Category Archives: Legislation

MP of the Month: William Tooke and the royal charters of the University of London

Posted on August 30, 2019 by

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 →

Posted in Biographies, Constituencies, Elections, Legislation, MP of the Month, party labels, religion | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Science, parliamentary inquiry and the Whig decade of reform

Posted on February 14, 2019 by

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 →

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The University of London, representation and the 1867 Reform Act

Posted on November 22, 2018 by

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 →

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The role and power of the House of Lords

Posted on November 13, 2018 by

To mark Parliament Week 2018, our editor Dr Philip Salmon looks at a key element of Parliament which we don’t usually have much opportunity to reflect on in our work on Victorian MPs and constituencies: the House of Lords. Yet, … Continue reading →

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Tackling electoral corruption: how Victorian Britain reformed the trial of election petitions in 1868

Posted on August 7, 2018 by

Originally posted on The History of Parliament:
Today marks the 150th anniversary of the passing of the Election Petitions and Corrupt Practices at Elections Act, an important part of the electoral reforms which had begun with the Second Reform Act of…

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The 1868 Boundary Act: Disraeli’s attempt to control his ‘leap in the dark’?

Posted on June 4, 2018 by

Originally posted on The History of Parliament:
This year marks the 150th anniversary of the 1868 Boundary Act. As Martin Spychal of the Commons 1832-68 Section discusses in today’s blog, the oft-neglected story of the Act provides several key insights…

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MP of the Month: Hugh Lupus Grosvenor, Earl Grosvenor (1825-1899)

Posted on November 30, 2017 by

Continuing our celebration of the 150th anniversary of the 1867 Reform Act, November’s MP of the Month focuses on one of the most enigmatic figures in the reform crisis of 1866-67, the property-owning magnate and multi-millionaire Hugh Lupus Grosvenor, later … Continue reading →

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From draper’s apprentice to attorney-general: Sir John Rolt and the 1867 Reform Act

Posted on October 23, 2017 by

With this year marking the 150th anniversary of the passing of the Second Reform Act, our MP of the Month is one of the lesser known architects of this measure, the attorney-general, Sir John Rolt, who, as one contemporary noted, … Continue reading →

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MP of the Month: John Tomlinson Hibbert (1824-1908)

Posted on August 29, 2017 by

This month marks the 150th anniversary of the passing of the 1867 Reform Act. Introduced by Benjamin Disraeli and Lord Derby’s Conservative government, it added around a million voters to the register, primarily in borough constituencies. This greatly exceeded the … Continue reading →

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Some parallels: the 1832 and 2018 boundary reviews

Posted on July 3, 2017 by

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 →

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

Posted on October 22, 2014 by

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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Horsemeat in historical perspective: food adulteration in Victorian Britain

Posted on March 8, 2013 by

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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Wiping the slate: some laws recently repealed

Posted on February 3, 2013 by

Last week (31 Jan. 2013) saw the enactment of the Statute Laws Repeal Act, a legislative initiative aimed at tidying up the UK’s statute book by repealing a host of obsolete and defunct laws, ranging from the 1500s to the present … Continue reading →

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