Introduction to the Parliamentary Debates
The Debates are a record of what members have said. However, the Parliamentary Debates were not officially recorded verbatim until the year 1909. Therefore, the depth and accuracy of coverage of the debates varies according to the time period and source. The Parliamentary Debates are commonly referred to as the Hansard.
To locate them search our Library Catalog under:
Author: Great Britain. Parliament.
Title: Parliamentary debates.
Call Number: J301.H2
The Parliamentary Debates until 1803
- Parliamentary or constitutional history of England from the earliest times to the Restoration of Charles II.Published in 24 volumes in 1751 through 1762, this was the first major attempt at a constitutional history. These volumes report on what members of Parliament said drawing on a variety of secondary sources, as well as the Journals. The UCLA Library houses the print copies in Special Collections, but a digital copy can be found in the database Eighteenth Century Collections Online.
- Eighteenth Century Collections Online (Gale Primary Sources) This link opens in a new window
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Find the Parliamentary or Constitutional History of England from the Earliest Times to the Restoration of Charles II in this database.
- Cobbett's Parliamentary history of England, from the Norman Conquest, in 1066 to the year 1803The UCLA library has print copies of Cobbett's Parliamentary History. The call number is J301.H2.
- The Making of the Modern World: Goldsmiths'-Kress Library of Economic Literature (Gale Primary Sources) This link opens in a new window
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Includes the digitized text of "Cobbett's Parliamentary history of England." Volumes 1-12 cover years 1066 to 1743. Volumes 13-36 cover years 1743 to 1803. This history was William Cobbett's attempt to create a comprehensive record of Parliament.
The Parliamentary Debates, 1803 - 1909
Continuing where Cobbett left off, Thomas Curson Hansard continued to publish the debates. The debates from this period of 1803 to 1909 are a mixture of full text of speeches and partial accounts to reports from first and third persons. Due to Hansard's Parliamentary Debates, the Parliamentary Debates are commonly known as Hansard.
The Charles E. Young Research Library stacks have print copies of the debates under call number J301.H2.
- Hansard's Parliamentary Debates, 1803-presentFrom the UK Parliament website
The Debates, 1909 to Present
Beginning in 1909, the Parliamentary Debates were published separately between the House of Commons and the House of Lords.
- Hansard (House of Commons Daily Debates), 1988/1989 to 2016Online text of debates from the 1988/1989 session to present.
Research Library Holdings by Format
| Years | Format | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 1066-1803 | digital, print | Eighteenth Century Online |
| 1803-1987 | YRL Stacks J301.H2 | |
| 1988-present | digital | Hansard - Archive |
Historical Debates of the Parliament of Canada 1867-1996
- Historical Debates of the Parliament of Canada 1867-1996This is a free searchable database (or digital library) of digitized versions of the debates of the Senate and the House of Commons. The Historical Debates of the Parliament of Canada portal includes all debates from Parliament 1, Session 1 (1867) until coverage on parl.gc.ca begins.