THE HISTORY OF PARLIAMENT TRUST Review of activities in the year 2011-12 July 2012 - 1 - Objectives and Activities of the History of Parliament Trust The History of Parliament is a major academic project to create a scholarly reference work describing the members, constituencies and activities of the Parliament of England and the United Kingdom. The volumes either published or in preparation cover the House of Commons from 1386 to 1868 and the House of Lords from 1660 to 1832. They are widely regarded as an unparalleled source for British political, social and local history. The volumes consist 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. The History has published 21,420 biographies and 2,831 constituency surveys in ten sets of volumes (41 volumes in all). They deal with 1386-1421, 1509-1558, 1558-1603, 1604-29, 1660-1690, 1690-1715, 1715-1754, 1754-1790, 1790-1820 and 1820-32. All of these volumes save those most recently published (1604-29) are now available on www.historyofparliamentonline.org . The History’s staff of professional historians is currently researching the House of Commons in the periods 1422-1504, 1640-1660, and 1832-1868, and the House of Lords in the periods 1603-60 and 1660-1832. The three Commons projects currently in progress will contain a further 7,251 biographies of members of the House of Commons and 861 constituency surveys. With what is now published and in progress, the History covers 414 years of the history of the House of Commons. In addition, the House of Lords projects are currently working on 693 biographies covering 1660-1715, and the 458 covering 1603-1660. Since 1995, the History has been funded principally by the two Houses of Parliament. It is based close to its original host, the Institute of Historical Research, University of London. It was originally founded before the Second World War, the brainchild of Josiah Wedgwood MP, a Labour parliamentarian and minister, and revived after the war when a number of the greatest British historians of the day, including Sir Lewis Namier, Sir Frank Stenton and Sir John Neale, were involved in its re-establishment. The project is governed by its Trustees, who are mainly Members and Officers of both Houses of Parliament. The quality of the project's research and writing is monitored by an Editorial Board of historians. For further details see the History’s website at www.histparl.ac.uk . - 2 - HISTORY OF PARLIAMENT TRUST Review of activities in the year 2011-12 THE HISTORY OF which meant a 10% reduction in the PARLIAMENT REVIEW History’s Grant-in-Aid on top of level funding for the previous two years. During much of 2011, the Editorial Board of the History conducted a The Review was conducted through review of its operations, the results of discussions with staff, editors, which were presented, and agreed editorial board, trustees and by, the Trustees, in autumn 2011. partners, and a very valuable online survey of our principal, mostly The last review of the History’s academic, users. We received 189 activity was conducted in 2002, responses to the survey, most of which formed the basis for the them from the academic community. History’s current planning document We asked how respondents would (The History of Parliament Plan) and describe the value of the History of assumptions concerning publication Parliament to their own research. dates. Further discussions were held Out of 179 who answered the in 2005-7 concerning the projects to question, 96 (53.6%) described it as be undertaken following the ‘an essential resource’, and 70 completion of the Commons, 1604- (39.1%) described it as ‘a useful 29 and 1820-32. The new review addition to the range of resources’ was held in the context of the launch they used. Many commented on the of our website and the completion of high value of the biographies and two major projects, but also constituency histories. developments in research and publication more generally, In the Review, the Trustees and especially the increasing availability Editorial Board reiterated their and use of online resources, the commitment to this central task: financial settlement made in painstaking research into the identity, December 2010 covering 2011-12 connections and activities of past and the three subsequent years, - 3 - ‘They represent the highest quality of historical research, based on the critical use of original sources.’ (user of 1386-1421, UK academic staff, Liverpool) ‘that they exist at all is a boon; that they are so meticulous, even for brief/uneventful careers, is wonderful’ (user of 1790-1820 and 1820-32, UK academic staff, Leeds). ‘I use these volumes at length and extensively every day. … Those who are heavily dependent on the H of P vol[ume]s could not possibly have undertaken and completed studies of Parliament without these vols at their side. The vol[ume]s have provided an utterly essential basis for all studies of early and modern Parliamentary history’ (user of 1558-1603 and 1660-90 through to 1820-32 volumes, independent scholar, USA). Members of both Houses of Review were the need to broaden Parliament, politics and elections in the appeal and the work of the each constituency, and the nature of History, and the ambition to do this Parliament as an institution. As they through taking the History online, remarked, ‘This extraordinary body through an increased engagement of research is one of the most with academic partners and more comprehensive resources for the effort at promoting its work among history of a national legislature, its new audiences, and especially by personnel, and politics anywhere in moving the History closer to the the world. Maintaining progress on present day, by working within the this work, and filling in the twentieth century through oral history chronological gaps are the History of and other projects. The Review will Parliament’s essential priorities… set the History’s agenda over the We strongly believe that the History next decade: the beginnings of some should continue to aim at the highest of our work to act on that agenda can level of excellence in its research, be seen within the work of the compatible with continued and timely current year. progress on writing and publication of that research.’ A summary of the main points of the review can be read on the History’s They also emphasised, though, that website. the History must pay more attention to the impact of its research. Although the History is not formally THE HISTORY OF required to do so in the same way as PARLIAMENT ONLINE recipients of Research Council funding increasingly are, the History Since July all of the published work needs to show that its research has of the History of Parliament, with the made a significant and broad impact. exception of the most recently It ought equally to ensure that it published 1604-29 section, has been receives proper recognition for the made available online, at our website impact that its work can have and www.historyofparliamentonline.org. has had already. Around 1000 visits a day are being made to the site, which has attracted Key issues to emerge from the very good responses and many new - 4 - users. occurs in the early nineteenth century, and recognises that the The site is now being maintained by decision has already been taken to the Publications Department at the produce rather more compressed Institute of Historical Research (IHR). accounts for the later period. Yet he Work continues on the site to clean too remarks on the ‘outstanding work up the data, to match more images of consistently high standard, a to our articles, particularly portraits of repository of learning that will be MPs. Technical work is also under quarried for decades’. way to carry out further refinements to the website. A few reviews of 1604-29 have now appeared. Allen Boyer, in The REVIEWS Seventeenth Century wrote that ‘This magisterial study … is one of those A number of reviews of our recent rare works in which historians who publications have now appeared. came of age during the reign of Reviews of 1820-32 have referred to Elizabeth II can hold up a its monumental proportions, while masterpiece to match the they have also recognised the need scholarship of the great Victorians. for the History’s work after 1832 to The physical heft of these six be less comprehensive in order to volumes reflects an uncommon avoid being swamped by the amount depth and breadth of research: a of information available. Frank sustained intellectual effort O’Gorman in Parliaments, Estates measured in thousands of pages… and Representation refers to its innumerable shrewd, well-grounded ‘monumental achievement’, and judgments’. Christopher Thompson suggests that in many respects the in the IHR’s online Reviews in picture provided by the volumes History, argued with some of the ‘excitingly deepens, the thrust of judgments made in the Introductory existing interpretations of the early Survey but acknowledged that the nineteenth century British political work had ‘revealed far more than system’, though he calls for ‘sharper was previously know about ht thematic utilization’. Robert ecareers of its members and the Saunders in the English Historical overall composition of the House, Review similarly refers to a about its procedures and relations ‘monumental work that will be an with the king and the House of Lords.