Great piece from my colleagues!

As people move away from the other place, here’s a starter pack of historians from @drlindseyfitz.bsky.social, who is also worth a follow. go.bsky.app/Fpw6Tvr

Autocorrect fail of the day - Augustus Plugin.

We are hiring! @histparl.bsky.social's House of Lords (1660-1832) section - aka The Georgian Lords - is looking for a new research fellow. Details of the post and how to apply are below. Please spread widely. #skystorians historyofparliament.com/2026/01/12/v...

I love the social history contained in memorials etc. in churches. This is a great example.

Wishing everyone a Happy New Year for 2026! Here's our editor Philip Salmon's review of some of our project highlights of 2025. We look forward to sharing more of our research on 19th century politics and parliamentary history over the coming year...

It's been a busy year for the Georgian Lords: we have been involved with events in #Parliament, a 2-day conference at the University of Worcester, and seen new publications out. All of this alongside continuing to draft entries on the 927 Lords in the current set. We wish you all a Merry Christmas!

I love this! Photo of an elderly Frances Wyatt, an important Chartist in her earlier years, as unearthed by @markcrail.bsky.social in his new book, Chartist Lives. It’s brilliant that detailed research like this is still ongoing into this remarkable movement.

Starting to feel a little bit festive after yesterday's combination of about 80% parliamentary history and 20% mince pies and Christmas trees!

Great to hear our colleague @emmapeplow.bsky.social in action here!

Current Special Collections Visiting Fellow Michelle Reynolds (@lovelymydear.bsky.social) is researching the role of Laurence Housman (1865-1959) in the women's suffrage movement.

Enjoyed a visit yesterday to David Parr House. A fascinating & beautiful time capsule of hand-painted Arts & Crafts decoration lies within this unassuming building. Added interest for me as we used to live in a house of similar layout (but less grand decor!) further out of town. davidparrhouse.org

Following on from his article on Peter McLagan, Scotland's first Black MP, Dr Martin Spychal has explored the life of his father, Peter McLagan senior, and his ownership of enslaved people in Demerara (modern-day Guyana): historyofparliament.com/2025/12/11/p...

Great to see our colleague @martinspychal.bsky.social's book Mapping the State reviewed by Matthew Roberts as 'a work of impressive scholarship which deserves to be widely read'. Mapping the State is available on Open Access here: uolpress.co.uk/book/mapping...

Really enjoyed this talk from the always excellent @satisfactory20.bsky.social who discussed a fascinating array of cartoons.

Our #1832AtoZ continues with T for Trowel and Tower. This trowel was used to lay the first stone of the Clock Tower for the new Houses of Parliament. Find out more about who performed this task in September 1843 in our article: victoriancommons.wordpress.com/2020/06/11/f...

Great to see this excellent article and well-deserved proxime accessit for the Parliamentary History prize 2024 in print! Especially brilliant is the new source describing women's experiences of the 'ventilator' in the Commons.

As Nick says here, this really is a 'gem of a story' and told expertly and brilliantly by @victoriancommons.bsky.social

Our colleague @kathrynrix.bsky.social was featured in yesterday's 'Pick of the Week' on BBC Radio 4! You can check out her featured interview with Susan Hulme, on how women watched Commons debates from 'the ventilator' after they were barred from the chamber in 1778, below (starting at 7:22):

I'm really thrilled that my interview was included as part of Radio 4's 'Pick of the Week' yesterday evening. It starts at 07:22 here: www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/... or for the fuller version see the post quoted below.

Death by turnip was one of the first MPs I researched for the History of Parliament and I'm not sure I have bettered this as a research finding!

Great to hear Dr Helen Wilson talking about her recent PhD thesis on Black participation in British politics, 1750-1850 @ihr.bsky.social this evening. This was jointly supervised by Amanda Goodrich (Open University) and my colleague Robin Eagles @georgianlords.bsky.social @histparl.bsky.social.

Last week our colleague Dr Kathryn Rix appeared on Today in Parliament to discuss how women were able to watch debates in the House of Commons after they were officially barred from the chamber in 1778. You can check out her interview here (starting at 22:55): buff.ly/yrr6CQo

A minor insight into the importance of 18th-century women lacking a formal vote, but commanding influence over their menfolk: "Mr. Winford, notwithstanding his behaviour in St. Stephens, has not the hearts of the citizens, or what is worse, the citizens' wives." www.histparl.ac.uk/volume/1715-...

Great to have the opportunity to appear on Radio 4 talking about women's experiences of 19thC Westminster in the ventilator and the ladies' gallery.

