On 3 April 1721, Robert Walpole became First Lord of the Treasury. Read Dr Robin Eagles' article for #HistParl to find out more about Walpole's rise to power.

So excited to see my and Priscila's article on Sharing authority in elite interviews out in the latest issue of Oral History. Big thanks to @oralhistsoc.bsky.social for publishing (and what an honour to be in that line up)! OHS Journals share.google/9syTq9aQSvtg...

So excited to see my and Priscila's article on Sharing authority in elite interviews out in the latest issue of Oral History. Big thanks to @oralhistsoc.bsky.social for publishing (and what an honour to be in that line up)! OHS Journals share.google/9syTq9aQSvtg...

David Lloyd George, Prime Minister between 1916-22, died on 26 March 1945. His rise to the premiership came about following a dramatic split in the Liberal Party. Find out more in this article by @emmapeplow.bsky.social.

🚨Job klaxon 🚨 Come and be my colleague at York! We're looking for an Associate Lecturer in Modern British History and Public History. Two year post - apply by 19 March. 🗃️ More details here www.jobs.ac.uk/job/DQO971/a...

In this Open Access article, @drdavesteele.bsky.social explores bodily and sensory experiences in the crowds formed by the reform movement from 1816-1848, offering new perspectives on the lived experience of popular politics and the mass platform. onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

All articles in our 2026 special issue, edited by Naomi Lloyd-Jones of @histparl.bsky.social can be read free online between now and the end of June! onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/1750...

About to start a new interview for the @histparl.bsky.social oral history project and no matter how many times I've done this it is still really nerve wracking! You'd think I'd be used to it by now...

The History of Parliament is excited to announce a new 8-week internship position for postgraduate-level researchers, working with the House of Lords 1640-60 section. Follow the link below for more details on the role, and how to apply!

Later this year, Dr Robin Eagles of the Georgian Lords will be speaking at the University of Nottingham as part of their 'We the People' exhibition, which commemorates the 250th anniversary of the American Declaration of Independence. #HistParl www.lakesidearts.org.uk/event/a-revo...

Reporting the General Strike We're looking ahead to May! As the centenary of Britain's 'Great Hold-Up' approaches, we've added more sources to our General Strike digitised collection 550+ strike bulletins, leaflets, reports, radio transcripts and more at warwick.ac.uk/services/lib...

As part of a new series for Scribble Book, exploring the history of women in Parliament, @jhdavey.bsky.social has explored the career of Kay Midwinter, Parliament's first female clerk. Read and subscribe via the link below!

The Whig prime minister Earl Grey was born #OnThisDay 1764. This short article from our editor Philip Salmon explores the formation of his ministry in November 1830. www.historyofparliamentonline.org/periods/mode...

Very pleased to announce that TAKE YOUR RESEARCH PUBLIC is back for 2026. It's a practical course supporting PhD students and academics working on historical topics to translate their work into public-facing scholarship. Runs 2-23 June online. Apply by 20 April @dcahf-met.bsky.social

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

In 1992, Betty Boothroyd made history, becoming the first and only woman appointed as Speaker of the House of Commons. Find out more about her illustrious career below: #WomensHistoryMonth #WHM

Another figure we want to shed light on this #WomensHistoryMonth is Harriet Grote. In a series of articles, Dr Martin Spychal explores how she was able to establish herself as one of Westminster’s leading radical politicians. @martinspychal.bsky.social @victoriancommons.bsky.social

Hudson was also a major figure in Conservative politics at York and sat himself as MP for Sunderland, 1845-59. He was a regular Commons speaker in his 'bluff Yorkshire voice', but his career ended in disgrace as his fraudulent financial dealings unravelled.

Our fantastic library team have been working hard to make our collections even more accessible. Another reason to join @ihrlibrary.bsky.social

New paper: Mass Observing British Politics On what Mass Observation might contribute to political studies (and what political studies might contribute to Mass Observation). With @jmoss88.bsky.social and Alex Hill. Also paging @massobsarchive.bsky.social link.springer.com/article/10.1...

On #WorldBookDay we are celebrating the House of Lords Library, which turns 200 years old this year. The Library collection includes around 80,000 books, from a 1490 legal text to the latest titles in social science, international relations, economics and more.

In the latest post on our Substack, 'Scribble Book', @jhdavey.bsky.social reflects on LGBTQ+ History Month within Parliamentary history. Read it here:

It is great to see that this special issue of @parlhistjournal.bsky.social, edited by #HistParl's Naomi Lloyd-Jones, is now available to read! Click below to access this special collection of articles, discussing the politics of organisation in the long 19th century.

