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Dr Kathryn Rix @kathrynrix.bsky.social · 8d

The History of Parliament is moving from Bloomsbury to pastures new next month. I shall miss lots of things about our old office, but high on the list is enjoying the view of this tree across the changing seasons.

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Reposted by Dr Kathryn Rix

Victorian Commons @victoriancommons.bsky.social · 10d

Today is the anniversary of the laying of the foundation stone of the Clock Tower (now the Elizabeth Tower) at the Houses of Parliament. Find out more about the 15 year old who wielded this ceremonial trowel in 1843: victoriancommons.wordpress.com/2020/06/11/f...

From Rochdale to Westminster: Emily Kelsall and the new Houses of Parliament

This post from our assistant editor Dr Kathryn Rix was first published on the Parliamentary Archives: Inside the Act Room blog, which has many more articles to read on parliamentary history, from t…

victoriancommons.wordpress.com

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Dr Kathryn Rix @kathrynrix.bsky.social · 13d

On a side project looking at MPs killed during WW2. Edward Kellett, MP for Aston, Birmingham 1939-43, apparently 'had two drawbacks' to overcome when he entered politics, 'his ginger moustache' and 'his nickname "Flash".

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Dr Kathryn Rix @kathrynrix.bsky.social · 19d

Had a very interesting day in Bloomsbury at the 'What is a Parliament?' workshop organised by @stephenholdenbates.bsky.social @benworthy.bsky.social and @pseaward.bsky.social Thanks to them and to all the speakers who gave such thought-provoking papers!

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Reposted by Dr Kathryn Rix

History of Parliament @histparl.bsky.social · 27d

Born #OTD 1782, Daniel Gaskell, who was elected as the first MP for the new constituency of Wakefield after the 1832 Reform Act.

Dr Kathryn Rix looks at his parliamentary career, as well as his friendship with the author Mary Shelley:
historyofparliament.com/2025/09/11/d...

'I have attached myself to no party': Daniel Gaskell and parliamentary life in the 1830s - The History of Parliament

Our Victorian Commons project is shedding new light on the increasingly important role played in the behind-the-scenes business of the post-1832 House of

historyofparliament.com

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Dr Kathryn Rix @kathrynrix.bsky.social · 27d

Having ploughed through Mackie's two volumes, he is certainly unsparing in the details on many subjects where I would happily have been spared!

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Dr Kathryn Rix @kathrynrix.bsky.social · 28d

Currently researching Duncan McLaren, Liberal MP for Edinburgh from 1865. On holiday in 1868 the men of the family went to a Liberal meeting at Oban, but the women did not. McLaren's wife Priscilla Bright McLaren wrote: 'As we have the misfortune to wear petticoats we are not to go’.

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Reposted by Dr Kathryn Rix

History of Parliament @histparl.bsky.social · Sep 8

New article today from @victoriancommons.bsky.social.

Dr Kathryn Rix explores the creation of a dedicated reporters' gallery in the House of Commons after the fire of 1834, showing the growing importance of the press in reporting proceedings in the Commons in the 19th century:
buff.ly/Y1uTIXt

‘The status of the Press is changed indeed’: the reporters’ gallery in the nineteenth-century House of Commons - The History of Parliament

MPs temporarily moved into the chamber previously used by the House of Lords. A dedicated reporters’ gallery with its own separate entrance was created within this space in 1835.

historyofparliament.com

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Dr Kathryn Rix @kathrynrix.bsky.social · Sep 5

I also enjoyed these talks @womenshistnet.bsky.social, especially hearing about Joyce Butler MP - a great project from @teadevotee.bsky.social and Julie Melrose - and about life in Churchill Archives in the 1970s.

Mari Takayanagi @satisfactory20.bsky.social · Sep 5

… @jesmyth.co.uk on tracing female Hollywood screenwriters, @teadevotee.bsky.social and Julie Melrose on the Joyce Butler archives, and Sophie Bridges on the prejudice faced by Angela Raspin as an archivist @chuarchives.bsky.social in the 1970s. I knew Angela in her @lselibrary.bsky.social days!

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Dr Kathryn Rix @kathrynrix.bsky.social · Sep 5

I learned a lot at the very interesting @womenshistnet.bsky.social conference, but unsurprisingly this was my favourite panel! Many thanks to all the organisers and speakers.

Mari Takayanagi @satisfactory20.bsky.social · Sep 5

I was delighted to be on this panel, sharing some of my #NecessaryWomen research on Parliament’s earliest women librarians and archivist, plus new research on Ada Forward, first woman in the House of Lords bindery!

