1830-1859
Cobden and his constituencies
An analysis of Richard Cobden’s relationship with the constituencies he represented
The letters of Richard Cobden online
A new resource for Liberal history
The 1847 Financial Crisis and the Irish Famine : 15th March 2024
The Irish famine of the 1840s remains the worst humanitarian crisis in the United Kingdom’s history. Within six years of the arrival of the potato blight in Ireland in 1845, more than a quarter of its people had died or emigrated. Despite this, Lord John Russell’s Whig government decided in spring 1847 – long before…
The 1847 Financial Crisis and the Irish Famine
The Irish famine of the 1840s remains the worst humanitarian crisis in the United Kingdom’s history. Within six years of the arrival of the potato blight in Ireland in 1845, more than a quarter of its people had died or emigrated. Despite this, Lord John Russell’s Whig government decided in spring 1847 – long before…
William Gladstone and the question of slavery, 1832–33
John Powell analyses Gladstone’s views on slavery during his early years in politics. To access this content, you must purchase Annual subscription (digital) – unwaged rate or Annual subscription (digital) – standard rate.
Lady Palmerston (Emily Mary Lamb), 1787-1869
Born on 21 April 1787 in the family’s Piccadilly home, Emily Mary Lamb was the 5th surviving child of Elisabeth Lamb née Milbanke, the wife of the first Viscount Melbourne, but the identity of her natural father is unclear. Emily’s brother, William, the second Viscount Melbourne, described their mother as an ‘excellent wife but not…