Fantastic image of the 1845 Cambridge by-election - note in particular the presence of women.

Here's my brilliant colleague @emmapeplow.bsky.social proving again why our oral history interviews are such a great resource.

Voted! Now back to 19th century elections.

Very amusing. Reminds me of a school report I once had which said 'Handwriting needs more care', except that the word care was undecipherable. Not that I'm still bitter about it...

A great paper yesterday from @brendantam.bsky.social - best of luck Brendan with the final stages of the PhD!

Great to hear our brilliant colleague @emmapeplow.bsky.social

A fascinating piece from my colleague @martinspychal.bsky.social.

This ties in well with the theme of the first Parliaments, Politics and People seminar of summer term. @brendantam.bsky.social will be speaking about political sociability in late Hanoverian Britain. Find out here how to join in person or online on Tues 5 May: historyofparliament.com/2026/04/29/t...

Historic moment for Parliament today. I wrote (briefly) about the history of Lords Reform here. historyofparliament.substack.com/p/on-heredit...

Great post here - and I would definitely read the full article.

A very interesting read.

On 27 April 1992, Betty Boothroyd became the first female Speaker of the House of Commons. To mark the anniversary we are resharing this #HistParl article by @emmapeplow.bsky.social, featuring clips from Boothroyd's interview as part of our Oral History project.

Brilliant talk this morning by @chloechallender.bsky.social on her excellent research on divorce by Act of Parliament, its voyeurism and theatricality, and experience of women inc as petitioners, respondents, witnesses.

Anyone working in history of comedy/satire, television, modern British politics - there's a fully funded PhD to research the Spitting Image archive @theul.bsky.social, with supervision at Exeter Uni. All disciplines considered, pls do share widely. www.exeter.ac.uk/study/fundin...

Reading old documents in archives is my bread and butter, but reading the 1926 Irish Free State census online and seeing the names of close relatives, some of whom I remember, is another experience! The census can be searched here: nationalarchives.ie/collections/...

Today marks 111 years since John Joseph Esmonde, MP for North Tipperary, died whilst serving in the First World War. In an article for #HistParl, Dr Kathryn Rix reflected on his life and career as one of the few medical doctors in the Commons.

Great to be checking the proofs for my chapter in this book (on 'Rebuilding the Palace of Westminster: The Architecture of Representation in an Age of Reform, 1832–1868'), due out in December. Congrats to the editors for persevering with a project which began as a conference abandoned due to COVID.

Later this month we will have a new article from @martinspychal.bsky.social as part of his series on Peter McLagan, Scotland's first Black MP. Here's a reminder of Martin's first article on McLagan and the process of researching his background: victoriancommons.wordpress.com/2025/06/12/p...

I am just as happy as Naomi to have received my copy of this excellent special issue today! She did an excellent job as our editor.

An exciting female parliamentary first!

Congratulations Mari - I know you will do it brilliantly!

@kathrynrix.bsky.social examines the professional constituency agents of the Liberal and Conservative Parties between elections in English constituencies between 1880 and 1914. The article can currently be read for free here: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

An exciting find for the last day of #WomensHistoryMonth in connection with my project on women & electoral corruption - I think I may have stumbled across a portrait of a woman involved in bribery and treating at elections in Maldon in the mid-19th century (to the tune of having £200 to dispense)!

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...

Pleased to say that my article on the Liberal and Conservative party agents, 1880-1914 is currently free to access as part of a Parliamentary History special issue on the politics of organising (edited by my @histparl.bsky.social colleague Naomi Lloyd-Jones): onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

Our Parliaments, Politics and People seminar is a very friendly place, as Sarah attests! We're already starting to put together our speakers for the 2026-7 programme - get in touch with us if that is of interest.

I am definitely here for hearing more about the history of women in Parliament! Great to see @jhdavey.bsky.social showcasing the excellent work of @satisfactory20.bsky.social and Elizabeth Hallam Smith on this theme.

Really looking forward to hearing about May Day, the folkmote & reform debates in the 18/19C from @srwride.bsky.social at the IHR Parliaments, Politics and People seminar on 17 March. The event is FREE in-person in London and online. @ihr.bsky.social Details: historyofparliament.com/2026/03/10/r...

