In early October 1831, the defeat of the Second Reform Bill in the House of Lords led to a wave of pro-reform public protests and disturbances across Britain and Ireland. Meanwhile in Dorset, a microcosm of the national struggle over electoral reform was being fought out in a county by-election which posed Lord Ashley –… Continue reading ‘I fear there will be blood spilt this evening’: The Blandford ‘reform riots’ of October 1831
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‘Fife, Drum and Flag’: The Sherborne ‘reform riots’ of October 1831
In early October 1831, the defeat of the Second Reform Bill in the House of Lords led to a wave of pro-reform public protests and disturbances across Britain and Ireland. Concurrently in Dorset, a microcosm of the national struggle over electoral reform was being fought out in a county by-election which posed Lord Ashley an… Continue reading ‘Fife, Drum and Flag’: The Sherborne ‘reform riots’ of October 1831
What do you know about crowds and riots? The 1831 survey
Intergroup dynamics within the 1831 reform riots: towards a new social psycho-history This Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) funded project examines the nature and spread of reform related riots across Britain following the House of Lords rejection of the reform bill in October 1831. The project uses historical analysis of the 1831 disturbances and… Continue reading What do you know about crowds and riots? The 1831 survey
Why we need a (new) social psycho-history
Why did they riot? Answering a question like this means drawing upon both historiography and psychology. Scholars have long recognized this, but their attempts to combine the two disciplines have not always been successful. The first ‘psycho-history’ was Hippolyte Taine’s monumental history of France (1876). He traced what he saw as the decline of civilization… Continue reading Why we need a (new) social psycho-history
Report: Research Workshops in Dorset and Somerset
An important part of the research into the lesser known reform related riots and disturbances of October-November 1831 involves engaging with local historians, family historians, museum curators and archivists in the areas where the incidents occurred. Local historical knowledge of people, places, events and even artefacts in the period of study is of great value… Continue reading Report: Research Workshops in Dorset and Somerset
Beyond Contagion: Understanding The Spread of Riots
The ESRC funded Beyond Contagion project involved a three-year study (2016-2019) of the August 2011 riots in England. Its aim was to critically assess the concept of ‘contagion’, that is the supposed involuntary spread of behaviours between humans. The core idea is that, particularly in crowds, mere exposure to the behaviour of others leads observers… Continue reading Beyond Contagion: Understanding The Spread of Riots