New on the blog! Eric Schubert explores the life of Sarah Tyson Rorer, one of the most recognizable voices in American domestic instruction. Learn how she helped translate emerging ideas about hygiene and nutrition into everyday practice #womenshistory womenshistorynetwork.org/sarah-tyson-...

Kitchens, Cleanliness, and the Making of Modern Food Safety: Sarah Tyson Rorer and Domestic Expertise in the Early Twentieth Century – Eric Schubert

In 1902, readers opening Sarah Tyson Rorer’s New Cook Book were instructed to wash vegetables carefully, keep utensils clean, and avoid serving spoiled milk. [i] To a modern audience, these directi…

womenshistorynetwork.org

New on the blog! @janetsmith1831.bsky.social explores the remarkable life of Helen Taylor, a prominent campaigner, founding member of the Democratic Federation, first prospective parliamentary candidate & member of the London School Board #womenshistory womenshistorynetwork.org/rediscoverin...

Rediscovering Helen Taylor (1831-1907) – Dr Janet Smith

My first encounter with Helen Taylor Whilst researching my M.A. dissertation on the feminist Irish nationalist, Anna Parnell, a brief reference to Helen Taylor in a newspaper piqued my interest.  I…

womenshistorynetwork.org

200 years ago the handloom weavers of Lancashire and the West Riding of Yorkshire engaged in a 10-day rising, destroying over 1,100 power looms. To learn more check out our interactive StoryMap: storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/9a84... #19thCentury #skystorians @sslh.bsky.social @esriuk.bsky.social

Witnessing the Weavers’ Rising of 1826

A digital mapping project created by The National Archives and The Open University

storymaps.arcgis.com

A memorable day in Westminster for the State Opening of Parliament! A privilege to show delegates from the French Senate, including the President of the Senate, a record on the proposed Franco-British Union during WW2. Great to work with colleagues from Parliament & The National Archives on this

New on the blog! @nickbhattacharya.bsky.social explores the gendered nature of parish welfare in Devon #womenshistory womenshistorynetwork.org/the-prejudic...

The Prejudice of Welfare for Women Under the Poor Laws – Shagnick Bhattacharya

In April 1818, Catherine Macknally, described in the parish records of St Andrew, Plymouth, as a ‘common prostitute’, was apprehended while wandering and begging with her two illegitimate children—…

womenshistorynetwork.org

New on the blog! @kating03.bsky.social explores the life of Scottish suffragist Katherine Walker Lindsay, piecing together her story through extensive archival research, including newspaper and census records #suffrage #votesforwomen #womenshistory womenshistorynetwork.org/scottish-suf...

‘The Finding Katherine Project’: a window into the life of Scottish suffragist, Katherine Walker Lindsay – Katherine Ingram

I first learned of Katherine Walker Lindsay in early 2025 when I was examining the letter books of the Glasgow and West of Scotland Society for Women’s Suffrage (GWSSWS), a branch of the National U…

womenshistorynetwork.org

Last month, the US Speaker visited Parliament to mark 250 years of American independence. As part of this visit, we displayed records from The National Archives at a Speaker’s House reception, including the Declaration of Independence. It’s always great showing original records to audiences!

Following the news of another political defection in Westminster, we're resharing our recent #HistParl article on the history of MPs 'crossing the floor' and changing their party affiliation, drawing heavily upon extracts from our #OralHistory archive. historyofparliament.com/2026/01/16/c...

Crossing the Floor: Tales from the Oral History Project - The History of Parliament

Political defections, commonly known in Westminster parlance as ‘Crossing the Floor’, have been a phenomenon in Parliament since at least the 17th century.

historyofparliament.com

This was such an interesting blog post to see through to publication on the @womenshistnet.bsky.social’s blog. Great to work with @harveybonehist.bsky.social and @txbatha.bsky.social, and learn about their fascinating research - do give their blog post a read!

Women's History Network@womenshistnet.bsky.social · 9mo ago

New on the blog! @harveybonehist.bsky.social and @txbatha.bsky.social share their fascinating research on the 1959 and 1974 General Elections, exploring the use of 'spousal letters' in candidate's #election pamphlets. #womenshistory #politicalhistory womenshistorynetwork.org/a-word-to-th...

New year, new job! 💫 Thrilled to share that I’ve started a new role at The National Archives as a Modern Parliament Records Specialist. I’ll be working with Parliament’s archive collections that have been relocated to TNA. Looking forward to engaging audiences with this fascinating collection!

📣 Call for Papers! Join us for the Women’s History Network Annual Conference, celebrating 100 years of The Women’s Library. Open to scholars, independent researchers & heritage practitioners. Full info: womenshistorynetwork.org/whn-annual-c... Deadline: 29 March 2026 #WomensHistory #GenderHist

What an incredible two years @ukparliament.parliament.uk! I’ve learnt a lot & worked with so many wonderful people. From starting in Heritage Collections engaging audiences with a working collection to leading the initial planning for the Equal Franchise centenary, it’s been an amazing experience!

Our programme for this term's @cont-brit-hist.bsky.social seminars at @ihr.bsky.social is now available! Please do join us in-person or online. www.history.ac.uk/news-events/...

Contemporary British History

The Contemporary British History seminar seeks to explore all aspects the recent past of the British Isles from a historical point of view.

history.ac.uk

Parliament is full of red and green, and not just because it’s Christmas. The colours hold special significance for the @houseofcommons.parliament.uk and @houseoflords.parliament.uk

A brilliant few days attending the 'Visual Representations of Parliamentarism' conference at the German Historical Institute in Paris. Great to co-present a paper with @sclapperton.bsky.social on 1929 election posters appealing to women voters and be on a panel with @satisfactory20.bsky.social

A packed room for @histparl.bsky.social’s annual lecture! A great evening and lecture given by Rt Hon. Nick Thomas-Symonds on ‘Clement Attlee’s Labour Governments of 1945-51: A Reappraisal'.

