1/ 97 years ago Margaret Bondfield was appointed as the first woman Cabinet Minister. She is one of the most overlooked figures in British political history. A trade unionist who became the first woman in the British Cabinet, she took office just as the Great Depression struck. 🧵👇
We are very sad to hear that Michael Meadowcroft, Liberal MP for Leeds West (1983-1987) has died. Michael was an influential thinker and famously opposed the merger with the SDP.
In an interview for our Oral History project, he described his libertarian philosophy and independent personality. 👇
We've just been catching up on @histparl.bsky.social 's director @jhdavey.bsky.social talking about the history of Hansard. For more on the history of parliamentary reporting in the 19th century, see victoriancommons.wordpress.com/2017/11/17/r...
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Good weather for gardens this morning ☔️ Here I think about the parliamentary history of gardening, including Thatcher at Chelsea.
Really enjoyed talking to @mattchorley.bsky.social yesterday about all things Hansard. You can listen here (roughly 1hr8mins in) www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...
Matt takes legendary TV producer John Lloyd to PMQs and explores the world of Hansard.
While our director @jhdavey.bsky.social is away, Scribble Book is hosting guest posts from members of the History of Parliament Trust's research staff.
This time we have a post by Dr Alex Beeton, research fellow for HPT's House of Lords, 1640-1660 project. 👇
While our director @jhdavey.bsky.social is away, Scribble Book is hosting guest posts from members of the History of Parliament Trust's research staff. First up is @kathrynrix.bsky.social x.bsky.social, assistant editor of HPT's House of Commons, 1832-1945 project. 👇
Also on parliamentary reporting we have this on the history of the reporters' gallery, where the catering arrangements included 'a bottle of whisky on tap, a loaf or two of stale bread, and a most nauseous-looking ham’: victoriancommons.wordpress.com/2025/09/08/t...
Today marks the 160th anniversary of the first mass petition for women's suffrage.
Below, Dr Kathryn Rix has explored the debate around this petition and its place in the campaign to secure the parliamentary vote for women.
@victoriancommons.bsky.social
After the recent prorogation and subsequent State Opening of Parliament, Dr Kathryn Rix takes us back to 1834, where four prorogations took place in the same year!
However, as she explores, not all these prorogations happened in the same place:
@victoriancommons.bsky.social
Today we take it for granted that parliamentary debates are recorded in Hansard. In the Victorian era, however, there was no ‘official’ record. In this blog to end Parliament Week, Dr P…
A guest article from the History of Parliament Trust's research staff
historyofparliament.substack.com
Continuing our series on parliamentary buildings, Dr Kathryn Rix looks at the accommodation provided for the newspaper journalists who reported on the proceedings of the nineteenth-century House of…
A. Dingsdale, '"Generous and lofty sympathies": the Kensington Society, the 1866 women's suffrage petition and the development of mid-Victorian feminism'
Dr Kathryn Rix of our House of Commons 1832-1945 project looks at the makeshift arrangements made for the prorogation in the aftermath of the devastating Westminster fire of October 1834.
historyofparliament.com
Really enjoyed talking to @mattchorley.bsky.social yesterday about all things Hansard. You can listen here (roughly 1hr8mins in) www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...
The start of the Chelsea Flower Show this week (and the weekend's forecast sunshine!) has got our director @jhdavey.bsky.social thinking about the parliamentary history of gardening...
Read all about it in our latest 'Scribble Book' post, over on Substack:
History of Parliament
History of Parliament
Victorian Commons
History of Parliament
History of Parliament
Another guest article from the History of Parliament Trust's research staff
historyofparliament.substack.com
Matt takes legendary TV producer John Lloyd to PMQs and explores the world of Hansard.
www.bbc.co.uk
This week it is the RHS Chelsea Flower Show (complete with gnomes), which got me thinking about the parliamentary history of flowers and gardening (alas, not gnomes, about which there does not seem to...
