House of Lords: Difference between revisions
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Chapter 14 of Magna Carta speaks of "earls and greater barons" receiving individual summons to the Council. Originally the question of who counted as a "greater" baron was political, but by the seventeenth century the House had evolved the doctrine that, if someone received a summons to Parliament and he or his heir attended, this created a "barony by writ of summons" descendible to heirs. In the Wensleydale case (1876) the House confirmed that, while the Queen, as fountain of honour, could create whatever titles she wished, with whatever rules of succession she wished, they could only confer seats in the House if they satisfied certain conditions; in particular, in that case, a life peerage could not. Parliament then passed an act authorizing a limited number of "Lords of Appeal in Ordinary", commonly known as "Law Lords", with life peerages, to carry out the House's business as a court of appeal. In 1958 another act allowed unlimited life peerages, and the first women entered the House under its provisions. Female inheritors of peerages were not allowed to sit in the House until 1963. | Chapter 14 of Magna Carta speaks of "earls and greater barons" receiving individual summons to the Council. Originally the question of who counted as a "greater" baron was political, but by the seventeenth century the House had evolved the doctrine that, if someone received a summons to Parliament and he or his heir attended, this created a "barony by writ of summons" descendible to heirs. In the Wensleydale case (1876) the House confirmed that, while the Queen, as fountain of honour, could create whatever titles she wished, with whatever rules of succession she wished, they could only confer seats in the House if they satisfied certain conditions; in particular, in that case, a life peerage could not. Parliament then passed an act authorizing a limited number of "Lords of Appeal in Ordinary", commonly known as "Law Lords", with life peerages, to carry out the House's business as a court of appeal. In 1958 another act allowed unlimited life peerages, and the first women entered the House under its provisions. Female inheritors of peerages were not allowed to sit in the House until 1963. | ||
Under the Acts of union between England and Scotland in 1707, the Scottish peers elected for each Parliament 16 of their number. When Ireland joined the union in 1801, its peers were granted the right to elect | Under the Acts of union between England and Scotland in 1707, the Scottish peers elected for each Parliament 16 of their number. When Ireland joined the union in 1801, its peers were granted the right to elect 28 of their number, but in this case the elections were for life. After most of Ireland became independent in the 1920s, this procedure ceased to operate, and the representative peers of Ireland gradually died out, the last of them, the Earl of Kilmorey, dying in 1961. In 1963, all Scottish peers were granted the right to sit in the House. Another reform in that act was to grant inheritors of peerages the right to disclaim them, thus allowing them to sit in the House of Commons instead (if elected). | ||
Up to the early twentieth century, the Lords and Commons had comparable power, and Prime Ministers were about equally likely to sit in either House (Disraeli even moved to the Lords in the middle of his term of office, in 1876). Occasionally, the Soveriegn might enforce the will of the Commons against the Lords by creating new peers, or threatening to do so. A convention evolved that the Lords would not interfere in financial matters. (TBC) | Up to the early twentieth century, the Lords and Commons had comparable power, and Prime Ministers were about equally likely to sit in either House (Disraeli even moved to the Lords in the middle of his term of office, in 1876). Occasionally, the Soveriegn might enforce the will of the Commons against the Lords by creating new peers, or threatening to do so. A convention evolved that the Lords would not interfere in financial matters. (TBC) | ||
Revision as of 08:07, 16 February 2012
| This article was last updated in February 2012. |
The House of Lords is the upper chamber of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Its current membership[1] consists of
- 630 "life peers", who had been appointed by current and previous administrations, including eminent professionals and members of previous governments;
- 26 "lords spiritual", who are current bishops and archbishops of the Church of England: and,
- 90 "elected hereditary peers", who have been elected by and from members who had been granted or inherited hereditary peerages granted by monarchs down the ages. (The exclusion of hereditary peers is among the legislative proposals for the reform of the House of Lords [2] that are currently under consideration.)
- the Earl Marshal, the Duke of Norfolk
- the acting Lord Great Chamberlain, the Marquess of Cholmondeley
The principal functions of the House of Lords are to initiate, scrutinise and amend legislation. It has no general power of veto, but it attaches importance to its ability to return proposed legislation to the House of Commons for further consideration [3]
History
Strictly speaking, the House of Lords originated in the fourteenth century when the Commons took to meeting separately. For most practical purposes, however, it is identical to the Great Council, the Norman continuation of the Anglo-Saxon Witan or Witenagemot.
In the Middle Ages the Lords Spiritual were the majority. This changed in the reign of Henry VIII, when the dissolution of the monasteries removed abbots, priors and masters of orders, leaving the bishops outnumbered by the Lords Temporal. When new bishoprics were created in the nineteenth century to cope with shifting populations, an act was passed limiting the number of Church of England bishops in the House to 26: the Archbishops of Canterbury and York, the Bishops of London, Durham and Winchester, and the 21 other diocesan bishops in office for longest, excluding the Bishop of Sodor and Man, whose diocese is outside the United Kingdom proper.
Chapter 14 of Magna Carta speaks of "earls and greater barons" receiving individual summons to the Council. Originally the question of who counted as a "greater" baron was political, but by the seventeenth century the House had evolved the doctrine that, if someone received a summons to Parliament and he or his heir attended, this created a "barony by writ of summons" descendible to heirs. In the Wensleydale case (1876) the House confirmed that, while the Queen, as fountain of honour, could create whatever titles she wished, with whatever rules of succession she wished, they could only confer seats in the House if they satisfied certain conditions; in particular, in that case, a life peerage could not. Parliament then passed an act authorizing a limited number of "Lords of Appeal in Ordinary", commonly known as "Law Lords", with life peerages, to carry out the House's business as a court of appeal. In 1958 another act allowed unlimited life peerages, and the first women entered the House under its provisions. Female inheritors of peerages were not allowed to sit in the House until 1963.
Under the Acts of union between England and Scotland in 1707, the Scottish peers elected for each Parliament 16 of their number. When Ireland joined the union in 1801, its peers were granted the right to elect 28 of their number, but in this case the elections were for life. After most of Ireland became independent in the 1920s, this procedure ceased to operate, and the representative peers of Ireland gradually died out, the last of them, the Earl of Kilmorey, dying in 1961. In 1963, all Scottish peers were granted the right to sit in the House. Another reform in that act was to grant inheritors of peerages the right to disclaim them, thus allowing them to sit in the House of Commons instead (if elected).
Up to the early twentieth century, the Lords and Commons had comparable power, and Prime Ministers were about equally likely to sit in either House (Disraeli even moved to the Lords in the middle of his term of office, in 1876). Occasionally, the Soveriegn might enforce the will of the Commons against the Lords by creating new peers, or threatening to do so. A convention evolved that the Lords would not interfere in financial matters. (TBC)