This project covers the period from 1830 to 1859, looking at British governance, reform, and institutionalism during a period of rapid change in the ideas and methods behind effective government. We will look at the Colonial and War Office to see how individuals deep within the state apparatus, long overlooked by historical study, shaped the way Britain is run. Who wields power, how it is wielded, how the Civil Service came to be, and how the Information State developed. 

This doctoral project forms the core of a larger project looking at the legacy of governance and the politics of reform between 1815 and 1914, in order to understand how modern Britain was built and how its uncertain future can be navigated. Along the way, we have looked at the roles of individuals at the highest levels, and the way popular media in the 21st century has changed the lens with which they are viewed, how, why, and because of whom, reform and change has come about, and how the history of reform has been educated in schools.