Category Archives: 1832-68 preview site

Politics beyond party: the survival of non-partisan traditions, 1832-68

Posted on July 18, 2023 by salmonphilip

Continuing our summaries of the papers given at our recent ‘Politics before Democracy’ conference organised with UEA, Dr Philip Salmon focusses on the survival of non-party traditions in the post-1832 electoral system. The growth of the party system in the 19th century … Continue reading →

Posted in 1832-68 preview site, Conferences and seminars, Constituencies, Elections, Historians, party labels, Voting and Divisions | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Reappraising England’s reformed electoral map, 1832-1868: the impact of the 1832 Reform Act

Posted on May 23, 2023 by Martin Spychal

As part of our series reflecting on the recent ‘Politics before Democracy’ conference, Dr Martin Spychal, a Senior Research Fellow on the 1832-1868 Commons project, discusses the impact of the 1832 reform legislation on English electoral politics. At the 2023 Politics … Continue reading →

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‘Fighting, swearing, drinking, and squabbling’: Charles Dickens, Eatanswill and the 1835 Northamptonshire North by-election

Posted on February 7, 2017 by Martin Spychal

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 →

Posted in 1832-68 preview site, Constituencies, Corruption, Elections | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

MP of the Month: Charles Capper (1822-1869)

Posted on December 6, 2016 by Martin Spychal

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 →

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‘The sagacity of the elephant, as well as the form’: MP of the Month, George Ward Hunt (1825-77)

Posted on July 21, 2016 by Martin Spychal

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 →

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MP of the Month: George Palmer, a ‘firm friend of the shipwrecked’

Posted on October 22, 2014 by jowen1832

In September 2008 an exceptionally rare Gold Medal produced by the Royal National Institute for the Preservation of Life from Shipwreck was sold at auction for £3,200. The medal, with its unique pendant in the shape of a lifeboat, was … Continue reading →

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Constituencies recently added to our preview site (2)

Posted on September 17, 2014 by jowen1832

The 1832-68 House of Commons project includes studies of every constituency – more than 400 – in England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales. Between 4,000 to 6,000 words in length, each study provides a detailed but accessible analysis of every parliamentary … Continue reading →

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‘Politics before democracy: Britain and its world, c. 1830-1914’ conference at UEA

Posted on April 8, 2014 by Kathryn Rix

Last week members (past and present) of the House of Commons 1832-68 research team gave presentations at the ‘Politics before democracy’ conference hosted by the School of History at the University of East Anglia in Norwich. Philip Salmon and Kathryn … Continue reading →

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Project progress: 1,000th article

Posted on December 9, 2013 by salmonphilip

The 1832-68 project recently passed a major milestone with the completion of its 1000th article. 897 biographies and 106 constituency accounts (comprising over 2 million words) have now been written and are being uploaded to our preview website, which, when … Continue reading →

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Constituencies recently added to our preview site

Posted on October 17, 2013 by jowen1832

The 1832-68 House of Commons project includes studies of every constituency – more than 400 – in England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales. Since beginning our research in 2009, we have completed over 100 constituency articles. Around 4,000 to 6,000 words … Continue reading →

Posted in 1832-68 preview site, Constituencies | Tagged , | 1 Comment

The People’s Charter and the Victorian Commons

Posted on May 8, 2013 by jowen1832

On 8 May 1838 the People’s Charter was first published. To celebrate its 175th anniversary, we consider the initial response of Victorian MPs to the Charter and the ways in which the History of Parliament’s House of Commons 1832-68 project … Continue reading →

Posted in 1832-68 preview site, Chartism | 6 Comments

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 →

Posted in 1832-68 preview site, Biographies | Tagged , | 5 Comments

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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Robert Fitzroy MP and the Weather Forecast

Posted on August 21, 2012 by jowen1832

During the recent Olympic opening ceremony, a short clip was played of the infamous weather forecast in which Michael Fish dismissed the idea that a hurricane was on the way. In a ceremony that was a celebration of ‘Britishness’, this … Continue reading →

Posted in 1832-68 preview site, Biographies | Tagged , | 2 Comments

Constituencies available on our preview site

Posted on August 7, 2012 by Kathryn Rix

The 1832 Reform Act completely redrew the electoral map of Britain and Ireland. It removed many small corrupt boroughs and gave representation to growing industrial towns such as Manchester, Birmingham and Leeds. However, small towns and county seats remained the … Continue reading →

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Introducing the House of Commons, 1832-68 preview site

Posted on August 2, 2012 by Kathryn Rix

When it is completed the House of Commons, 1832-68 project will provide biographies of over 2,500 MPs and studies of more than 400 constituencies in England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales, offering an unprecedented resource for those interested in the social, … Continue reading →

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