Richard A. Gaunt – författare

This special issue of Parliamentary History explores the relationship between spaces, soundscapes and political culture in the British Parliament between the late fourteenth century and the present day Experts in parliamentary history, political science, architecture and acoustics assess the influence of the pre- and post-1834 Palace of Westminster on the debate, procedure, ceremonial and identity of the two Houses of ParliamentRunning themes include the layout and acoustics of the Commons chamber, women’s access to politics, the Palace of Westminster as national icon and symbol of democracy, and the challenges of maintaining a historic building as the modern national legislatureThis volume draws on the research of the ‘St Stephen’s Chapel Westminster’ and ‘Listening to the Commons’ projects funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council at the University of York, in partnership with the UK Parliament.

A collection of essays in honour of Clyve Jones who has made an incomparable contribution to our understanding of the history of the Westminster house of lords – its politics, procedures and business – and to the history of the English and Scottish peerage more generally Written in tribute by friends and fellow historians of the LordsExamines aspects of the political activities and social lives of the peerage between c. 1650 and c. 1850, following up many of the themes reflected in Clyve’s own writingsA particular focus on the period between the Glorious Revolution and the fall of Walpole, with several articles on the Scottish contingent in the Upper HouseAlso stretches well into the 19th century with subjects discussed not only parliamentary management, but the electioneering activities of aristocratic magnates, and the contribution of aristocratic women to the political world of late Stuart England

The diaries of the fourth duke of Newcastle-under-Lyne (1785‒1851) provide an unrivalled insight into political events during the late-1830s and 1840s, from the perspective of a prominent Tory critic. At a time of Conservative revival under Sir Robert Peel, Newcastle used his position in the house of lords, his family’s historic electoral influence, and personal contacts with politicians and writers, to defend the status quoNewcastle’s diaries provide invaluable detail on these activities, offering important testimony on the Conservative party’s disruption in 1845‒6 and subsequent attempts to rebuild the party following the Repeal of the Corn LawsThey also illustrate Newcastle’s uncompromising views on personalities and events, and his hopes and fears for the country in its domestic and foreign policyThis edition reproduces the political content of the diaries for the period 1839‒50, as well as Newcastle’s published letters to the press, and is supplemented by a biographical appendix, an itinerary of Newcastle’s movements, and a comprehensive indexTaken together, the volume demonstrates why Newcastle was described by Punch magazine in 1845 as ‘The Last of the Tories’

Sir Robert Peel - paragon or pariah? Peel was the greatest statesman and political leader of mid-Victorian Britain, a titan of Conservative politics, whose legacy has inspired generations in his party and in British political life. In a career spanning forty years he held the greatest offices of state including Chief Secretary to Ireland, Home Secretary, Chancellor of the Exchequer and was twice Prime Minister. He was the first acknowledged leader of the Conservative Party and the Founder of Modern Conservatism. Yet Peel's seemingly peerless reputation has never been secure. The Repeal of the Corn Laws split his party, his 'Peelite' supporters joined the Liberals and the Conservatives remained in opposition for thirty years. Richard Gaunt, drawing on a huge archive of state papers, contemporary writings including Peel's own Memoirs and the latest historiography, paints a convincing picture of Peel as an exponent of effective government in the modern industrial state and a calculating practitioner, supremely self-confident, who dominated both his Party and the House of Commons.Gaunt's revisionist life of Peel will be essential reading and the standard work for students and general readers interested in Conservative and mid-Victorian political history and historical biography.

The age of Tory reform, especially the period following the Napoleonic wars, is pivotal in British political history. Following the savage repression of radical and popular protest culminating in the 'Peterloo massacre' of 1819, the Tory party turned decisively towards modern 'one-nation' conservatism later set out by Sir Robert Peel in his 'Tamworth Manifesto'. A radical swing from blind defence of the existing order to moderate, practical reform affected most areas of policy and proceeded apace throughout the 1820s. In step with industrial and commercial progress, railway and canal expansion, came a flowering of economics, supported by banking reform. There was also ground-breaking reform of the law and legal system, persistent struggles over the reform of the Corn Laws and, in religion, the established church's eventual acceptance of Catholic Emancipation. In foreign policy, Castlereagh's Congress System was replaced by the masterful Canning's policy of supporting liberal regimes in Latin America - an early exercise in British 'informal empire'.The Conservative government left office before the great Reform Act of 1832 but conservative modernisation continued under Peel's shadow, culminating in Corn Law repeal in 1846. This is an essential textbook for all students of nineteenth-century British political history, the Conservative Party and modern Conservatism, and includes themes of striking contemporary relevance.