I have had a great few days at the Visual Representations of Parliaments conference at the German Historical Institute in Paris - I spoke on 1920s flapper’ cartoons alongside @lisaberrywaite.bsky.social @sclapperton.bsky.social on party political posters at 1929 election - perfect synergy! 🗃️

It was a privilege to attend the President of Germany’s address in the Royal Gallery thanks to a staff ticket. An unforgettable experience.

UK Parliament@ukparliament.parliament.uk · 11mo ago

Today, President of Germany, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, addressed Members of both Houses during an official state visit to UK Parliament. President Steinmeier and First Lady Elke Büdenbende were welcomed by the Speakers of @ukhouseofcommons and @ukhouseoflords.

Very excited to finally meet Hope, the life-size Lego suffragette 💚💜 Last week was UK Parliament Week, an annual education event which explores what @ukparliament.parliament.uk does. It was great to see so many schools getting involved and meet Hope in Westminster Hall!

#OTD 1918 the Parliament (Qualification of Women) Act, giving women the right to stand for parliament, gained royal assent. To find out more about early women parliamentary candidates, and the campaigns they ran, read @lisaberrywaite.bsky.social article. historyofparliament.com/2019/06/11/s...

‘She is an Outsider in Public Life’: women parliamentary candidates, 1918-1923 - The History of Parliament

Ahead of tonight’s Parliaments, Politics and People seminar at the Institute of Historical Research, we hear from Lisa Berry-Waite, a Leverhulme-funded PhD

historyofparliament.com

Looking forward to the @histparl.bsky.social's Annual Lecture!

History of Parliament@histparl.bsky.social · 11mo ago

The History of Parliament is excited to announce this year's Annual Lecture! On 16 December in Portcullis House, Rt Hon. Nick Thomas-Symonds will be speaking on 'Clement Attlee’s Labour Governments of 1945-51: A Reappraisal'. Tickets are FREE and can be found in the link below:

Autumn at the Palace of Westminster 🍂

In our latest article, Dr Kathryn Rix has looked at the 23 MPs commemorated in the Commons chamber who died during the Second World War. Their biographies written by #HistParl are now accessible on Parliament's website, links to which you can find in Dr Rix's article below:

MPs and the Second World War - The History of Parliament

Ahead of Remembrance Day, and with 2025 marking 80 years since the end of the Second World War, Dr Kathryn Rix, Assistant Editor of our House of Commons,

historyofparliament.com

"We shape our buildings and afterwards our buildings shape us" (Sir Winston Churchill, 1943)

Fascinating seminar last night by @satisfactory20.bsky.social on ‘The Speaker’s and the Suffragettes’. I especially enjoyed hearing more about the ‘suffragette chain’ which was recently donated to the Parliamentary Art Collection @ihr.bsky.social @histparl.bsky.social

Mari Takayanagi@satisfactory20.bsky.social · last yr.

This is a recently discovered 'suffragette chain'! Want to know more? Come and hear me speak on 'The Speakers and the Suffragettes', online and in person at the @histparl.bsky.social seminar at the @ihrlibrary.bsky.social on Tues 28 Oct at 5PM! Free - book here www.history.ac.uk/news-events/...

New on the blog! Dr Robyn Floyd (rkfloyd.bsky.social) explores Josephine Fiddes' story, an English actress, vocalist, author and playwright #womenshistory Read it here: womenshistorynetwork.org/rediscoverin...

Rediscovering Josephine Fiddes and her forgotten Australian novel – Robyn Floyd

Josephine Fiddes was an English actress, vocalist, author and playwright who graced stages across three continents during the 19th century. Her creative output extended beyond acting to directing, …

womenshistorynetwork.org

A great evening at the @histparl.bsky.social live podcast recording for ‘Tales from the Green Benches’ last night! Really interesting to learn more about their oral history project and hear from two of the projects’s more recent interviewees, Anne Milton and Baroness Stuart of Edgbaston #histparl

#OTD 1913 Emily Wilding Davison was hit by the King's horse at Epsom derby, dying 4 days later. One of the most prolific Suffragettes to interact with Parliament, guest contributor Vicky Igliowski-Broad explored Davison's wide-ranging dealings with the House:

A night in Parliament: Militant Suffragettes and Parliament - The History of Parliament

We are delighted to post this guest blog in our Women and Parliament series from one of the public historians who has been at the forefront of activities to

historyofparliament.com

New on the blog! Bart Mooibroek explores the diplomatic career of Dorothea Lieven, and how female diplomats have been studied more broadly in history #womenshistory #diplomatichistory womenshistorynetwork.org/beyond-forma...

Beyond Formal and Informal: Giving Back Political Agency to Female Diplomats in Early Nineteenth Century Europe – Bart Mooibroek

When researching diplomatic challenges in early nineteenth century Europe, such as the Eastern Question or the Congress of Vienna, the subject matter can appear male dominated. The former refers to…

womenshistorynetwork.org

To mark #VE80, ‘Parliament’s War Effort’ display is now in Westminster Hall @ukparliament.parliament.uk It tells the story of 12 individuals who contributed to Parliament’s war effort #WW2 It was great to write about Eleanor Rathbone MP, Edith Summerskill MP & Sir Geoffrey Blake for the display