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https://archives.blog.parliament.uk/2024/07/24/take-a-bow-the-parliamentary-archives-hall-of-fame/

TAKE A BOW: THE PARLIAMENTARY ARCHIVES HALL OF FAME

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Since 2022 the Parliamentary Archives' social media platforms have inducted historical figures from our collections into a richly diverse Hall of Fame.

In this article, I’ll be celebrating a selection of inductees divided into six categories as they are rewarded for their extraordinary achievements.

Take a Bow!

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Josephine Butler’s Female Jurors Petition Notice, 1872, Parliamentary Archives, HC/CL/JO/6/468

REFORMERS

Every generation sees reformers emerge seeking to improve society by making change happen. Josephine Butler came to prominence in the 1860s as she tenaciously campaigned for wider suffrage and progressive educational reforms, catching the attention of politician John Stuart Mill who supported her landmark petition to amend the 1867 Reform Act to include female enfranchisement. Following this Butler challenged draconian attitudes towards street prostitution and called for women jurors to sit in court cases involving soliciting. Meanwhile, Mill focused on advocating for an innovative electoral Proportional Representation (PR) system to replace the standard ‘first past the post’ procedure.

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John Stuart Mill's Thoughts on Parliamentary Reform, 1859, Parliamentary Archives, PRS/1/5

When a government report is universally referenced by its author name then it has struck a chord. In 1942 William Beveridge wrote Social Insurance and Allied Services that would provide the blueprint for welfare policy in post-war Britain. Its ethos of a ‘cradle to the grave’ framework was the foundation stone for the National Health Service.

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Social Insurance and Allied Services, 1942, Parliamentary Archives, BBK/D/495

Experiences of war had a significant impact on committed pacifist Donald Soper of Hyde Park Speakers Corner notoriety. A Methodist Minister he accepted a Life Peerage in the mid-sixties from Harold Wilson, using the platform to criticise government social policies he deemed as unchristian.

 

printed excerpt listing the names of the Lords that took the oath on that day
Lord Soper's Oath Note, 1970, Parliamentary Archives, HL/PO/JO/10/11/1676/90)

 

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House of Commons Hansard - Mrs Agatha Christie (Cost of Search), December 1926, Parliamentary Archives

CREATIVES

Observant social media followers know we do enjoy highlighting the arts. It’s no surprise to find a fair smattering of Hall of Famers from that creative domain. Historian Lucy Worsley recently profiled Agatha Christie delving into the backstory of her brief disappearance in December 1926. Such was the furore that the House of Commons discussed a question on the incident.

hand written parchment document with a large wax seal attached
Royal Commission for Prorogation of Parliament, 12 Oct 1573, Parliamentary Archives, HL/PO/JO/10/3/295/3

Glenda Jackson seamlessly moved from Oscar winning actor to Member of Parliament. She already had a connection to the statutes of Elizabeth I due to her portrayal of the Tudor Queen in the iconic BBC drama Elizabeth R.

Three men wearing overcoats stood outside Parliament
Marcus Lipton MP, Spike Milligan and Peter Sellers, 6th March 1956, Parliamentary Archives, PUD/14/466

Parliamentary photographer Gerald Pudsey photographed numerous dignitaries and celebrities gracing the Palace of Westminster in a halcyon era. At the height of his stardom, he captured a visit from comedy legend Spike Milligan alongside fellow Goon Show surrealist Peter Sellers. Benjamin Stone MP set up the National Photographic Record Association (NPRA) in 1897. A true innovator in the medium he compiled a series of photographs that encapsulated the late-Victorian Parliament moving into a new century. The most decorated visitor he encountered was Huckleberry Finn writer Mark Twain accompanied by a group that included Lords librarian and established author Edmund Gosse.

A group of 10 men wearing suits standing outside Parliament
Photograph of Mark Twain (Samuel Langhorne Clemens) and others, 2 July 1907, Parliamentary Archives, HC/LB/1/111/20/119

 

handwritten note
Sir Robert Peel's Admission Slip & Signature, 19th Century, Parliamentary Archives, HL/PO/RO/1/211

PARLIAMENTARIANS

Of course, Parliamentarians feature heavily in the hall of fame annals. Sir Robert Peel was part of a grand procession of Prime Ministers elected in the mid-19th Century that almost transcended the premiership and pushed it to broader levels of governance. Amongst the litany of modern opposition leaders, John Smith is considered by some the best Prime Minister the country never had. Respected by all parties Smith died of a heart attack in 1994 just as his accession to 10 Downing Street looked very much on the cards. His successor Tony Blair won the General Election three years later.

Black and white photograph showing 18 men and 1 woman standing and sitting around a long table.
Labour Shadow Cabinet including John Smith, November 1983, Parliamentary Archives, PIC/P/641

 

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Betty Boothroyd, 5 November 1975, Parliamentary Archives, PUD/14/19

Leading the tributes to John Smith was Speaker of the House, Betty Boothroyd. She holds the distinction of being the only woman to have served in the esteemed role. Press gallery journalists couldn’t get enough of Boothroyd’s uncompromising oratorial style. This no-nonsense approach drew similarities to Conservative stalwart Irene Ward. Although from opposite sides of the party divide both MPs dominated debates with the same pugnacious spirit. Entering Parliament in the turbulent thirties Ward pushed for women’s empowerment to be on the legislative table with contemporaries like Edith Summerskill, sponsoring a seminal 1952 petition demanding ‘equal pay for equal work’.

