Lords 1660 - 1832

Editor
Dr Ruth Paley

Research staff
Dr Beverly Adams
Dr Robin Eagles
Dr Charles Littleton
Dr Stuart Handley

The Period

This section of the History, launched in April 1999, aims to provide a comprehensive account of the history and significance of the House of Lords in the governance of Great Britain and the United Kingdom within the period 1660-1832. The Project Plan for the House of Lords Section sets out a comprehensive scheme for the design and execution of the new section which builds on the strengths of the House of Commons sections, while moving beyond it to provide a new and much more rounded model for the History of Parliament. It envisages the creation of three separate elements which together will form The History of Parliament: the House of Lords, 1660-1832. The first will be the biographies of members of the Lords; these will be published in print in three consecutive phases, covering 1660-1715; 1715-1790; and 1790-1832. The second element will be a two volume study of the House of Lords as an institution. The first volume will cover the organisation and operation of the House; the second its functions and business. The third element will be an ‘electronic history of the House of Lords’: initially the digitisation and publication on the internet of key sources relating to the History of the House such as its Journals, but building up into a cross-searchable and linked resource putting together a wide range of material relating to its proceedings and Members. In order to achieve this within a reasonable timescale, we are hoping to draw in a wide range of expertise from within the academic community. At present, we envisage the publication of the first biographical volumes in 2013, 2018 and 2027; and the institutional volumes in 2013 and 2019. The electronic history will appear over the period.