The Woolsack is the seat of the
Lord Speaker
The Lord Speaker is the presiding officer, chairman and highest authority of the House of Lords in the Parliament of the United Kingdom. The office is analogous to the Speaker of the House of Commons: the Lord Speaker is elected by the membe ...
in the
House of Lords
The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the lower house, the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster in London, England. One of the oldest ext ...
, the
Upper House
An upper house is one of two Legislative chamber, chambers of a bicameralism, bicameral legislature, the other chamber being the lower house. The house formally designated as the upper house is usually smaller and often has more restricted p ...
of the
Parliament of the United Kingdom
The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body of the United Kingdom, and may also legislate for the Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories. It meets at the Palace ...
. Before 2006, it was the seat of the
Lord Chancellor
The Lord Chancellor, formally titled Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain, is a senior minister of the Crown within the Government of the United Kingdom. The lord chancellor is the minister of justice for England and Wales and the highest-ra ...
, who presided as the
presiding officer of the House. The Woolsack’s status in the House was enshrined in the first standing orders in 1621.
History
In the 14th century, King
Edward III
Edward III (13 November 1312 – 21 June 1377), also known as Edward of Windsor before his accession, was King of England from January 1327 until his death in 1377. He is noted for his military success and for restoring royal authority after t ...
(1327–1377) said that his Lord Chancellor, while in council, should sit on a
wool bale
A wool bale is a standard sized and weighted pack of classed wool compressed by the mechanical means of a wool press. This is the regulation required method of packaging for wool, to keep it uncontaminated and readily identifiable. A "bale of wool" ...
, now known as "The Woolsack", to symbolise the central nature and great importance of the wool trade to the
economy of England in the Middle Ages
The economy of England in the Middle Ages, from the Norman conquest of England, Norman invasion in 1066, to the death of Henry VII of England, Henry VII in 1509, was fundamentally agricultural, though even before the invasion the local ma ...
.
Indeed, it was largely to protect the vital
English wool trade routes with continental Europe that the
Battle of Crécy
The Battle of Crécy took place on 26 August 1346 in northern France between a French army commanded by King PhilipVI and an English army led by King Edward III. The French attacked the English while they were traversing northern France ...
was fought with the French in 1346.
In 1938, it was discovered that the Woolsack was stuffed with horsehair. When it was remade, it was re-stuffed with wool from the
British Isles
The British Isles are an archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean off the north-western coast of continental Europe, consisting of the islands of Great Britain, Ireland, the Isle of Man, the Inner Hebrides, Inner and Outer Hebr ...
and 15 countries across the
Commonwealth
A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the 15th century. Originally a phrase (the common-wealth ...
, supplied by the
International Wool Secretariat, as a symbol of the country's trading routes overseas.
From the
Middle Ages
In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...
until 2006, the presiding officer in the House of Lords was the
Lord Chancellor
The Lord Chancellor, formally titled Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain, is a senior minister of the Crown within the Government of the United Kingdom. The lord chancellor is the minister of justice for England and Wales and the highest-ra ...
, and the Woolsack was usually mentioned in association with the office of Lord Chancellor. In July of that year, the function of
Lord Speaker
The Lord Speaker is the presiding officer, chairman and highest authority of the House of Lords in the Parliament of the United Kingdom. The office is analogous to the Speaker of the House of Commons: the Lord Speaker is elected by the membe ...
was split from that of Lord Chancellor under the
Constitutional Reform Act 2005
The Constitutional Reform Act 2005 (c. 4) is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, relevant to UK constitutional law. It provides for a Supreme Court of the United Kingdom to take over the previous appellate jurisdiction of the Law ...
, with the former now sitting on the Woolsack.
Until 1949, Canada's
Senate
A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...
had a judges' woolsack. At the behest of
Jean-François Pouliot, an MP from
Quebec
Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...
, who decried the use of a cushion on which the
Supreme Court of Canada
The Supreme Court of Canada (SCC; , ) is the highest court in the judicial system of Canada. It comprises nine justices, whose decisions are the ultimate application of Canadian law, and grants permission to between 40 and 75 litigants eac ...
's judges had to sprawl "like urchins," the woolsack was eventually abolished and replaced with conventional chairs. The original woolsack is still extant.
Ceremonial role
The Woolsack is a large,
wool
Wool is the textile fiber obtained from sheep and other mammals, especially goats, rabbits, and camelids. The term may also refer to inorganic materials, such as mineral wool and glass wool, that have some properties similar to animal w ...
-stuffed
cushion covered with a layer of red
baize; it has neither a back nor arms, though, in the centre of the Woolsack, there is a back-rest. The four corners of the Woolsack are decorated with
tassels, as inspired by the
Tudor Rose, a motif used in the House of Lords.
The Lords'
Mace is placed on the rear part of the Woolsack whenever the House is in session, as a symbol of the Monarch's authority and presence. The mace is however not placed when the Monarch is in the House of Lords during the
State Opening of Parliament
The State Opening of Parliament is a ceremonial event which formally marks the beginning of each Legislative session, session of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. At its core is His or Her Majesty's "Speech from the throne, gracious speech ...
