666 hereditary peers had their entitlement to sit in the House of Lords removed by the House of Lords Act 1999, based on the seniority of titles.
Conservative (269) Crossbench (197) Labour (15) Liberal Democrats (18) Non-affiliated (167) | |
Living peer as of 11April2024. | |
Acceded to the throne | |
‡ | Living peer who subsequently returned to the House as of 11April2024. |
‡ | Peer who subsequently returned to the House who has passed away. |
The following 10 peers were excluded from sitting in the House of Lords by virtue of their hereditary titles, and were not part of the 92 excepted hereditary peers. New life peerages were offered to hereditary peers of first creation (The Earl of Longford as Lord Pakenham (who was also a former Leader of the House of Lords), The Earl of Snowdon, The Lord Aldington and The Lord Erroll of Hale) and to previous Leaders of the House of Lords (The Lord Carrington 1963–1964, The Earl of Longford 1964–1968, The Earl Jellicoe 1970–1973, The Lord Windlesham 1973–1974, The Lord Shepherd 1974–1976, The Lord Belstead 1988–1990 and The Viscount Cranborne 1994–1997) to allow their continued membership after the passage of the House of Lords Act 1999. [666]
Prior to the act Quintin Hogg (who was a former Leader of the House 1960–1963 as The Viscount Hailsham) had disclaimed his hereditary peerage in 1963, but had returned to the House as a life peer when he became the Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain in 1970. Also two hereditary peers had been created life peers prior to their successions to their hereditary peerages. They continued to sit in the House by virtue of their life peerages following the exclusion of hereditary peers.
Title | Name | Date succeeded | Qualifying title(s) | Affiliation | Life peerage | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
The Earl of Longford, KG , PC | Francis Aungier Pakenham [lower-alpha 21] | 12 October 1945 | Baron Silchester | Labour | Baron Pakenham of Cowley | |
The Earl Jellicoe, KBE , DSO , MC , PC | George Patrick John Rushworth Jellicoe | 20 November 1935 | Conservative | Baron Jellicoe of Southampton | ||
The Earl of Snowdon, GCVO | Antony Charles Robert Armstrong-Jones | 6 October 1961 | Crossbencher | Baron Armstrong-Jones | ||
The Viscount Cranborne, PC , DL | Robert Michael James Gascoyne-Cecil | 29 April 1992 | Conservative | Baron Gascoyne-Cecil | ||
The Lord Carrington, KG , GCMG , CH , MC , PC , DL | Peter Alexander Rupert Carington | 19 November 1938 | Conservative | Baron Carington of Upton | ||
The Lord Windlesham, CVO , PC | David James George Hennessy | 20 February 1963 | Conservative | Baron Hennessy | ||
The Lord Belstead, PC | John Julian Ganzoni | 18 December 1958 | Conservative | Baron Ganzoni | ||
The Lord Shepherd, PC | Malcolm Newton Shepherd | 4 December 1954 | Labour | Baron Shepherd of Spalding | ||
The Lord Aldington, KCMG , CBE , DSO , TD , PC , DL | Austin Richard William Low | 29 January 1962 | Conservative | Baron Low | ||
The Lord Erroll of Hale, TD , PC | Frederick James Erroll | 19 December 1964 | Conservative | Baron Erroll of Kilmun | ||
Title | Name | Date created | Qualifying title(s) | Affiliation | Life peerage | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
The Earl of Crawford and Balcarres, KT , PC , DL | Robert Alexander Lindsay [lower-alpha 22] | 24 January 1975 | Conservative | Baron Balniel (1975) | ||
The Viscount Younger of Leckie, KT , KCVO , TD , PC , FRSGS | George Kenneth Hotson Younger | 7 July 1992 | Conservative | Baron Younger of Prestwick (1992) | ||
Upon the passing of the House of Lords Act 1999, the following peer was an ex officio member of the House of Lords by virtue of his office as Lord Great Chamberlain. Upon the death of Queen Elizabeth II on 8 September 2022, the office changed hands and the peer was excluding pursuant to the Act.
