Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1880-11-25
The House of Lords.

The House of Lords.
The House of Lords is composed OF
the lords spiritual and temporal. In the
reign OF Henry III. 123 prelates and only
% temporal lords composed the House
At the time of Henry VIII. the spiritual
and temporal lords were about equal in
number. At the present time the spir-
itual lords are the ArchbishOps Of Cant
erbury and York and "a bishops of the
Church of England. They are lords of
Parliament only, and uot peers. The
lords temporal are dukes, marquises,
earlS, viscounts, and barOns, whose titles
are all hereditary. The title of duke
was first conferred on Edward the Black
Prince, whom Edward III. created Duke
of Cornwall. Marquises were originally
lords of the marches, or borders, and de-
rived their title from the offices held by
them. The first who was created a
marquis was Robert de We're, earl of Ok
ford, in 1I9S. Earls were in existence
before the Conquest, under the title of
earldom, and to these lords the admins
tratiOn of the shires was committed.
After the Conquest they were called
counts. and hence the shiTes were called
counties. ViscOunts were first created
in the reign of Henry VI. and the title
of baron was in existence long before
the Norman Conquest. The number of
the House of Lords is not limited. In
the reign of Henry VII. the temporal
peers were only 90; at the death of Eliz-
Stuarts raised the number TO $50, which
which William III. and Queen Anne still
further increased to les. On the union
of Scotland in 1907, 16 peers of Scotland
were added; and on the union of Ireland
in 1900. 2S peers of Ireland. Since that
time numerous additions have been
made, so that at the present time, in ad-
dition to 26 lords spiritual, there are sit
ting in the House of Lords peers of the
blood royal, 21 dukes, 10 marquises, 113
earls, "a viscounts, 250 barons, IA Scot
tish representatives peers elected for
each Parliament, and 2S Irish elected for
life-making total i'll the House of 500
lords spiritual and temporal. Though
the titles of the lords are hereditary, the
peerage is constantly undergoing changes
resulting from e1tinctions and additions.
OF the sixty peerages in existence at the
death of Elizabeth, forty are now extinct.
The blood of the people is constantly
finding its way into the channels of the
peerage, and new and fresh elements are
taking the place of those which have
died out and disappeared. Drapers, tai
lors, apothecaries, wool dealers, silk
workers, merchants, jewelers., barbers'
goldsmiths, tradesmen, coal dealers,
money lenders and manufacturers were
ancestors of many who now boast of
their noble blood. The most striking in
stances are those of Lord Tenterden, the
grandson of barber; Lord Clifford, the
son of a grocer; Lord Beaconsfield, the
son of an author; Lord Truro, the son of
tradesman, who married the cousin of
the Queen; Lord Eldon, the son of a
coal agent; Lord Clyde, the son of cab
met maker; Lord Ellenborough, the son
of a country clergyman; Lord Ashbur-
ton, merchant, and Lord Lyndhurst,
the son of portrait painter, the Ameri-
can Copley.
In the House of Lords is the throne oc-
cupied by the Queen at the opening of
Parliament, and in front of the throne is
the woelsack occupied by the Lord
Chancellor sort of ottoman with a
sack of wool for seat, an emblem of the
source of England's national wealth. The
spiritual lords and the administrative
party sit on the right, the opposition on
the left, and the neutrals on the cross
benches between the two. A quorum of
the Lords is three, and important meas
ures are often passed with less than
twenty members present. Though the
House of Lords has no power to origin
ate money bills, it has perfect right to
initiate other measures-a right so rare
ry exercised, however, that it is now
generally understood that the province
of the Peers is chiefly to control and
amend projects of legislation which en-
anate from the Commons. The most
distinguishing feature of the Lords is
their judicature, which relates to the
trial of peers, claims of peerage and Off
ces of honor, and contested elections of
peers of Scotland and Ireland. They
constitute the supreme court of judica-
ture, the tribunal of appeal in the last
resort, and the court for trial of cases of
impeachment. Though apparently a
branch of the government representing
the aristocracy, so far from being an ele-
ment from which danger may arise to
the liberties of the people, the House of
Lords serves only as a wholesome regu-
lation to the legislation of the Commons.
w. T. Davis in Harper's Magazine for
December.
The snow has broken up the national