Bernard Weatherill Papers

His papers are most detailed in relation to the period of his speakership (1983-1992), but there are a few records of his earlier parliamentary career and a small group of personal papers of which the most interesting historically are the letters he wrote home while on military service.

As well as providing biographical source material, the collection relates to parliamentary practices and procedures in the 1980s and 1990s and focuses on the contemporary role of the Speaker, within and outside the House of Commons.

Work on Lord Weatherill's Papers was made possible by the award of a NFF grant as a result of the Follett initiative.

Since the initial gift in 1995 a further deposit of material has been recieved, which includes papers related to Weatherill's time as a life peer and the House of Lords reform. They are as yet uncatalogued; please contact us at specialcollections@kent.ac.uk with any enquiries.

Collection in brief

Contents: personal papers, correspondence, videos, publicity material, documents
Period: 20th-early 21st century
Subjects: politics, history, military