Living peer as of 11April2024. | |
Title | Name | Date succeeded | Affiliation | Ref. | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
The Marquess of Cholmondeley | David George Philip Cholmondeley [lower-alpha 6] | 13 March 1990 | [667] |
The following 10 peers disclaimed their respective hereditary titles under the Peerage Act 1963 which meant Peers can disclaim their respective peerage for life, even though they were not affected by the expulsion, three members returned to the House by virtue of their life peerages and remained members until their respective deaths and retirement. Despite the House of Lords Act 1999, the Barony of Silkin was disclaimed in 2002.
Title | Name | Disclaimed by; life | Date succeeded | Date disclaimed | Life peerage |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
The Viscount Stansgate, PC , FRSA | Anthony Neil Wedgwood Benn | 2nd Viscount 1925–2014 | 17 November 1960 | 31 July 1963 | |
The Lord Altrincham, FRSL | John Edward Poynder Grigg | 2nd Baron 1924–2001 | 1 December 1955 | ||
The Viscount Hailsham, KG , CH , PC , QC , FRS | Quintin McGarel Hogg | 2nd Viscount 1907–2001 | 16 August 1950 | 20 November 1963 | Baron Hailsham of St Marylebone (1970) |
The Earl of Durham | Antony Claud Frederick Lambton | 6th Earl 1922–2006 | 4 February 1970 | 23 February 1970 | |
The Lord Sanderson of Ayot | Alan Lindsay Sanderson | 2nd Baron 1931–2022 | 15 August 1971 | 28 September 1971 | |
The Lord Reith | Christopher John Reith | 2nd Baron 1928–2016 | 16 June 1971 | 21 April 1972 | |
The Lord Silkin | Arthur Silkin | 2nd Baron 1916–2001 | 11 May 1972 | 18 May 1972 | |
The Lord Merthyr, CBE , JP , DL | Trevor Oswin Lewis | 4th Baron 1935–2015 | 16 April 1977 | 26 April 1977 | |
The Earl of Selkirk, PC , QC | Lord James Alexander Douglas-Hamilton | 11th Earl 1942–2023 | 24 November 1994 | 1 December 1994 | Baron Selkirk of Douglas (1997) [lower-alpha 23] |
The Viscount Camrose, MBE , TD | William Michael Berry | 3rd Viscount 1911–2001 | 15 February 1995 | 14 March 1995 | Baron Hartwell (1968) |
The following 68 Peers of the Peerage of Ireland were not affected by the expulsion of the House of Lords Act 1999 as they were on the Electoral roll and they were eligible to be a Member of Parliament and vote in Elections in the United Kingdom in all formats at the time, ie Local Government elections, European elections, Devolution elections and UK general elections.
Living peer as of 11April2024. | |
Title | Name | Date succeeded |
---|---|---|
The Earl of Westmeath | William Anthony Nugent | 20 November 1971 |
The Earl of Cavan | Roger Cavan Lambart | 17 November 1988 |
The Earl of Mexborough | John Christopher George Savile | 15 May 1980 |
The Earl Winterton | Donald David Turnour | 2 June 1991 |
The Earl of Kingston | Barclay Robert Edwin King-Tenison | 17 July 1948 |
The Earl of Roden | Robert John Jocelyn | 18 October 1993 |
The Earl of Lisburne, DL | John David Malet Vaughan | 30 June 1965 |
The Earl of Antrim, FRSA | Alexander Randal Mark McDonnell | 26 September 1977 |
The Earl of Portarlington | George Lionel Yuill Seymour Dawson-Damer | 4 July 1959 |
The Earl of Mayo | Terence Patrick Bourke | 19 December 1962 |
The Earl Annesley | Patrick Annesley | 21 February 1979 |
The Earl Belmore | John Armar Lowry-Corry | 20 July 1960 |
The Earl Castle Stewart | Arthur Patrick Avondale Stuart | 5 November 1961 |
The Earl of Caledon, JP | Nicholas James Alexander | 20 May 1980 |
The Earl of Rosse | William Clere Leonard Brendan Parsons | 5 July 1979 |
The Earl of Dunraven and Mount-Earl | Thady Windham Thomas Wyndham-Quin | 28 August 1965 |
The Earl of Kilmorey, PC | Richard Francis Needham | 12 April 1977 |
The Earl of Norbury | Noel Terence Graham-Toler | 24 May 1955 |
