Victorian Commons

@victoriancommons

The History of Parliament's House of Commons 1832-1945 project, currently researching MPs, elections and parliamentary history between 1832 and 1868. Find more details on our website:

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Victorian Commons@victoriancommons· 11d

Born #OnThisDay 1819 Melville Portal, Conservative MP for North Hampshire 1849-57. The Portal family of Laverstoke were paper manufacturers & held the contract to make paper for the Bank of England’s notes from 1724.

Three quarter length painting of an elderly man. He is balding with white hair and sideburns. He is dressed mainly in black, with lighter coloured trousers. He is holding a quill pen and wearing a large signet ring.

Victorian Commons@victoriancommons· 14d

We wonder how quickly our @georgianlords.bsky.social colleagues can work out where one of the Victorian Commons team spent the day yesterday? And do they have any interesting snippets to share about the family associated with this place?

Victorian Commons@victoriancommons· Jun 27

#OnThisDay 1842 the House of Commons debated the new poor law, introduced in 1834. The Oldham MP John Fielden made an impassioned speech against it and highlighted the substantial number of petitions opposing it. api.parliament.uk/historic-han... The image shows an 1835 design for a workhouse.

Black and white drawing of a design for a workhouse. The main buildings are three storeys high and are in the shape of a cross, with one storey buildings around the perimeter of the site enclosing four courtyards.

Victorian Commons@victoriancommons· Jun 26

On another hot day, we are glad not to be subject to the same sartorial standards as the 19th century Manchester MP Thomas Bazley. The fact that he took off his jacket when giving election speeches in an unpleasantly warm room in 1868 was felt worthy of mentioning in his obituary 17 years later!

A snippet from a newspaper which reads 'As an incident of that contest, it may be mentioned that in addressing several crowded meetings of his supporters, experiencing the unpleasantly high temperature of the rooms, he took off his coat and spoke in his shirt sleeves.'

Victorian Commons@victoriancommons· Jun 23

Following on from this, today (23 June) is the anniversary of the birth (1828) and death (1903) of Joseph's son, Sir Joseph Whitwell Pease, Liberal MP for Durham South, 1865-85, and Barnard Castle, 1885-1903. He was the first Quaker to accept a baronetcy.

Black and white photograph of a man seated in a chair. He is wearing a long dark jacket and pale coloured trousers. He has dark hair, a short beard and prominent sideburns.

Victorian Commons@victoriancommons· May 28

Died #OnThisDay 1878 Earl Russell (who sat in the Commons as Lord John Russell, latterly for City of London, 1841-61). A key figure in the passing of the 1832 Reform Act; made several failed attempts at further parliamentary reform. Twice Liberal prime minister, 1846-52, 1865-6.

Head and shoulders black and white photograph of an elderly man. He is balding, with greying hair and whiskers. He is wearing a dark three piece suit and necktie and a white shirt with a high collar.

Victorian Commons@victoriancommons· May 20

Also with a bee connection is the Manchester MP Sir Thomas Bazley, a cotton spinner who chose a bee to feature on his coat of arms. His firm was the world's largest manufacturer of fine cotton and lace thread. He was Liberal MP for Manchester, 1857-80. #WorldBeeDay

A coat of arms with the shield divided in two. It is blue on the left and black on the right. It features a large bee in the centre and three smaller fleur de lis emblems.

Victorian Commons@victoriancommons· May 20

For #WorldBeeDay we have some 19th century parliamentary connections to bees. Depicted here by Punch as a bee, Sir John Lubbock, who created Bank Holidays, published Ants, Bees, and Wasps in 1882 (among other scientific works). There's more on him here: historyofparliament.com/2013/05/27/t...

Cartoon showing a man's head on a bee's body. He has a beard and short dark hair. The head and body are of similar sizes, giving a comical effect. It depicts Sir John Lubbock, M.P., F.R.S.

Victorian Commons@victoriancommons· May 13

Died #OnThisDay 1835 John Nash, leading architect of the Regency and Georgian periods. Among the numerous London buildings he designed was Carlton House Terrace, whose residents included Lord Palmerston in the 1840s & William Gladstone, 1857-75.

A grey and white drawing of two sides of a building. It mainly has three levels, with some higher sections. It is built in the Georgian style with tall sash windows.