Copy of ‘Necessary Women - the Untold Story of Parliament’s working women’ on a bookshelf

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Reposted by Dr Kathryn Rix

Teresa Doherty @dohertyta.bsky.social · Sep 5

And just like that, #womenshistory conference is over for another year.

Thanks to everyone @womenshistnet.bsky.social for organising - it's been a great two days!

If you're not following WHN please do! And check out their website for more information
womenshistorynetwork.org

Women's History Network

For anyone with a passion for women’s history

womenshistorynetwork.org

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Reposted by Dr Kathryn Rix

Parliamentary History Journal @parlhistjournal.bsky.social · Sep 5

@chloechallender.bsky.social will have an article on women's modes of entry to the early nineteenth-century parliament in our next issue, coming in October. More to follow!

Dr Kathryn Rix @kathrynrix.bsky.social · Sep 5

Looking forward to day 2 of the @womenshistnet.bsky.social conference online. Especially looking forward to the parliamentary themed papers from @chloechallender.bsky.social and @satisfactory20.bsky.social

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Dr Kathryn Rix @kathrynrix.bsky.social · Sep 5

Looking forward to day 2 of the @womenshistnet.bsky.social conference online. Especially looking forward to the parliamentary themed papers from @chloechallender.bsky.social and @satisfactory20.bsky.social

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Reposted by Dr Kathryn Rix

James Kneale @jameskneale.bsky.social · Sep 2

This is a brilliant profile of a man who sadly only has a walk-on part in my forthcoming book about temperance life assurance. Rotch's busy-ness and crankiness seem characteristic of some other mid-century teetotalers, reminding us that temperance could be radical--or just plain weird

Dr Kathryn Rix @kathrynrix.bsky.social · Sep 1

New on the @histparl.bsky.social site is one of my favourite MPs to research, because of the range of his interests. Who doesn't want to know more about ‘Drinkwater Rotch, the Sheep-shearing Magistrate’, who challenged the lord mayor of London to a duel?! historyofparliament.com/2025/08/31/l...

From patent laws and prison reform to a threatened duel: the intriguing life of Benjamin Rotch MP - The History of Parliament

Untangling the eclectic career of Benjamin Rotch (1793-1854), Whig MP for Knaresborough, 1832-5, proved to be an extremely interesting piece of research for

historyofparliament.com

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Dr Kathryn Rix @kathrynrix.bsky.social · Sep 1

I can't leave #GingerCatAppreciationDay unmarked! Here is my ginger cat enjoying life.

A ginger cat lying on its back on a blue bed cover. It looks sleepy.

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Dr Kathryn Rix @kathrynrix.bsky.social · Sep 1

New on the @histparl.bsky.social site is one of my favourite MPs to research, because of the range of his interests. Who doesn't want to know more about ‘Drinkwater Rotch, the Sheep-shearing Magistrate’, who challenged the lord mayor of London to a duel?! historyofparliament.com/2025/08/31/l...

From patent laws and prison reform to a threatened duel: the intriguing life of Benjamin Rotch MP - The History of Parliament

Untangling the eclectic career of Benjamin Rotch (1793-1854), Whig MP for Knaresborough, 1832-5, proved to be an extremely interesting piece of research for

historyofparliament.com

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Reposted by Dr Kathryn Rix

Lucy Delap @lucydelap.bsky.social · Aug 26

If you love women's history, sign up for the Women's History Network ‪@womenshistnet.bsky.social‬ annual conference. Running over 4-5 Sept, it's free, online, & packed with great panels on activism, archives, the arts and fashion, economic life, sexualities
womenshistorynetwork.org/the-womens-h...

The Women’s History Network Annual Conference

Women’s History Network 33rd Annual Conference Online via Zoom Thursday 4 & Friday 5 September 2025 Hidden in Plain Sight: Women in Archives, Libraries, Museums and Personal Collections Reg…

womenshistorynetwork.org

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Dr Kathryn Rix @kathrynrix.bsky.social · Aug 25

Today marks the anniversary of the Corrupt and Illegal Practices Prevention Act receiving royal assent in 1883. My new post for @histparl.bsky.social looks at the Act's impact on election expenditure and electoral corruption: historyofparliament.com/2025/08/25/1...

A 'revolution' in electioneering? The impact of the 1883 Corrupt Practices Act - The History of Parliament

Concluding her series on the 1883 Corrupt Practices Act, Dr Kathryn Rix of our House of Commons, 1832-1945 project looks at the long-term consequences of this

historyofparliament.com

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Dr Kathryn Rix @kathrynrix.bsky.social · Aug 14

Great piece here from my colleague Philip Salmon.

