We publish peer-reviewed research covering the history of parliamentary institutions in Britain and Ireland from the Middle Ages to the Twentieth Century, and the legislatures of British colonies before independence.
In her #OpenAccess article, Rachel Johnson explores how the ritual of the state opening of the South African Parliament began in the Westminster tradition but was contested, disrupted an reinvented throughout different periods of South African history: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/... 🧵5/5
onlinelibrary.wiley.comJason Peacey addresses the audiences for, and popular reactions to the state opening ceremony during the Stuart period here: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/... 🧵4/5
onlinelibrary.wiley.comHenry S. Cobb provides a survey of the ceremony during the Tudor period here: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/... 🧵3/5
onlinelibrary.wiley.comJennifer Caddick examines the surroundings in which the state opening took place during the fifteenth century: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/... 🧵2/5
onlinelibrary.wiley.comHenry S. Cobb provides a survey of the ceremony during the Tudor period here: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/... 🧵3/5
Descriptions of the State Opening of Parliament, 1485–1601: A Survey*Click on the article title to read more.onlinelibrary.wiley.comJennifer Caddick examines the surroundings in which the state opening took place during the fifteenth century: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/... 🧵2/5
The Painted Chamber at Westminster and the Openings of Parliament, 1399–1484*The aim of this article is to investigate the use of the Painted Chamber in the Palace of Westminster as a parliamentary space in the 15th century, focusing on 41 openings of parliament held there be...onlinelibrary.wiley.com@victoriancommons.bsky.social @georgianlords.bsky.social nlords.bsky.social @lauracforster.bsky.social @henryjmiller.bsky.social @drdavesteele.bsky.social @kathrynrix.bsky.social @katrinanavickas.bsky.social @durhamhistory.bsky.social
Blueskynlords.bsky.socialAnd, the winner of the 2024 Parliamentary History essay prize (and free to read!) is Sarah Moxey’s fascinating analysis of the 1945 Motherwell by-election. onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10....
A Motherwell Miracle and a Sponsorship Saga: the Motherwell By‐election, 1945*You have to enable JavaScript in your browser's settings in order to use the eReader.onlinelibrary.wiley.comIn 2022, @marccollinson.bsky.social took a revisionist approach to the 1978 Ilford North by-election and the road to Margaret Thatcher’s general election victory a year later. doi.org/10.1111/1750...
Inevitable Results and Political Myths? Ilford North's 1978 By‐Election*Reductive and teleological ‘path to power’ myths continue to underpin explanations of Margaret Thatcher's first general election success. The by-elections that eroded the Callaghan government's major...doi.orgIn a similar vein, Thomas A.W. Stewart has analysed the 1973 Dundee East by-election as a seminal moment in the SNP’s rise to become Scottish nationalism’s premier political organisation. doi.org/10.1111/1750...
By‐Elections and Political Change in a Local Context: The Case of the 1973 Dundee East By‐Election and the SNPWith their unpredictability and occurrence in between nationwide elections, by-elections have attracted a degree of scholarly interest. However, this has focused almost exclusively on how the contest...doi.orgLikewise, Michael Dyer has explored the 1948 Paisley by-election, which has been treated as one of the steps in the emergence of the SNP as a major force. doi.org/10.1111/j.17...
‘A Nationalist in the Churchillian Sense’: John MacCormick, the Paisley By‐Election of 18 February 1948, Home Rule, and the Crisis in Scottish LiberalismClick on the article title to read more.doi.orgMeanwhile, Erica Doherty has analysed the South Armagh by-election of 1918 as a case study showing the enduring strength of the Irish Parliamentary Party despite the rise of Sinn Fein. doi.org/10.1111/1750...
‘The Party Hack, and Tool of the British Government’: T.P. O'Connor, America and Irish Party Resilience at the February 1918 South Armagh By‐ElectionThe common view of Irish electoral politics for the 1916 to 1918 period is one of major decline for the traditional nationalist representatives, the Irish Parliamentary Party (IPP), and the meteoric ...doi.orgIn 2018, Ralph Walter examined the 118 by-elections held during the First World War, a hugely inflated number due to the length of the parliament, war stresses, and combat fatalities. doi.org/10.1111/1750...
British Parliamentary By‐Elections during the First World War, 1914–18During the First World War, British by-elections were more frequent than in either the pre- or post-war period due to the length of the parliament, the stress of the war, and combat fatalities. Due t...doi.orgIn this OpenAccess article, John Beckett has written about the 1834 Nottingham By-Election, which was orchestrated by Lord Melbourne to get the experienced Sir John Cam Hobhouse into the Commons and the government. doi.org/10.1111/1750...
Fixing the Membership of the Lords and Commons: The Case of Sir John Cam Hobhouse and the Nottingham By‐Election, 1834When Melbourne replaced Grey in 1834 he looked to recruit men with experience to join his government. He enlisted Sir John Cam Hobhouse, but Hobhouse needed a seat in the Commons. This was achieved b...doi.orgIn 2008, P.J. Kulisheck wrote about the consequences of Lord Bute’s meddling in the 1759 Hampshire By-Election. doi.org/10.1111/j.17...
Legge, Bute and the Hampshire By‐Election of 1759*Click on the article title to read more.doi.org