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Sir Watkin Lewes, staunch supporter of Wilkes, was elected in 1780 as the first Welsh Lord Mayor of London since 1613.
He was often depicted with a leek.
His end was rather sad - arrested on the hustings in 1802, he died in the Fleet Debtors' Prison.

5 13
2023-03-01

Benjamin Franklin, born 1706, was friends with several parliamentarians. One, John Walsh, MP for was a keen scientist and shared his findings on the properties of electric eels with Franklin, for which the awarded him the Copley Gold Medal

4 5
2023-01-17

William Hogarth, died in the small hours 1764 (or very late on the 25th) provided us with innumerable views of the world, including one of the best series on what it was like to vote in one of their elections

14 26
2022-10-26

Died 1719 "without a groan" George Smalridge, bishop of Bristol.
Very wrong, but always struggle not to equate him with von Smallhausen of Allo Allo fame...

0 5
2022-09-27

New (almost) Truss's birthday (26 July) is the anniversary of the first (recorded) women's match, played near Guildford in 1745.

4 10
2022-09-06

Died 1688 John Bunyan, teenage soldier in the New Model Army, preacher & writer best known for the Pilgrim's Progress

7 16
2022-08-31

🚨The Parliamentary History Essay Prize 2022 is open!
The winner will receive £500 and have their essay published in
The submission deadline is 3 October

For details read:
https://t.co/k7kdyp4oJc

41 40
2022-08-30

Born 1641 Meinhard Schomberg, 3rd & last duke of Schomberg.
Significant military figure under William III - he survived into George I's reign & at his death was honoured with interment in the Henry VII chapel at .

2 8
2022-06-30

The last of the Wilkites was said to have been one of Wilkes's old servants called Guest, who survived to 1834.
On occasion he used to don an old mourning coat Wilkes had bequeathed him & tramp the streets of Aylesbury crying out "Wilkes and Liberty"

1 13
2022-06-25

Interesting how many peers pleaded concerns of a smallpox outbreak to avoid turning out for the trials of the Jacobite lords captured during the 45 rebellion.
We'll be blogging about this early next month. Stay tuned!

6 29
2022-06-16

Died 1758 William Collier MP for Truro, theatre proprietor & heavy drinker:
‘I can’t say Collier is entirely in the land of the living, for it is his hour of being very drunk, but as much of him as live is entirely devoted to you’.

4 6
2022-05-24

Admiral Byng (executed 1757) continued to haunt the press well into the next century. His example was raised in relation to General John Whitelocke, who was cashiered in 1808 for failing in an assault on Buenos Aires

2 9
2022-03-14

Born 1749 Charles James Fox, towering politician of the 2nd half of the
"Fox’s ‘negligent grandeur’ obscured his brilliance... his oratory, ‘original, deep, subtle, vehement & expansive’... was a force to be reckoned with."

13 30
2022-01-24

1688 James II's humiliations reached a new low when his letter from Faversham was read out to the provisional at Whitehall. He complained of being stopped by 'a rabble of seamen, fishermen & others' who had taken all of his money.

2 9
2021-12-14

The day before making the final decision to go himself 1688, James II packed his queen & son, Prince James, off to exile in
"This news, being very surprising, has made some persons think fit to shift for themselves"

2 7
2021-12-10

1688 James II finally resolved on flight, admitting "I am in no good condition, nay, in as bad a one as is possible".
In the early hours of the 11th he quit Whitehall & the people of England awoke to find they had no government.

15 30
2021-12-10

1688 James II's 3 nominated commissioners set out to negotiate with William of Orange.
A trumpeter was sent on ahead to secure passports for their safe conduct through William's forces.

2 6
2021-12-02

In August 1746 2 Jacobite lords, Balmerino & Kilmarnock were executed for supporting the 1745 rebellion:
Kilmarnock suffered 2 strokes; Balmerino 'one, and a little bit'

5 10
2021-11-22

Suspect Bishop Lowth (1710-87) of (born & died in would probably not be that content to be spending eternity parked next to an overflowing wheelie bin

4 12
2021-11-22

1688 William of Orange's invasion army landed at Brixham in Devon.
It took some time for the intelligence to reach James II & the next day it was still reported variously that William was expected at Yarmouth, Colchester or Bridlington

26 66
2021-11-05