the radical defence of Queen Caroline
Matthew Wood (1768-1843) represented London as a radical reformer between 1817 and 1843. From 1832 he was a committed advocate of metropolitan legislation and an active figure in the committee corridors. As a founding member, and landlord, of the short-lived … Continue reading
The radical hostess of Parliament Street: Harriet Grote (1792-1878), the 1832 election and establishing influence as a woman at Westminster
In the second of his blogs on Harriet Grote (1792-1878), our research fellow, Dr Martin Spychal, explores Harriet’s introduction to electoral politics at the 1832 election and her preparations for the 1833 parliamentary session… The 1832 election introduced Harriet Grote … Continue reading
Posted in Elections, Harriet Grote, women
Tagged 1832 election, City of London, Electioneering, Female participation, George Grote, Harriet Grote, Hustings, women
4 Comments
‘Had she been a man, she would have been the leader of a party’: Harriet Grote (1792-1878), radicalism and Parliament, 1820-41
In the first of his blogs on Harriet Grote (1792-1878), our research fellow Dr Martin Spychal, explores Harriet’s early life, her emergence as a central figure among London’s intellectual radicals during the 1820s and her arrival on the Westminster political … Continue reading
Posted in Biographies, Harriet Grote, women
Tagged City of London, Female participation, George Grote, Harriet Grote, radicalism, utilitarianism, women
5 Comments
A Highland canvass in a ‘pocket county’: Ronald Gower (1845-1916) and the 1867 Sutherland by-election
In the fourth blog of his series on Lord Ronald Gower (1845-1916), Dr Martin Spychal, uses Gower’s diaries to provide some rare insights into mid-Victorian electioneering in the ‘pocket county’ of Sutherland. This blog was also posted as part of the … Continue reading
The ‘beautiful boy’ of the Commons: Lord Ronald Gower (1845-1916) and sexual identity in Parliament at the time of the Second Reform Act
In the third of his blog series on Lord Ronald Gower (1845-1916), Dr Martin Spychal explores Gower’s parliamentary reputation as the ‘beautiful boy’ of the Commons, and his increasing disaffection with conventional aristocratic society during the 1868 parliamentary session. In … Continue reading
Lord Ronald Gower (1845-1916): the social life of a queer MP at the time of the Second Reform Act
In the second of his blog series on Lord Ronald Gower (1845-1916), Dr Martin Spychal explores Gower’s London social life during his first year in Parliament, including a brief summer romance with the son of the commissioner of the Metropolitan … Continue reading
‘A strenuous and able Reformer’: Dr Stephen Lushington (1782-1873)
This month we take a look at Dr Stephen Lushington (1782-1873). One of six anti-slavery campaigners whose names are inscribed on the Buxton Memorial Fountain in London, Lushington famously served as Queen Caroline’s legal counsel in 1820. As MP for … Continue reading
Posted in Biographies, MP of the Month
Tagged Abolition of slavery, capital punishment, MP of the Month, Queen Caroline, reform, slavery, Tower Hamlets
2 Comments
‘The Donkey and his young asses’: stationery, corruption and the short-lived parliamentary career of Sir John Key (1794-1858)
This month our research fellow, Dr Martin Spychal, takes a look at the humiliating demise of Sir John Key, or ‘Sir Don Key’ as he was widely mocked at Westminster. As Lord Mayor of London and one of Britain’s most … Continue reading
Posted in Corruption, MP of the Month
2 Comments
‘The power of returning our members will henceforth be in our own hands’: parliamentary reform and its impact on Exeter, 1820-1868
This week Dr Martin Spychal, research fellow for the Commons 1832-68, uses polling and voter registration data to explore the 1832 Reform Act’s impact on elections in Exeter. This blog was originally published on the History of Parliament blog as … Continue reading
Posted in Constituencies, Elections, party labels, Voting and Divisions
Tagged 1832 Reform Act, 1867 Reform Act, boundaries, Devon, devon history, exeter, Exeter elections, Exeter Guildhall, Featured, General election, local and community history, local history, parliamentary reform, Polling
2 Comments
