Why am I passionate about this?
I am a historian of early modern law and parliaments in Ireland and Britain, having written several books and articles on the topic, and am also a criminologist. I have had an interest in the history of parliaments for many years, in particular the manner in how they operate, how they were staffed, and how they worked (or in some cases didn’t work). Although political histories are interesting and sometimes important, parliamentary political history does not interest me as much. I love the practical application of how institutions operated and what they can tell us that conventional histories of political development and parliamentary politics can not.
Coleman's book list on how parliaments worked
Why did Coleman love this book?
This is a superb book. It is a comprehensive consideration of the business record of the upper house. What I personally find to be the more entertaining and interesting house of parliament, Foster has a rare ability of making the complex matters accessible, and making what might seem to be archaic or irrelevant procedures understood in their proper context. Despite the fact that the Lords could sometimes be consumed by seemingly unimportant issues such as hats and privilege, these episodes are expertly deciphered with a view to helping the reader understand that these issues were not just important to individuals at the time, but a brilliant window onto the nobility and how it was affected by the conflagration that was the Stuart period
1 author picked The House of Lords, 1603-1649 as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.
Foster discusses both the structure of the House and its business, including studies of the officers, the fee system by which they were paid, the function of the judges and attorney general, the select committees and their appointment, the committee of the whole House that developed during this period and its significance, and the joint committees that became increasingly important during the civil war years. The study also contributes to the understanding of later parliaments.
Originally published in 1983.
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