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#OTD 1941, Parliament was bombed during the Blitz. After fire broke out, efforts were placed into saving the 13th c. Westminster Hall, sacrificing the Commons Chamber. Find out more about the bombing and rebuilding in this article from Connie Jeffery 👇

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Earlier this month, our Public Engagement Assistant @AlfieSteer went out to Cato Street to explore the conspiracy that plotted to assassinate the Prime Minister Lord Liverpool and his entire cabinet in 1820...

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Born #OTD 1801, Peter Hesketh-Fleetwood, MP for Preston 1832 to 1847 and founder of the town of Fleetwood.

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VE Day marks it's 80th anniversary today. Although a moment of celebration for millions of Europeans, the impact of the war was hard to be forgotten, exemplified by the Parliamentary delegation that visited Buchenwald concentration camp a few weeks earlier:

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Born #OTD 1720, William Cavendish, 4th duke of Devonshire, Prime Minister from 1756 to 1757. While one of Britain's shortest serving premiers, as Dr Charles Littleton explored in a 2022 #HistParl article, he had never intended to be in office for long.

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Died #OTD 1925, William Lever, 1st Viscount Leverhulme. Founder of the soap manufacturer Lever Brothers (now part of Unilever) and the Merseyside model village of Port Sunlight. He was also the Liberal MP for Wirral from 1906 to 1909 and later a Peer.

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This prompted us to look up how many conclaves were held in our 1832-68 period: only one, in 1846, which selected Pope Pius IX. His establishment of a hierarchy of Catholic dioceses in England and Wales in 1850 sparked hostility and led to the 1851 Ecclesiastical Titles Act.

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Born #OTD 1847 Archibald Primrose, 5th Earl of Rosebery and Prime Minister from March 1894 to June 1895. After succeeding William Gladstone as Liberal leader, he would be the last Liberal Prime Minister for ten years.

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Dr Murray Tremellen will be speaking at tonight's IHR Parliaments, Politics & People Seminar about 'The Speaker's House and the Evolution of the Speakership, 1794-1834'. To register for the seminar, taking place at 5:30 p.m. via Zoom, please follow this link:

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#OTD 1659, Richard Cromwell was overthrown as Lord Protector, paving the way for the eventual restoration of the British Monarchy. To find out more about the fall of 'Tumbledown Dick', read Dr Vivienne Larmine's #HistParl article from 2022.

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#OTD in 1640 King Charles I dissolved the Short Parliament. It had lasted barely 3 weeks & brought Charles’ 11-year period of personal rule to an end. Read our survey of the Short Parliament here: bit.ly/2VixYnZ #HistParl

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In May 1842, the second Chartist Petition was presented to Parliament, with over 3 million signatures on a 6 mile-long, 300kg roll of paper. Find out more about how this petition was ultimately rejected below:

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#OTD 1979 Margaret Thatcher became Britain's first female Prime Minister. Many of Thatcher's government and opposition MPs have been interviewed as part of the #HistParl #OralHistory project. @EmmaPeplow.bsky.social looked into their reflections on her fall 👇

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#OTD 1471, the battle of Tewkesbury took place. A major battle in the Wars of the Roses, Edward prince of Wales, the Lancastrian heir to the throne was killed. Read Dr Simon Payling's article to find out more:

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Died #OTD 2002, Barbara Castle, Labour MP for Blackburn 1945-1979 and First Secretary of State 1968-70. A reforming minister during the Wilson governments, Castle oversaw legislation for permanent speed limits, breathalyser tests, compulsory seat belts and the Equal Pay Act.

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Born #OTD 1737 William Petty, 2nd earl of Shelburne, Prime Minister of Great Britain, 1782-1783. His 266 day Preminership was one of the shortest in British history. In a 2022 article for #HistParl, Dr Robin Eagles explored Shelburne's 'Hotch-potch' ministry.

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In a new post for the @victoriancommons.bsky.social, Dr Naomi Lloyd-Jones explores the parliamentary career of MP Cecil Forester, and his implication into the murky world of electoral corruption:

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For more from our editor Philip Salmon on the House of Lords, see this short article: victoriancommons.wordpress.com/2018/11/13/t...

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A changing House of Lords is a topic that has occupied lots of us at @histparl.bsky.social and this event was a brilliant showcase of that expertise. We were also delighted to welcome Lord Grocott, Lord Salisbury and Sir Michael Davies to reflect on the 1999 Act.

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This week #HistParl hosted an event considering changes to the power & status of the House of Lords from the long 18th c., through to the late 20th. Thank you to our panelists, including @brushingboots.bsky.social, @georgianlords.bsky.social & Dr Philip Salmon from @victoriancommons.bsky.social!

