To Every Individual Member: The Palace of Westminster and Participatory Politics in the Seventeenth Century

Abstract

This article explores the political culture of the Palace of Westminster in the mid-seventeenth century, in order to demonstrate the accessibility and vibrancy of its activities, and to assess the implications of the political activity that took place within its walls but outwith the Houses of Parliament. It seeks to stress how febrile the atmosphere there could be, while at the same time suggesting that the nature of political demonstrations and violence has been misunderstood. These aims are achieved by focusing upon the legitimacy of public access and the practice of petitioning, and more particularly upon the insights which can be gained by exploring the role of print within a participatory parliamentary process. (The article is a revised version of a paper presented at the Society for Court Studies conference on the Palace of Westminster held on 4–5October 2007.)