The 1832 Reform Act was a landmark moment in the development of modern British politics. In his new book — 'Mapping the State: English Boundaries and the 1832 Reform Act' — Martin Spychal rethinks the Act. 'Mapping the State' provides a major reassessment of why and how the 1832 Reform Act passed, its impact on reformed politics both at Westminster and in the constituencies, and its significance to the expansion of the modern British state. Martin's book, published in September 2024, is the 19th title in the Royal Historical Society’s 'New Historical Perspectives' series for early career historians, published by University of London Press. As with all books in the series, 'Mapping the State' is available in print and as a free open access download.

In this post, Graham Barrett and Jamie Wood outline their recent workshop on the compact between Church and Crown in late-antique Iberia. This event, funded by the Society's Workshop Grant programme, enabled participants to collaborate in an investigation of the agreements surrounding the Visigothic kingdom, know as the 'Hispana'. Written in dense and difficult Latin, the Hispana has never been translated into English, nor the modern critical edition into any language. With the workshop, the project seeks to form a research network to make the Hispana accessible through English translation, annotation, and contextual studies. RHS Workshop Grants are awarded annually to enable historians to meet together to develop research ideas or projects; the next call for applications will be in late 2024.

In September 2024 the Royal Historical Society (RHS) launched its Members' Directory. This is a new online resource for current Fellows and Members of the Society, enabling them to search for other historians who belong to the RHS by a range of attributes, including research interests and areas of study. We hope creation of the Directory provides RHS Fellows, Associate Fellows, Members and Postgraduate Members with opportunities to make connections in order to pursue historical projects and research. This post offers a brief guide to using the Directory with suggested searches that members of the Society may undertake.