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#OTD 1707 the Act of Union came into effect. The Scottish parliament ceased to exist and instead, 45 Scots MPs and 16 representative peers were sent to the newly minted Parliament of Great Britain at Westminster. Read more about the union in this article on our website:

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This post has had an interesting life: first idea a web article, then I thought I had a scoop for a journal article, then gave it as a paper, and back to a wen article-! Really interesting getting into the nitty gritty of hereditary peers in the Lords

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#OTD 1820, five men were hanged on charges of treason for their involvement in the Cato Street Conspiracy. Our Public Engagement Assistant @alfiesteer.bsky.social Steer has gone on location to explore the plot that planned to assassinate the Prime Minister and his entire cabinet: ow.ly/UCT850VLaTI

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New article today from the @georgianlords.bsky.social from guest contributor Natty Sae Jew, exploring William Pitt the Younger's affinity to the University seat of Cambridge.

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#OTD 1660, the Declaration of Breda, the proclamation of Charles II, presented to Parliament. Dr Andrew Barclay explores how this 'moment of pure parliamentary theatre' led to Charles II's accession a week later:

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#OTD 1958 the Life Peerages Act received Royal Assent, allowing women to sit in the House of Lords for the first time. Read Duncan Sutherland’s blog to learn more about those 1st Baronesses including Barbara Wootton and Irene Curzon. 👇

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Reform to the House of Lords has been a central part of debates in the current Parliament. @emmapeplow.bsky.social draws upon our Oral History Project to reflect on the last significant period of reform in the Upper Chamber: The House of Lords Act 1999 historyofparliament.com/2025/04/30/t...

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New post today from the @victoriancommons.bsky.social exploring Cecil Forester and his involvement in the murky world of electoral corruption:

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#OTD 1909 Chancellor David Lloyd George proposed the 'People's Budget'. In a speech of 4 1/2 hours, he outlined an innovative system of wealth redistribution, including controversial changes to land taxation, which sparked a constitutional stand-off between Commons & Lords.

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The next IHR Parliaments Politics & People Seminar is taking place on 6 May, where Dr Murray Tremellen will be speaking about 'The Speaker's House and the Evolution of the Speakership, 1794-1834'. Read about his paper & find out how to attend here:

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Our 1832-68 project has researched many MPs who were better known for their careers outside Parliament. In this guest article, Dr Matthew McDowell explores the career of Arctic explorer & MP for Buteshire, James Lamont, who was born #OTD 1828:

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Queen Elizabeth I's funeral took place #OTD in 1603. Chief Mourner in the procession was Helena Snakenborg, dowager marchioness of Northampton. Dr Andrew Thrush explores how the Swedish native became a key figure in the Queen's court:

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Edward IV was born #OTD in 1442. He was proclaimed King in March 1461. However, as Dr Hannes Kleineke investigates, the authority of this new reign was not universally accepted:

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#OTD 1992 Betty Boothroyd became the first woman to be elected Speaker of the House of Commons. In 2013, Boothroyd was interviewed for our #OralHistory project. Find out about her life and historic career👇#WomensHistory

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This week on our website Dr Stuart Handley reflects on the career of William Pulteney, earl of Bath. Read about his long Parliamentary life here:

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Alongside The CRJ Research Group, University of Worcester, we are hosting the conference 'The Impeachment of Warren Hastings: The First Governor General of India'! It is free to attend, taking place on 3 and 4 July. You can register your place below:

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It's been so much fun doing 'Made of Stone' with Matt - would be sad about the last Parliament Sq statue airing today except we've carried on to record plenty more! Enjoyed writing this post too (and it gave me the chance to properly credit wonderful people's work like @kathrynrix.bsky.social)

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#OTD 1660 MPs gathered with their first order of business to restore Charles II to the throne. But as they had not been summoned by a monarch this could not technically be called a parliament. But is it correct to call it a 'convention' instead?

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Dr Stuart Handley posts his final blog for @histparl.bsky.social before his retirement after many years of service across the Commons 1690-1715, the Lords 1660-1715 and now the Lords 1715-90 (aka the Georgian Lords) at the end of May... historyofparliament.com/2025/04/25/f...

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For the past few months our Head of Contemporary History @emmapeplow.bsky.social has been on @mattchorley.bsky.social’s Radio 5live show every Thursday discussing the figures commemorated in Parliament Square. Here she shares some of what she has learned: historyofparliament.com/2025/04/24/s...

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For the past few months our Head of Contemporary History @emmapeplow.bsky.social has been on @mattchorley.bsky.social’s Radio 5live show every Thursday discussing the figures commemorated in Parliament Square. Here she shares some of what she has learned: historyofparliament.com/2025/04/24/s...

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#OTD in 1659 Richard Cromwell dissolved Parliament. Previously on the #HistParl site, Dr Vivienne Larminie investigated the month of April 1659 and the sudden collapse of government- and subsequently Richard Cromwell's Protectorate:

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Born #OTD 1690, John Carteret, 2nd Earl Granville. A favourite of George II, the king turned to Granville and William Pulteney, earl of Bath, to form a new ministry after the Pelhams resigned in 1746. However, it lasted only three days. Find out more:

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For #NationalTeaDay find out about a prime tea-drinking spot in Parliament: Bellamy's. Read about the popular refreshment rooms here:

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#OTD in 1653, Oliver Cromwell dissolved the Rump Parliament. Cromwell called in the musketeers, forcefully ejecting MPs after the Rump refused to dissolve itself. But this was not the only time force was used against Parliament...

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