In 1866, the first mass petition for women's suffrage was presented to Parliament. Dr Kathryn Rix explores the petition with 1,500 signatories and its reception in the House.

Venturing beyond the Victorian Commons, here's my short article on PMs in the 19th century Lords.

George Faithfull, one of Brighton’s first MPs (1832-5), died #OnThisDay 1863. For #WomensHistoryMonth, find out more about his valiant but unsuccessful efforts to defend the rights of women to vote in Brighton’s local elections. victoriancommons.wordpress.com/2013/06/19/m...

Showing the eclectic and wide-ranging nature of @histparl.bsky.social's work, a search on the website for 'herrings' brings up 7 hits: historyofparliament.com?s=herrings+ Top marks to @georgianlords.bsky.social for finding ‘Herring’s Norfolk antidote for the bite of a mad dog and other mad animals’.

Finally, here’s one of our series on Harriet Grote, a prominent figure among London’s intellectual radicals, who ‘had she been a man, she would have been the leader of a party’: victoriancommons.wordpress.com/2021/01/04/h... #IWD #WHM

Our assistant editor @kathrynrix.bsky.social has explored the facilities provided for women to view debates in the temporary House of Commons chamber used after the 1834 fire, where visitors included Charlotte Brontë: historyofparliament.com/2025/10/30/t... #IWD #WHM

Our most recent post from our research fellow Dr Naomi Lloyd-Jones looks at the behind-the-scenes roles which aristocratic women could play in 19th century elections. historyofparliament.com/2026/02/26/t...

For #InternationalWomensDay and #WomensHistoryMonth we are sharing some of our favourite research on women’s participation in 19th century politics.

#britishmuseum #archive holds very many references to women: the earliest recorded female visitors in 1762, Angelica Kaufmann paid to paint on Derby china in the 1790s, an 1857 photo, Beatrix Potter & women employed after the law for Civil Servants changed in 1921. #internationalwomensday #women

Did you know that a former Scottish Rugby captain sat in the House of Commons? With Scotland taking the field against France later today in the #SixNations, @kathrynrix.bsky.social explores the sporting and political career of Pat Munro MP.

In honour of #WorldBookDay today, @jhdavey.bsky.social searched through the (digital) pages of Hansard to see which fictional characters have made an appearance in the House of Commons chamber... Read all about it via our substack:

Took advantage of some free time in London to make a long overdue visit to the refurbished National Portrait Gallery. Hayter's painting of the 1833 House of Commons was a must-see: www.npg.org.uk/collections/...

New blog from me today for @histparl.bsky.social, with a #SixNations theme. It looks at the career of Pat Munro, a former Scotland rugby international who was MP for Llandaff and Barry from 1931. He was the oldest MP to die on war service during WW2. historyofparliament.com/2026/03/02/p...

For #WomensHistoryMonth I'll be sharing some snippets on women & elections. Here's a very human moment from the Commons committee rooms in 1842, when a pair of spectacles was found for Sarah Davis (one of a dozen female witnesses to the Great Marlow election committee) to help her see a document.

New blog from me today for @histparl.bsky.social, with a #SixNations theme. It looks at the career of Pat Munro, a former Scotland rugby international who was MP for Llandaff and Barry from 1931. He was the oldest MP to die on war service during WW2. historyofparliament.com/2026/03/02/p...

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

Join us this #WomensHistoryMonth in amplifying women’s voices past and present. Our website is a wonderful place to start learning more. Spread the word! womenshistorynetwork.org #WHM2026 #WomensHistory #GenderHist Image: Pit girl brow workers, Wigan, 1900. COPY 1/445, The National Archives.

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

I love the cover image for this special issue (which I may have had a hand in choosing). It shows 11 survivors of Peterloo assembled at Failsworth near Oldham in 1884 in support of parliamentary reform, and speaks to many of the themes contained in the special issue.

Very pleased to have an article out today - looking at the professional constituency agents, 1880-1914 - and many congratulations to my colleague Naomi who has done a brilliant job in pulling this special issue together.

Great piece from my colleague, and very pertinent to my current project on women and electoral corruption in the 19thC.

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...