Victorian Commons @victoriancommons.bsky.social · Aug 14

In our latest post from our editor Dr Philip Salmon, the Victorian Commons goes to the Victorian Lords! Philip's article looks at the role and significance of the upper House after the 1832 Reform Act: victoriancommons.wordpress.com/2025/08/14/h...

House of Lords reform: a Victorian perspective

Unlike the House of Commons, which underwent major ‘democratic’ reform in the 19th century, the Lords remained virtually unchanged during the entire Victorian period. With a new hereditary peers bi…

victoriancommons.wordpress.com

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Reposted by Dr Kathryn Rix

Parliamentary History Journal @parlhistjournal.bsky.social · Jul 31

The Parliamentary History Essay Prize 2025 is open!
The prize is worth £500 and winners will have their essay published in our journal!

The submission deadline is 30 Nov 2025!

For details 👇
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@histparl.bsky.social @georgianlords.bsky.social @victoriancommons.bsky.social

'The Right Honorable J. Ramsay MacDonald addressing the House of Commons', by Sir John Lavery, 1923.
Oil on Canvas.
Credit Glasgow Life Museums.
https://artuk.org/discover/artworks/the-right-honourable-j-ramsay-macdonald-addressing-the-house-of-commons-84786

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Dr Kathryn Rix @kathrynrix.bsky.social · Jul 30

Some really interesting papers here - looking forward to hearing from some familiar faces including @satisfactory20.bsky.social @teadevotee.bsky.social and @chloechallender.bsky.social as well as some new ones.

Women's History Network @womenshistnet.bsky.social · Jul 7

📢 Just announced! The programme & booking is now live for our Annual Conference 2025.

🗓️ Join us online & free on 4–5 Sept for Hidden in Plain Sight: Women in Archives, Libraries, Museums & Personal Collections.

🔗 womenshistorynetwork.org/the-womens-h...
#WHN2025 #WomensHistory #Archives #Heritage

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Dr Kathryn Rix @kathrynrix.bsky.social · Jul 11

Can't quite believe that it is 13 years since I made my first foray into Wordpress and created our Victorian Commons site! Very proud of all the work my colleagues have put in to sharing our research highlights and enthusiasm for 19th century history.

Victorian Commons @victoriancommons.bsky.social · Jul 11

Our Victorian Commons website is 13 years old today! We have well over 300 articles to read on 19th century British history, looking at elections, MPs, Parliament and lots more: victoriancommons.wordpress.com

A two tiered birthday cake decorated with cream coloured icing and pink sugar flowers. It has candles on top in the shape of the number 13. One of them is lit.

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Dr Kathryn Rix @kathrynrix.bsky.social · Jul 10

Very interesting post from my colleague Naomi Lloyd-Jones on the last political duel in England.

Victorian Commons @victoriancommons.bsky.social · Jul 10

Our latest Victorian Commons article looks at what is thought to have been England's last political duel, fought between Canterbury's MPs in the run-up to the 1852 general election. victoriancommons.wordpress.com/2025/07/10/a...

A ‘new Canterbury Tale’: George Smythe, Frederick Romilly and England’s ‘last political duel’

Drawing on her research into Canterbury for the House of Commons, 1832-1868 project, our research fellow Dr Naomi Lloyd-Jones looks at the 1852 pre-election duel between the city’s MPs, Frederick R…

victoriancommons.wordpress.com

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Reposted by Dr Kathryn Rix

The Georgian Lords @georgianlords.bsky.social · Jul 2

@histparl.bsky.social @victoriancommons.bsky.social

Archives West Midlands @archiveswm.bsky.social · Jul 2

The National Archives are looking for two Records Specialists to join their Collections Expertise & Engagement department #jobs

Records Specialist: 19th Century/Modern Parliament at The National Archives

Start your UK & international job search for academic jobs, research jobs, science jobs and managerial jobs in leading universities and top...

www.jobs.ac.uk

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Reposted by Dr Kathryn Rix

Women's History Network @womenshistnet.bsky.social · Jul 2

🗳️ #OTD 2 July 1928: The Equal Franchise Act received royal assent in the UK, granting all women over 21 the vote—regardless of property.

It gave women electoral equality with men, adding 5 million to the roll and making them the majority in the 1929 election. #VotesForWomen #Suffrage #GenderHist

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