New History of Parliament - under construction!

[William Douglas]

The History of Parliament is a research project creating a comprehensive account of the parliamentary politics in England, then Britain, from their origins in the thirteenth century. Unparalleled in the comprehensiveness of its treatment, the History is generally regarded as one of the most ambitious, authoritative and well-researched projects in British history.

It consists of detailed studies of elections and electoral politics in each constituency, and of closely researched accounts of the lives of everyone who was elected to Parliament in the period, together with surveys drawing out the themes and discoveries of the research and adding information on the operation of Parliament as an institution.

Forty-one volumes covering ten periods have already been published. They deal with 1386-1421, 1509-1558, 1558-1603, 1604-1629, 1660-1690, 1690-1715, 1715-1754, 1754-1790, 1790-1820 and 1820-1832: in all about 20million words, 20,000 pages, 21,000 biographies and 2800 constituency articles, covering 326 years of parliamentary history. All of these volumes are still in print.

The History’s staff of professional historians is currently researching the House of Commons in the periods: 1422-1504, 1604-1629, 1640-1660, 1820-1832 and 1832-1868. When these are complete, the History will provide a continuous and authoritative account of the House of Commons and electoral politics over four hundred and fifty years, from 1386 to the Reform Act of 1832. In 1998, the History also began to research the House of Lords in the period from 1660-1832, developing a new approach for the different type of institution this represents.

For more information about the publications of the History of Parliament and how to obtain them, and the current work of the History, please visit their website.