Lord Ronald Gower (1845-1916): the life of a queer MP at the time of the Second Reform Act
Dr Martin Spychal introduces his new series of blogs for the Victorian Commons on Lord Ronald Gower (1845-1916), who was elected as MP for Sutherland in 1867. Born into ‘the inner circle of English aristocratic life’, Lord Ronald Gower (1845-1916) … Continue reading
From parliamentary reporter to Member of Parliament: Robert Spankie (1774-1842)
January’s MP of the Month takes a look at the unusual pre-parliamentary career of Robert Spankie, who was returned for Finsbury in 1832. A ground-breaking parliamentary reporter during the 1790s, Spankie ascended to the editorship of the Morning Chronicle before re-training as a barrister and serving as a controversial advocate-general of Bengal. Continue reading
MP of the Month: William Tooke and the royal charters of the University of London
Following our blogs on the creation of the University of London constituency in 1868 and its first MP, Robert Lowe, August’s MP of the Month is William Tooke. As MP for Truro from 1832, Tooke worked tirelessly to secure a royal charter for the London University (later University College London) in order that it could grant degrees to its students. Continue reading
The representation of Devon and Cornwall after reform, 1832-68
Last week the History of Parliament and the Devon and Cornwall Record Society hosted a conference at Exeter on ‘The South West and Parliament’. Dr Martin Spychal of the Victorian Commons spoke at the event, and today provides an overview of … Continue reading
The Disruption, Parliament and Conservative division: Alexander Campbell (1811-1869)
In May 1843 a schism in the Church of Scotland, better known as the Disruption, led to the creation of the evangelical Free Church of Scotland. It was the culmination of a decade-long conflict over the ability of parishioners to appoint their minister, and wider concerns over state interference with the Scottish Church. April’s MP of the Month is the Conservative MP for Argyllshire, Alexander Campbell, who was one of the founding elders of the Free Church. His ruthless electioneering in Argyllshire from 1836, eventual election in 1841, and failed legislative attempts to prevent the breakup of the Church placed the looming controversy at the centre of parliamentary politics. It also revealed irreconcilable differences between the Conservative Prime Minister Robert Peel and one of his few Scottish backbenchers. Continue reading
The Anglican clergy and English elections, 1832-37
This week we hear from Nicholas Dixon, of Pembroke College, Cambridge, on clerical influence in the reformed electoral system. It is one of the themes addressed in his PhD, which examines the Church of England’s influence on English politics and society … Continue reading
Posted in Elections, Guest blog
Tagged Church of England, clergy, clerical influence, religion
1 Comment
Science, parliamentary inquiry and the Whig decade of reform
In January two members of the Victorian Commons project spoke in Oxford at the ‘From “Old Corruption” to the New Corruption?’ conference, organised jointly by Oxford Brookes and Newman Universities. This week Dr Martin Spychal takes a look at one of the … Continue reading
Posted in Conferences and seminars, Legislation
Tagged 1832 Reform Act, boundary commission, Lord Brougham, science, SDUK, Thomas Drummond
3 Comments
Innovation, corruption and bankruptcy: Charles John Mare (1814-1898)
Charles John Mare (1814-1898) was an innovative East End shipbuilder. Thought to be a millionaire when he was returned for Plymouth in 1852, his election proved the apex of his career. He was unseated for bribery in 1853, and declared bankrupt, for the first of four times, in 1855. Continue reading
Posted in Biographies, Corruption, Elections, Images of MPs, Uncategorized
Tagged bankruptcy, East End, London, Plymouth, shipbuilding, West Ham
4 Comments
The University of London, representation and the 1867 Reform Act
Last week, as part of UK Parliament Week, we held a special event with the University of London to mark the 150th anniversary of the university returning its first MP to parliament. At the 1868 general election all University of … Continue reading
‘So much for the behaviour of the first assemblage of gentlemen’: views from parliament by a Devonshire Tory