Victorian Commons@victoriancommons· May 11

#OnThisDay 1866 a double by-election was held at Nottingham following the unseating of both MPs for corruption. The victors were Ralph Bernal Osborne and Viscount Amberley (son of Lord John Russell, pictured here with his wife). His opponents dressed dolls as babies to mock Amberley's youth.

Photograph of a man and a woman. She is seated, he is standing to her right with his hand resting behind her on the back of her chair. He is dressed in a dark suit, she is wearing a dark jacket and a very full white skirt which is spreading on the floor.

Victorian Commons@victoriancommons· Apr 27

In progress in the Victorian Commons office this week: @martinspychal.bsky.social is doing further research into the background of Peter McLagan, Scotland's first Black MP (new website post coming soon!), & @kathrynrix.bsky.social is looking at James Abercromby, the first Speaker from Scotland.

Head and shoulders painting of a man. He has grey-white hair and prominent grey-white eyebrows, with reddish colouring to his face. He is dressed in black with a white cravat just seen.

Victorian Commons@victoriancommons· Apr 21

Charlotte Brontë was born #OnThisDay 210 years ago. In June 1850 she visited the Ladies' Gallery of the House of Commons to listen to MPs debating, as featured in our article: victoriancommons.wordpress.com/2024/03/08/t...

A head and shoulders drawing of a woman. She has dark hair which is tied back. She is wearing a dark coloured garment with a white lace collar.

Victorian Commons@victoriancommons· Apr 20

Born #OnThisDay 1797 Cuthbert Rippon, Radical MP for Gateshead, 1832-41. A keen advocate of the removal of bishops from the House of Lords, but his motions on this subject in 1834 and 1836 were defeated. He is among the MPs depicted in Hayter’s painting of the Commons.

A painting of the old House of Commons chamber. It is filled with hundreds of men. There are three large arched windows at the end of the room, in front of which is the Speaker's chair.

Victorian Commons@victoriancommons· Apr 16

Henry Austin Bruce, Liberal MP for Merthyr Tydfil, 1852-68, & Renfrewshire, 1869-73, was born #OnThisDay 1815. His many official roles included serving as Home Secretary, 1868-73, & President of @royalhistsoc.org 1878-91. He was created Baron Aberdare in 1873.

Black and white photograph of a man. He has grey-white hair and a grey-white beard. He is wearing a dark jacket and necktie.

Victorian Commons@victoriancommons· Apr 14

Great excitement in the #HistParl office as our research fellow Dr Naomi Lloyd-Jones gets her hands on a print copy of her special issue of Parliamentary History. It's currently free to access online here: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/toc/17500206...

A woman wearing a pink jumper is holding a copy of a book in front of her to display the cover. She looks happy.

Victorian Commons@victoriancommons· Apr 8

The Victorian Commons team are back at their desks after the Easter break. Our most recent batch of work included two Speakers of the House of Commons (Manners Sutton & Shaw Lefevre), the rather corrupt constituency of Canterbury & the UK's largest parliamentary borough in our period, Tower Hamlets.

A map of London showing its parliamentary constituencies after 1832.

Victorian Commons@victoriancommons· Mar 16

#OnThisDay 1835 the Commons approved a pension of £300 per annum for the Cambridge mathematician and astronomer Professor George Biddell Airy. He became Astronomer Royal later that year; best known for establishing Greenwich as location of the prime meridian. api.parliament.uk/historic-han...

A map showing Britain, Ireland, France, Spain, Portugal and North Africa. A vertical line is drawn through it, which passes through Greenwich.

Victorian Commons@victoriancommons· Mar 14

#OnThisDay 1844 the Commons discussed the abolition of duelling. Four duels were said to have been fought in Britain in 1839 and four in 1840: api.parliament.uk/historic-han... One of the duels fought in 1840 was between two MPs, Edward Horsman and James Bradshaw.

A black and white drawing showing two gentlemen fighting a duel. Both have raised and fired their pistols. Four other men are present. The scene is taking place in the middle of a wood.

Victorian Commons@victoriancommons· Mar 13

Probably this type of duck - the black-bellied whistling duck.

Three ducks standing on a branch. They are mostly brown, with black bellies and grey heads.

Victorian Commons@victoriancommons· Mar 7

#OnThisDay 1866 the Commons passed the second reading of a bill for the abolition of church rates. Percy Wyndham, who had accidentally been locked out of the division lobby, was allowed by the Speaker to have his vote counted with the Noes: hansard.parliament.uk/Commons/1866...