The Viscount Valentia | Richard John Dighton Annesley | 16 March 1983 |
The Viscount Dillon | Henry Benedict Charles Dillon | 15 September 1982 |
The Viscount Charlemont | John Day Caulfeild | 14 September 1985 |
The Viscount Molesworth | Robert Bysse Kelham Molesworth | 15 October 1997 |
The Viscount Chetwynd | Adam Richard John Casson Chetwynd | 12 June 1965 |
The Viscount Galway | George Rupert Monckton-Arundell | 30 January 1980 |
The Viscount Ashbrook, JP , DL | Michael Llowarch Warburton Flower | 5 December 1995 |
The Viscount Southwell | Pyers Anthony Joseph Southwell | 18 November 1960 |
The Viscount de Vesci | Thomas Eustace Vesey | 13 October 1983 |
The Viscount Lifford | Edward James Wingfield Hewitt | 6 January 1987 |
The Viscount Bangor | William Maxwell David Ward | 8 May 1993 |
The Viscount Doneraile | Richard Allen St Leger | 22 October 1983 |
The Viscount Harberton | Thomas de Vautort Pomeroy | 25 May 1980 |
The Viscount Hawarden | Robert Connan Wyndham Leslie Maude | 6 September 1991 |
The Viscount Gort | Foley Robert Standish Prendergast Vereker | 6 April 1995 |
The Lord Kingsale | John de Courcy | 7 November 1969 |
The Lord Dunsany | Edward John Carlos Plunkett | 6 February 1999 |
The Lord Trimlestown | Raymond Charles Barnewall | 19 August 1997 |
The Lord Dunboyne | Patrick Theobald Tower Butler | 9 May 1945 |
The Lord Louth | Otway Michael James Oliver Plunkett | 3 February 1950 |
The Lord Inchiquin | Conor Myles John O'Brien | 20 May 1982 |
The Lord Carbery | Peter Ralfe Harrington Evans-Freke | 25 December 1970 |
The Lord Aylmer | Michael Anthony Aylmer | 6 December 1982 |
The Lord Farnham | Barry Owen Somerset Maxwell | 5 February 1957 |
The Lord Lisle | Patrick James Lysaght | 29 December 1997 |
The Lord Newborough | Robert Vaughan Wynn | 11 October 1998 |
The Lord Macdonald | Godfrey James Macdonald | 29 November 1970 |
The Lord Massy | David Harmon Somerset Massy | 5 august 1995 |
The Lord Muskerry | Robert Fitzmaurice Deane | 14 October 1988 |
The Lord Kilmaine | John David Henry Browne | 26 July 1978 |
The Lord Waterpark | Frederick Caryll Phillip Cavendish | 20 November 1948 |
The Lord Graves | Evelyn Paget Graves | 6 June 1994 |
The Lord Huntingfield | Joshua Charles Vanneck | 1 May 1994 |
The Lord Hotham | Henry Durand Hotham | 18 November 1967 |
The Lord Crofton | Guy Patrick Gilbert Crofton | 27 June 1989 |
The Lord ffrench | Robuck John Peter Charles Mario ffrench | 30 January 1986 |
The Lord Langford, OBE , DL | Geoffrey Alexander Rowley-Conwy | 19 August 1953 |
The Lord Dufferin and Claneboye | John Francis Blackwood | 13 November 1991 |
The Lord Ventry | Andrew Harold Wesley Daubeney de Moleyns | 7 March 1987 |
The Lord Dunalley | Henry Francis Cornelius Prittie | 26 June 1992 |
The Lord Clanmorris | Simon John Ward Bingham | 6 August 1988 |
The Lord Ashtown, KCMG | Nigel Clive Cosby Trench | 27 April 1990 |
The Lord Rendlesham | Charles William Brooke Thellusson | 9 October 1999 |
The Lord Castlemaine, MBE | Roland Thomas John Handcock | 31 July 1973 |
The Lord Decies | Marcus Hugh Tristram de la Poer Beresford | 7 November 1992 |
The Lord Garvagh | Alexander Leopold Ivor George Canning | 16 July 1956 |
The Lord Talbot of Malahide, DL | Reginald John Richard Arundell | 20 February 1987 |
The Lord Bellew | James Bryan Bellew | 7 September 1981 |
The Lord Fermoy | Patrick Maurice Burke Roche | 19 August 1984 |
The Lord Rathdonnell | Thomas Benjamin McClintock-Bunbury | 13 October 1959 |
The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the lower house, the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster in London, England. One of the oldest institutions in the world, its origins lie in the early 11th century and the emergence of bicameralism in the 13th century.
