The History of Parliament: the House of Commons 1690-1715 covers a formative period for Britain and for Parliament: in the years immediately following the Glorious Revolution and the exile of James II, while Whigs and Tories struggled to define and maintain their positions in a new political environment, the party battle was fought harder than ever before, with ten general elections over twenty-five years producing an increasing number of bitterly-fought contests. Particular attention is paid to the impact of the Union with Scotland in 1707.

Where possible the political affiliation of the 1,982 MPs has been included and their role in the work of the Chamber discussed. To aid in this work, a database of significant parliamentary activity has been compiled from the Commons Journals, which enables some assessment to be made of the contribution of Members to the work of the House. A CD-ROM including this database is included with volume 1, which provides a guide to its installation and use. Four further volumes complete the set.