Photograph of a man sitting in a chair. He is reading a newspaper.

Victorian Commons@victoriancommons· Mar 4

Died #OnThisDay 1894 Dudley Coutts Marjoribanks (Lord Tweedmouth). He was Liberal MP for Berwick-upon-Tweed 1853-9, Aug 1859-68, 1874-81. His main claim to fame was creating the golden retriever breed, after he bred a golden-coated retriever with one of his Tweed water spaniels.

A golden retriever dog. It is standing on all four paws and has its tongue sticking out.

Victorian Commons@victoriancommons· Feb 24

In a change from our usual office, the History of Parliament team met today at the Foundling Museum. We of course spotted a 19thC item. Here is the 1857 Handel Festival at the Crystal Palace. The Hallelujah chorus could apparently be heard half a mile away.

A black and white illustration in a black frame hanging on a white background. It shows a large hall with a stage, galleries and a packed audience.

Victorian Commons@victoriancommons· Feb 23

We had a search for marmalade in the 19th century parliamentary record, and found it listed (among a fascinating range of goods) in an 1833 bill on customs duties.

A list of products with the word Marmalade highlighted in yellow.

Victorian Commons@victoriancommons· Feb 19

#OnThisDay in 1835 the House of Commons elected a new Speaker. In a critical defeat for Peel’s ministry, James Abercromby, the Whig MP for Edinburgh, was chosen in place of the Tory, Charles Manners Sutton: api.parliament.uk/historic-han...

Head and shoulders portrait of a man. He is wearing a long grey wig, a frilly white cravat and black robes decorated with lace.

Victorian Commons@victoriancommons· Feb 18

The Whig ministry narrowly avoided a defeat in the Commons (by just 8 votes) #OnThisDay 1834 after the Radical MP Daniel Whittle Harvey (pictured) called for an inquiry into the numerous pensions on the civil list: api.parliament.uk/historic-han...

Head and shoulders drawing of a man. He has grey hair. He is wearing a dark jacket, a dark cravat, a white shirt and a grey waistcoat.

Victorian Commons@victoriancommons· Feb 7

Charles Dickens was born #OnThisDay 1812. In 1841 he was approached to become a Liberal candidate for Reading, but declined because ‘I cannot afford the expense of a contested election’. Would-be candidates for this seat were allegedly expected to provide around £2,000!

Painting of a young man sitting on a chair with red upholstery. He is dressed in dark clothing and has dark shoulder length hair. He is sitting at a desk with his left hand resting on some papers, but looking away from them over his right shoulder. He has a thoughtful expression on his face.

Victorian Commons@victoriancommons· Feb 6

Died #OnThisDay 1900 Edward Aldam Leatham, Liberal MP for Huddersfield 1859-65, 1868-85. He was an ‘able lieutenant’ in the Commons to his brother-in-law, John Bright, and introduced what became the 1872 Ballot Act. His older brother William (pictured) was also an MP.

Photograph of a man sitting in a chair. He is balding and has a short white tufty beard. He is wearing dark clothing.

Victorian Commons@victoriancommons· Feb 3

Born #OnThisday 1830 Robert Arthur Talbot Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury. Three times Conservative Prime Minister 1885-6, 1886-92, 1895-1902. Sat in the Commons (as Lord Robert Cecil and then Viscount Cranborne) for Stamford, 1863-8. Image shows him c. 1862.

Photograph of a man sitting in a chair. He has a receding hairline, with dark hair, and a bushy beard and sideburns. He is wearing a dark frock coat and a waistcoat, and lighter coloured trousers.

Victorian Commons@victoriancommons· Feb 2

Of course we found some 19th century MP content on board the Railway 200 exhibition train yesterday! For another MP with railway connections, see our short article on Joseph Locke: victoriancommons.wordpress.com/2018/04/24/m...

Image of a screen from an exhibition. It shows a painting of William Huskisson MP. The text reads MP for Liverpool, William Huskisson, was famously killed at the opening of the Liverpool and Manchester Railway in September 1830. He was joined on the railway's first journey by other important politicians including the Prime Minister, the Duke of Wellington.

Victorian Commons@victoriancommons· Jan 29

193 years ago today was the opening day of the first Parliament elected under the terms of the 1832 Reform Act. William IV did not open Parliament in person, delegating this task to the Lords Commissioners. api.parliament.uk/historic-han...