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Equal Pay Petition (Irene Ward), March 1954, Parliamentary Archives, HC/CL/JO/4/16/13

 

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Ban the Bomb Week, 1958, Parliamentary Archives, LEV/40

 

ACTIVISTS

Upon reading certain obituaries you learn of life’s lived less ordinary, as was the case with Pat Arrowsmith, whose commitment to peace activism resulted in intermittent spells in prison yet her dedication refused to diminish.  A founder of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) she coupled supporting the movement with promoting LGBTQ+ causes. Providing a lifeline for those without a voice was also Erin Pizzey’s calling. In 1971 she established Chiswick Women’s Aid an independently run refuge for women suffering from spousal violence. Local council interference regarding overcrowding saw Pizzey appeal to the Lord’s Judiciary to keep the doors open.

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Printed Opinions and Judgments of the House of Lords – Simmons v Pizzey, 1977, Parliamentary Archives, HL/PO/JU/18/237

 

black and white photograph of a man with a beard holding a smoking pipe
Benn Levy, Playwright, 1961, Parliamentary Archives, PUD/13/24

Benn Levy could easily be placed in the creatives section. A celebrated playwright he served a short tenure in Parliament before becoming an unlikely activist under the CND banner, regularly joining arms with its youth brigades on the traditional Easter marches they organised to Aldermaston.

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Bertrand Russell Article ‘Only World Government Can Prevent the War’, 20th century, Parliamentary Archives, ST/118/2

Philosopher Bertrand Russell tended to avoid the rigours of marching but was ever-present at the CND’s Trafalgar Square rallies. A Nobel Prize Winner for Literature, Russell brought a gravitas to proceedings, delivering speeches that the crowds lapped up. Despite advancing age he was willing to risk his liberty to protest the prospect of potential armageddon.

 

Print of a drawing of a young man

HEROES

Heroes come in many guises, and we paid homage to the unsung ones working behind the scenes in Parliament. They may not have had biographies written about them however a few exceptions did enter folklore. Top of that list is Henry Stone Smith a Lords Clerk indebted by academics for selflessly saving in the October 1834 Parliament Fire several Upper House original manuscripts. As the 19th Century continued Parliament became a bustling epicentre requiring around the clock professional police presence. Step forward Inspector Eleazor Denning and his wonderful occurrence notebooks detailing events ranging from stolen umbrellas to suspected anarchist bombs.

Drawing of a police officer napping on a chair with gargoyles [?] flying around him
Press cuttings and letters – including Inspector Denning Cartoon, 1888, Parliamentary Archives, PHO/11/7
handwritten excerpt
Appointment Book of House of Lords Officers – including Sarah Matthews extract, 1751-1824, Parliamentary Archives, HL/PO/JO/10/5/86

A multitude of domestic staff gained employment in the pre-1834 Parliament. The title ‘necessary woman’ was attached to females within its ranks. Appointment volumes from the period shed a little light on bygone working practices. A 1768 entry noted that Sarah Matthews was to be appointed as a ‘fire maker’. Someone who’d have had knowledge of these staff records was Elizabeth Poyser. An archival pioneer Poyser was Assistant to the Clerk of the Records in the House of Lords Record Office throughout the fifties. The novelty of her position led the Evening Standard to publish a profile headlined ‘Records Girl’.

handwritten
A note discussing the creation of a role filled by Elizabeth Poyser, 1950s, Parliamentary Archives, HL/PO/RO/2/263

 

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Report of a Court of Inquiry into a dispute between Grunwick Processing Laboratories Limited and Members of the Association of Professional, Executive Clerical and Computer Staff, 26 Oct 1977, Parliamentary Archives, HL/PO/JO/10/11/1917/1915

TRAILBLAZERS

The success of any industrial action is dependent on the effectiveness of its spokesperson. In 1976 Jayaben Desai fronted a dispute at the Grunwick Film Processing Factory striking at the low pay and poor working conditions enforced on its mainly female Asian workforce. The two-year stand-off caught the public consciousness and even the Government tried to act as an intermediary.

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Letter to David Renton MP from Jocelyn Barrow (CARD), 1968, Parliamentary Archives, DR/205

An effective administrator is pivotal to a burgeoning political pressure group. The lobbying skills of Jocelyn Barrow were hugely important to the Campaign Against Racial Discrimination (CARD). Barrow’s efforts proved influential on the drafting of the 1968 Race Relations Act.

black and white photograph of a man in profile with a moustache
Mancherjee Merwangee Bhownaggree, Bethnal Green (North-East), 1895, Parliamentary Archives, PHO/5/1/9/3

Breaking the mould as one of the earliest Parliamentarians of Indian heritage Mancherjee Bhownaggree sat as Conservative MP for Bethnal Green from 1895-1906. The Lincoln’s Inn lawyer used the Commons Chamber platform to speak on issues in his homeland that might otherwise have been left off the agenda. Earlier in the 1800s, Richard Martin raised subjects of personal concern from the back benches. Notably, his attempts to outlaw bear baiting, and dog fighting, considered to be entertainment in Regency England. The 1822 Cruel Treatment of Cattle Act, recognised as the first known enacted animal rights legislation in the world is his legacy.

printed pages of a bound book
Excerpt from 'The House of Commons 1790-1820' – Richard Martin MP Profile, Parliamentary Archives, BOOK/2095

 

CONCLUSION

Everyone has a person they’d nominate for Hall of Fame recognition. So, keep your eyes peeled as next time it might be them.

 

Parliamentary Archives collections and some associated services will have relocated to The National Archives in Kew by summer 2025. Access to some collections will be limited from Jan 2024. To find out how the move affects you, please visit archives.parliament.uk to find out more.  

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