John Brooke and the Namierite Succession *

Abstract Without John Brooke, the first volumes of the History of Parliament for the house of commons covering the years 1754–90 might either have appeared much later than they did in 1964 (a mere four years after Sir Lewis Namier's death) or they might never have appeared at all. It was a token of how much Brooke willingly played the role of Namier's principal lieutenant during the latter's lifetime and his qualified loyalty continued for the remainder of his own career. But Brooke was also a capable historian in his own right whose achievements in biography have been largely obscured because of the squabbles between Namier and his detractors. Brooke wrote a fine biography of George III in 1972, published an authoritative edition of Horace Walpole's Memoirs of King George II in 1985 (the year of his own death), and served with distinction as senior editor of the Historical Manuscripts Commission. This essay is an attempt in recovering John Brooke and assessing his status as an 18th‐century historian of parliament (and more), as well as considering his relationship to both Lewis Namier and W.S. Lewis, and emphasising his importance in sustaining the History of Parliament project in the aftermath of Namier's death.