ABSTRACT
This chapter explains the history of the House of Lords and its membership. The origins of the House of Lords lie in the councils summoned by English Kings in the eleventh, twelfth and thirteenth centuries, in order to give advice, decide on appeal cases and, under certain circumstances, make financial grants to the King. The House of Lords has, under the Parliament Act 1911, the power to block any Bill attempting to extend the life of a Parliament. This may be seen as no more than a constitutional 'backstop' against a potential abuse of power by government, and the life of a Parliament has indeed been extended in recent history in times of national emergency. The Law Lords also sat as Members of the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council which has jurisdiction to hear appeals from a limited number of Commonwealth countries.