Our Victorian MP of the Month is the Conservative MP for Devonshire South, Montagu Parker. His correspondence with his mother between 1835 and 1841 provides a fascinating perspective on life at Westminster. Montagu Edmund Newcombe Parker (1807-1858) is best known … Continue reading
Imagery and props: the Wellington boot, Disraeli’s novels and Gladstone’s axe
Our research fellow Dr. Martin Spychal shares some insights from his work on the BBC Radio 4 series, Prime Ministers’ Props… I’ve recently been working with our former editorial board member, Professor Sir David Cannadine on the second series of … Continue reading
MP of the Month: Joseph Locke (1805-1860)
Our Victorian MP of the Month is Joseph Locke (1805-1860), who represented Honiton from 1847 until his death. With Isambard Kingdom Brunel (1806-1859) and Robert Stephenson (1803-1859), Locke formed the ‘triumvirate of the engineering world’, who laid the architecture of … Continue reading
Posted in MP of the Month
Tagged engineering, Honiton, Joseph Locke, monuments and memorials, railways, William Huskisson
2 Comments
MP of the Month: George Donisthorpe Thompson (1804-1878)
December’s MP of the Month blog charts the path into Parliament of George Thompson, a self-educated book-seller’s son. As one of Britain’s foremost platform orators he was a major figure in the abolition of slavery in the West Indies and … Continue reading
Posted in Elections, MP of the Month, women, Working-class politics
Tagged Abolition of slavery, Abolitionists, American Civil war, Anti-Corn Law League, British India Society, Dwarkanauth Tagore, Female participation, Frederick Douglass, George Thompson, indian independence, Lord Brougham, March of Intellect, slavery, Southampton, Tower Hamlets
2 Comments
MP of the Month: Charles Gilpin (1815-1874)
One of the most illuminating aspects of our work for the Victorian Commons is the discovery of significant, but long-forgotten, parliamentarians. September’s MP of the Month, Charles Gilpin (1815-1874), certainly falls under this description. As the first and only Quaker … Continue reading
Some parallels: the 1832 and 2018 boundary reviews
To celebrate the recent open-access publication of his article ‘‘One of the best men of business we had ever met’: Thomas Drummond, the boundary commission and the 1832 Reform Act’, our Research Fellow on the 1832-1868 project, Dr Martin Spychal, … Continue reading
Five elections in seven years: Peterborough, Whalley and the Fitzwilliam interest
With suggestions of election fatigue setting in across Britain, this week’s blog – featuring our MP of the Month, George Hammond Whalley – looks at a constituency which saw five elections held in seven years between 1852 and 1859: the … Continue reading
‘Fighting, swearing, drinking, and squabbling’: Charles Dickens, Eatanswill and the 1835 Northamptonshire North by-election
Today’s blog marks the anniversary of Charles Dickens’s birth by exploring the inspiration behind one of the most notable political events in his first novel. Dickens’s riotous description of the Eatanswill borough election in the Pickwick Papers, first published in July … Continue reading
MP of the Month: Charles Capper (1822-1869)
Continuing with our recent theme of unlikely parliamentarians, our MP of the Month is Charles Capper, the son of a Manchester weaver. Capper made his fortune in the shipping industry, and wrote a notable history of the port of London, … Continue reading
‘The sagacity of the elephant, as well as the form’: MP of the Month, George Ward Hunt (1825-77)
The recent rise of a certain parson’s daughter to the premiership provides a fitting opportunity to consider the unexpected ascent of a parson’s son to one of the great offices of state during the 1860s – George Ward Hunt, Conservative … Continue reading
A family affair: the Knightleys and Northamptonshire South, 1832-1868
The double-member county division of Northamptonshire South is often associated with the Spencer family, most notably Viscount Althorp (later the third Earl Spencer and older brother of Princess Diana’s great-great-grandfather), who played a key role in the reforming ministry of … Continue reading
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