Where does the name “Hansard” come from?
The name “Hansard” originated with Luke Hansard and his son Thomas, who were printers to the British House of Commons in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Hansard was operated by the Hansard family as a (highly unsuccessful) business until 1889. They faced stiff competition from journalists such as Charles Dickens, who was a parliamentary reporter before he became a novelist. Reporting was journalistic; it paraphrased the debate, with a sprinkling of direct quotations. Today’s Hansard, produced entirely under legislative authority, is a full, accurate and impartial report of legislative proceedings.