On 3 December, Helen Wilson will be speaking at a special joint session of the IHR’s Parliaments, Politics and People and British History in the Long 18th Century seminars. Find out more about her paper on 'Reconstructing Black Participation in British Politics, 1750-1850' below:

Really great paper from @nemgarrett.bsky.social, and for anyone who missed it, the good news is that an extended version is being published next year in a collection edited by my @histparl.bsky.social colleague Naomi Lloyd-Jones.

Looking forward to hearing about the duchess of Gordon and the late 18C ‘tartan rage’ at tonight’s IHR Parliaments, Politics and People ONLINE seminar. Sign up FREE at the link below! historyofparliament.com/2025/11/18/t... @nemgarrett.bsky.social

I was a @chuarchives.bsky.social By-Fellow last year and would recommend to anyone! Deadline for applications approaching

#OTD 1883, the first by-election in England held under the rules of the 1883 Corrupt and Illegal Practices Prevention Act took place. Dr Kathryn Rix explores the impact that the Act had on electioneering during the York by-election:

Doing the traditional thing for Stir Up Sunday!

#OTD 1918 the Parliament (Qualification of Women) Act, giving women the right to stand for parliament, gained royal assent. To find out more about early women parliamentary candidates, and the campaigns they ran, read @lisaberrywaite.bsky.social article. historyofparliament.com/2019/06/11/s...

Having completed display screen equipment training this week, should I tell the cat he is infringing the rules on workstation setup?

If you're interested in Scottish national identity, eighteenth-century fashion, and/or women in politics, you may be interested in the paper I'm presenting at the IHR Parliaments, Politics & People seminar next Tuesday. Best of all, it's online! #eighteenthcentury #womenshistory #Scottishhistory

In our latest article, Dr Kathryn Rix has looked at the 23 MPs commemorated in the Commons chamber who died during the Second World War. Their biographies written by #HistParl are now accessible on Parliament's website, links to which you can find in Dr Rix's article below:

Chloe Mawson has been appointed the 66th Clerk of the Parliaments and is the first woman to take up the post. The Clerk of the Parliaments is head of the House of Lords Administration and Chief Procedural Adviser to the House.

In November 1867, Lily Maxwell, a Manchester shopkeeper, voted in a parliamentary by-election. But how was she able to vote in an election more than fifty years before the partial enfranchisement of women in 1918? Dr Kathryn Rix explains:

Ahead of Remembrance Day this Sunday, and with 2025 marking 80 years since the end of the Second World War, Dr Kathryn Rix has looked at the 23 MPs commemorated in the Commons chamber who died during the Second World War: historyofparliament.com/2025/11/07/m...

In our #1832AtoZ R is also for our Resources page. This has links to many free to access resources for 19th century British history, from Hansard debates to maps. We’ve checked all the links today, but if anything is missing or broken, let us know! victoriancommons.wordpress.com/resources

Can anyone help me identify these schoolgirls who visited Parliament in July 1909? I'm writing about them in my book and would LOVE to be able to say who they are! www.npg.org.uk/collections/... #histed #histchild

Did you take part in a mock election at your UK school or college between 1983 and 2001? Share your memories for a research project on young people and democracy in modern Britain! Write to us about your experiences here: forms.office.com/e/FNAwjfFR7f

New post today from me for @histparl.bsky.social. Among these 23 MPs were the 'Baby of the House', a former international rugby player, half of the second-ever pair of brother and sister MPs, the Joint Under-Secretary of State for Air and the former captain of the Lancashire county cricket team.

My favourite acquisition from #HistDay25, which was, as usual, a great opportunity to join my colleagues in spreading the word about @histparl.bsky.social, and to find out about lots of other exciting resources, archives, libraries and more. Thanks @ihr.bsky.social and all the organisers!

Come and say hello to the #HistParl team at History Day next week! We're excited to talk about our research and catch up with new and old friends working in the sector. Find out more via @ihr.bsky.social #HistDay25

New to the #HistParl site, @kathrynrix.bsky.social looks at the provision made for women to witness debates in the temporary chamber used by the Commons between 1835 and 1852: historyofparliament.com/2025/10/30/t...

I enjoyed chairing the brilliant @satisfactory20.bsky.social for her seminar yesterday, which featured the fascinating history of this 'suffragette chain' and lots more. Thanks for a great paper Mari!

The last MP to speak in this chamber was Patrick Munro, who moved the adjournment on 8 May 1941. Munro, best known as a former rugby international for Scotland, died at the Palace of Westminster just under a year later. He was a private in the Home Guard, who were taking part in a major exercise.

Looking forward to the first Parliaments, Politics and People seminar of term on Tues 28th, when the always excellent @satisfactory20.bsky.social will be sharing her research on The Speakers and the Suffragettes. Join us in person or online. historyofparliament.com/2025/10/21/t...

This was fun to do, although you won't know it was me from listening 🤣 @kathrynrix.bsky.social is brilliant as ever and an interesting look back on the programme