This Women's History Month we are highlighting the long history of female involvement in Parliament and politics. Below, Dr Kathryn Rix overviews the political involvement of women in the years leading up to some women gaining the right to vote in 1918. #WomensHistoryMonth #WHM

New post on the #HistParl website from @kathrynrix.bsky.social! Read it here:

I'm now recruiting for a crucial post in my team - Curator: Parliamentary Art Collection. A rare chance to work with a wonderful collection in a unique setting. Please do share, and feel free to get in touch with any questions

#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

Details of the @oralhistoryie.bsky.social annual meeting have been released. Send us your ideas on Oral History and Movement, and come join us in Tralee, County Kerry in June! Details below

Posting again my article on the 1993 Christchurch by-election as voters go to the polls in Gorton & Denton today. Fascinating reflections from the two main candidates Diana Maddock & Lord Hayward in our interviews. Seems like today's vote will be much closer! historyofparliament.com/2026/02/24/c...

We are advertising a two-year lectureship in Modern British History at University of Cambridge, please spread the word! www.cam.ac.uk/jobs/assista...

With the Gorton and Denton by-election taking place tomorrow, we're sharing our article on an earlier Manchester by-election. How was a woman able to vote there in 1867, decades before women received the parliamentary franchise? Find out more here: historyofparliament.com/2025/03/14/l...

This was fun to write. So much going on during this by-election!

NEW: Margaret Bondfield was the first woman to serve in the UK Cabinet. So why is she almost forgotten? On the latest episode of Parliament Matters, we are joined by @nansloane.bsky.social to discuss her new biography of this pioneering political figure. 🎧 Listen now: buff.ly/RYXZLuB

The workload facing MPs and their staff is growing, in ways that aren't visible to the public: casework and the inbox. For @thehousemag.bsky.social, I delved into what the workload looks like, why it's growing, and what this means for how MPs can balance the different aspects of their role

In this week's Scribble Book, #HistParl director @jhdavey.bsky.social explores the unlikely connections between the Winter Olympics and House of Lords reform... Read and subscribe via the link below!

Did you know that the first known valentine's letter was sent to a future MP? @alfiesteer.bsky.social explores this story below.

Mary Wilkes was an absolutely extraordinary person. Every bit as talented as her brother, John, whom she resembled in many ways. Fantastic portrait of her, which really captures her grit and determination.

"The homosexual of statute law came into being as male. The supposedly less troublesome, less libidinous lesbian remained firmly in his shadow." Dr Caroline Derry on the attitudes towards same sex desire between women reflected in the 1957 Wolfenden Report and 1967 Sexual Offences Act. #lgbthm26

In February 1775, a particularly fiery debate in the House of Lords sought to settle the problem with America. Dr Robin Eagles explores this immediate background to the beginning of the American Revolution.

Dr Cara Gathern will be speaking at the next IHR Parliaments, Politics and People seminar on Representations of Women and Sovereign Power at the New Palace of Westminster. 📍 Senate House, London / Online 🗓️Tuesday 17 February 2026 ⏱️5:30-6:30pm Find out more about the paper and how to attend below:

Our #1832AtoZ continues with W for Wales. In this article, we looked at 19thC elections in Wales’s wealthiest and most industrialised county: Glamorgan. Find out more here about the MPs which represented it. victoriancommons.wordpress.com/2020/09/28/r...

In a new guest article for #HistParl, Prof Laura Stewart explores the work of Scottish Polemicist David Buchanan, and how his writings influenced partisan rivalries in the Parliaments of the 1640s.

"What you have to become used to is learning to live with uncertainty." MP Chris Smith received these words after being diagnosed with HIV. This is one of many clips from our oral history archive highlights to reflect on HIV through the eyes of MPs during the 1980s. #LGBTplusHM #lgbthm26

Amused to spot a family of baronets who originally had the surname Turner, before Sir Gregory Turner took the name Page (when he inherited property from his aunt Judith Page), making them ... the Page-Turners!

Died #OnThisDay 1900 Edward Aldam Leatham, Liberal MP for Huddersfield 1859-65, 1868-85. He was an ‘able lieutenant’ in the Commons to his brother-in-law, John Bright, and introduced what became the 1872 Ballot Act. His older brother William (pictured) was also an MP.

In 1918, The Representation of the People Act received royal assent. @emmapeplow.bsky.social explains how the Act gave the parliamentary vote to some women for the first time as well as millions of previously excluded working men.

This is bleakly comic: six times when Parliament has agreed the need for a major programme of works to the Palace of Westminster, and yet we'll need another vote in 2026 and then a further vote in mid 2030.

🚨 NEW ARTICLE 🚨 Dr Simon Payling explores the career of the early Tudor figure Sir Gilbert Talbot, who in service of Henry VII was rewarded with a commissioned painting from Raphael.

Peel is also traditionally credited with the founding of the modern Conservative party, a theme explored in this article by Dr Philip Salmon: victoriancommons.wordpress.com/2020/02/05/s...

‘Bob, you dog, if you are not prime minister some day, I’ll disinherit you’ Born #OnThisDay 1788 (Sir) Robert Peel (later 2nd bt.), Prime Minister 1834-5 and 1841-6, but perhaps best known for the foundation of the Police service during his tenure as Home Secretary. @victoriancommons.bsky.social