. The mace is on loan from the
Royal Collection
The Royal Collection of the British royal family is the largest private art collection in the world.
Spread among 13 occupied and historic List of British royal residences, royal residences in the United Kingdom, the collection is owned by King ...
.
The Lord Speaker may speak from the Woolsack when speaking in their capacity as Speaker of the House but, if seeking to debate, must deliver their remarks either from the left side of the Woolsack or from the normal seats of the Lords.
If a Deputy Speaker presides in the absence of the Lord Speaker, then that individual uses the Woolsack. However, when the House meets in the "
Committee of the Whole
A committee of the whole is a meeting of a legislative or deliberative assembly using procedural rules that are based on those of a committee, except that in this case the committee includes all members of the assembly. As with other (standing) ...
", the Woolsack remains unoccupied, and the presiding officer, the Chairman or Deputy Chairman, occupies a chair at the front of the
table of the House.
To keep dignity and order, members of the House must not pass between the woolsack and any member who is speaking or between the woolsack and the clerk's table. If members wish to talk to each other while the House is sitting, they are not permitted to speak behind the woolsack and must retire to the
Prince's Chamber.
In front of the Woolsack are two even larger cushions known as the Judges' Woolsack.
[ - Plan of the chamber including the location of Judges Woolsack] Any member of the House can sit on these two cushions during sessions.
During the
State Opening of Parliament
The State Opening of Parliament is a ceremonial event which formally marks the beginning of each Legislative session, session of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. At its core is His or Her Majesty's "Speech from the throne, gracious speech ...
, the Judges' Woolsack is occupied by the
Lord Chief Justice
The Lord or Lady Chief Justice of England and Wales is the head of the judiciary of England and Wales and the president of the courts of England and Wales.
Until 2005 the lord chief justice was the second-most senior judge of the English a ...
, the
Master of the Rolls
The Keeper or Master of the Rolls and Records of the Chancery of England, known as the Master of the Rolls, is the President of the Court of Appeal (England and Wales)#Civil Division, Civil Division of the Court of Appeal of England and Wales ...
, the
President of the King's Bench Division, the
President of the Family Division
The President of the Family Division is the head of the Family Division of the High Court of Justice in England and Wales and head of Family Justice. The Family Division was created in 1971 when Admiralty and contentious probate cases were remove ...
, the
Chancellor of the High Court
The chancellor of the High Court is the head of the Chancery Division of the High Court of Justice of England and Wales. This judge and the other two heads of divisions (Family and King's Bench) sit by virtue of their offices often, as and wh ...
, the
Lords Justices of Appeal and the
Justices of the High Court, all of whom are summoned by writ to attend.
The
Justices of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom, who are likewise summoned to attend the State Opening, are seated nearby, as their predecessors the
Law Lords
Lords of Appeal in Ordinary, commonly known as Law Lords, were judges appointed under the Appellate Jurisdiction Act 1876 to the British House of Lords, as a committee of the House, effectively to exercise the judicial functions of the House of ...
formerly sat on the benches as
Lords Temporal
The Lords Temporal are secular members of the House of Lords, the upper house of the British Parliament. These can be either life peers or hereditary peers, although the hereditary right to sit in the House of Lords was abolished for all but n ...
.
Mentions in popular culture
Gilbert and Sullivan's comic opera ''
Iolanthe
''Iolanthe; or, The Peer and the Peri'' () is a comic opera with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert, first performed in 1882. It is one of the Savoy operas and is the seventh of fourteen operatic collaborations by Gilbert ...
'' is partially set in the grounds of the
Palace of Westminster
The Palace of Westminster is the meeting place of the Parliament of the United Kingdom and is located in London, England. It is commonly called the Houses of Parliament after the House of Commons and the House of Lords, the two legislative ch ...
, the meeting place of the House of Lords, and the Lords appear as the male chorus and a fictional Lord Chancellor is a main character. The entire house, as well as the Lord Chancellor, have become attracted to Phyllis, a ward of chancery. The Lord Chancellor laments that propriety would not allow him to marry his ward, no matter how strongly he may care for her. He describes his position this way: "Ah, my Lords, it is indeed painful to have to sit upon a woolsack which is stuffed with such thorns as these!"
In ''
Uncommon Law'' by
A. P. Herbert, the newly-appointed Lady Chancellor finds the Woolsack uncomfortable and orders it replaced with a chair. Only after it has been removed does one of her fellow Law Lords mention that she should not have been sitting on the Woolsack when presiding on an appeal.
Notes
References
*
*
*
*
The Judges' Woolsackat the UK Parliament site. URL accessed 30 April 2011
The Interior of the House of Lordsat an archived version of the Explore Parliament website. URL accessed 28 February 2011. See also th
image at full resolution The woolsacks are the large, low, rectangular objects in front of the throne, surrounded by ropes. *
*
*
*
External links
*
{{coord, 51, 29, 55.7, N, 0, 07, 29.5, W, region:GB_scale:5000, display=title
House of Lords
Irish House of Lords
Senate of Canada
Seats
Upholstery
Wool
Individual chairs