Peerages in the United Kingdom form a legal system comprising both hereditary and lifetime titles, composed of various ranks, and within the framework of the Constitution of the United Kingdom form a constituent part of the legislative process and the British honours system. The British monarch is considered the fount of honour and is notionally the only person who can grant peerages, though there are many conventions about how this power is used, especially at the request of the British government. The term peerage can be used both collectively to refer to the entire body of titled nobility, and individually to refer to a specific title. British peerage title holders are termed peers of the Realm.
Marquess of Salisbury is a title in the Peerage of Great Britain. It was created in 1789 for the 7th Earl of Salisbury. Most of the holders of the title have been prominent in British political life over the last two centuries, particularly the 3rd Marquess, who served three times as Prime Minister in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
The Peerage Act 1963 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that permits women peeresses and all Scottish hereditary peers to sit in the House of Lords and allows newly inherited hereditary peerages to be disclaimed.
The Peerage of Great Britain comprises all extant peerages created in the Kingdom of Great Britain between the Acts of Union 1707 and the Acts of Union 1800. It replaced the Peerage of England and the Peerage of Scotland, but was itself replaced by the Peerage of the United Kingdom in 1801.
The Peerage of the United Kingdom is one of the five Peerages in the United Kingdom. It comprises most peerages created in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland after the Acts of Union in 1801, when it replaced the Peerage of Great Britain. New peers continued to be created in the Peerage of Ireland until 1898
The House of Lords Act 1999 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that reformed the House of Lords, one of the chambers of Parliament. The Act was given Royal Assent on 11 November 1999. For centuries, the House of Lords had included several hundred members who inherited their seats ; the Act removed such a right. However, as part of a compromise, the Act did permit ninety-two hereditary peers to remain in the House. Another ten were created life peers to enable them to remain in the House.
Marquess of Cholmondeley is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1815 for George Cholmondeley, 4th Earl of Cholmondeley.
The hereditary peers form part of the peerage in the United Kingdom. As of August 2023, there are 805 hereditary peers: 30 dukes, 34 marquesses, 189 earls, 110 viscounts, and 442 barons.
The history of the British peerage, a system of nobility found in the United Kingdom, stretches over the last thousand years. The current form of the British peerage has been a process of development. While the ranks of baron and earl predate the British peerage itself, the ranks of duke and marquess were introduced to England in the 14th century. The rank of viscount came later, in the mid-15th century. Peers were summoned to Parliament, forming the House of Lords.
In the United Kingdom, life peers are appointed members of the peerage whose titles cannot be inherited, in contrast to hereditary peers. Life peers are appointed by the monarch on the advice of the prime minister. With the exception of the Dukedom of Edinburgh awarded for life to Prince Edward in 2023, all life peerages conferred since 2009 have been created under the Life Peerages Act 1958 with the rank of baron and entitle their holders to sit and vote in the House of Lords, presuming they meet qualifications such as age and citizenship. The legitimate children of a life peer appointed under the Life Peerages Act 1958 are entitled to style themselves with the prefix "The Honourable", although they cannot inherit the peerage itself. Prior to 2009, life peers of baronial rank could also be so created under the Appellate Jurisdiction Act 1876 for senior judges.
The Life Peerages Act 1958 established the modern standards for the creation of life peers by the Sovereign of the United Kingdom.
By-elections to the House of Lords occur when vacancies arise among seats assigned to hereditary peers due to death, resignation, or disqualification. Candidates for these by-elections are limited to holders of hereditary peerages, and their electorates are made up of sitting Lords; in most cases the electorate are those sitting hereditary peers of the same party affiliation as the departed peer.
The House of Lords Reform Act 2014 is an Act of Parliament of the United Kingdom. The Act was a private member's bill. It received royal assent on 14 May 2014. The Act allows members of the House of Lords to retire or resign – actions previously constitutionally impossible for life peers. It also makes provision to exclude members who commit serious criminal offences resulting in a jail sentence of at least one year, and members who fail to attend the House for a whole session. The Act does not have retrospective effect.