Peerage Act 1963
The Peerage Act 1963 is the Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that permitted women peeresses and all Scottish hereditary peers to sit in the House of Lords, and which allows newly inherited hereditary peerages to be disclaimed.
Background
The Act resulted largely from the protests of one man, the Labour politician Tony Benn, then the 2nd Viscount Stansgate. Under British law at the time, peers of the United Kingdom were automatically members of the House of Lords and could not sit in, or vote in elections for, the other chamber, the House of Commons. When William Wedgwood Benn, Tony Benn's father, agreed to accept the Viscountcy, he ascertained that the heir-apparent, his eldest son Michael, did not plan to enter the House of Commons. However, within a few years of the peerage being accepted, Michael Benn was killed in action in the Second World War. Tony Benn, his younger brother, became heir-apparent to the peerage and was elected to the House of Commons in 1950. Not wishing to leave it for the other House, he campaigned through the 1950s for a change in the law. In 1960, the 1st Viscount died and Tony Benn inherited the title, automatically losing his seat in the House of Commons as a member for the constituency of Bristol South East. In the ensuing by-election, however, Benn was re-elected to the Commons, despite being disqualified. An election court ruled that he could not take his seat, instead awarding it to the runner-up, the Conservative Malcolm St Clair. In 1963, the Conservative Government agreed to introduce a Peerage Bill, allowing individuals to disclaim peerages; it received Royal Assent on 31 July 1963. Tony Benn was the first peer to make use of the Act. St Clair, fulfilling a promise he had made at the time of taking his seat, accepted the office of Steward of the Manor of Northstead the previous day, thereby disqualifying himself from the House, and Benn was then re-elected in Bristol South East at the ensuing by-election.Disclaiming peerages
To disclaim a hereditary peerage, the peer must deliver an instrument of disclaimer to the Lord Chancellor within one year of succeeding to the peerage, or within one year after the passage of the Act, or, if under the age of 21 at the time of succession, before the peer's 22nd birthday. If, at the time of succession, the peer is a member of the House of Commons, then the instrument must be delivered within one month of succession, and until such an instrument is delivered, the peer may neither sit nor vote in the lower House. Prior to the House of Lords Act 1999, a hereditary peer could not disclaim a peerage after having applied for a writ of summons to Parliament; now, however, hereditary peers do not have the automatic right to a writ of summons to the House. A peer who disclaims the peerage loses all titles, rights and privileges associated with the peerage; if they are married, so does their spouse. No further hereditary peerage may be conferred upon the person, but a life peerage may be. The peerage remains without a holder until the death of the peer who had made the disclaimer, when it descends to his or her heir in the usual manner.The one-year window after the passage of the Act soon proved to be of importance at the highest levels of British politics, after the resignation of Harold Macmillan as Prime Minister in October 1963. Two hereditary peers wished to be considered to replace him, but by this time it was considered requisite that a Prime Minister sit in the Commons. Quintin Hogg, 2nd Viscount Hailsham and Alec Douglas-Home, 14th Earl of Home took advantage of the Act to disclaim their peerages, despite having inherited them in 1950 and 1951 respectively. Douglas-Home was chosen as Prime Minister; both men later returned to the House of Lords as life peers.
Since the abolition in 1999 of the general right of hereditary peers to sit in the House of Lords, and the consequent removal of the general disability of such peers to sit in or vote for the House of Commons, it is no longer necessary for hereditary peers to disclaim their peerages for this purpose. In 2001, John Sinclair, 3rd Viscount Thurso became the first British hereditary peer to be elected to the Commons and take his seat. Later that year, Douglas Hogg inherited the peerage his father had disclaimed, but did not have to disclaim it himself to continue sitting in the House of Commons. In 2004, Michael Ancram became Marquess of Lothian on the death of his father, and was also able to continue sitting as an MP. On their retirements from the House of Commons, Ancram and Hogg entered the House of Lords as life peers, while Thurso was elected as an excepted hereditary peer after losing reelection as an MP. Since the chief purpose for the Act ended in 1999, only one disclaimer has occurred — Christopher Silkin disclaimed the title 3rd Baron Silkin in 2002.
The Act only applies to titles held in the Peerage of England, the Peerage of Scotland, the Peerage of Great Britain, and the Peerage of the United Kingdom. No provision was made by the Act for titles in the Peerage of Ireland to be disclaimed, as the entitlement of new Irish representative peers to be elected to sit in the House of Lords was considered to have lapsed after most of Ireland became independent in 1922.
Other provisions
The Act granted Peers of Scotland the same right to sit in the House of Lords as Peers of England, Great Britain or the United Kingdom, thereby ending the election of representative peers, thereby increasing their number in the Lords from 16 to about 115.An amendment that would have allowed Irish peers to sit in the House as well was defeated by ninety votes to eight.
The Act removed the disqualification of Peers of Ireland, by virtue of an Irish peerage, to vote in elections for members of the House of Commons; and to sit in the British House of Commons without losing the privilege of peerage.
The Act also granted suo jure hereditary women peers the right to sit in the House of Lords, which introduced twelve new women to the House. This was not the first time that women were members of the House of Lords; the Life Peerages Act 1958 allowed all life peers to sit in the House. The 2nd Baroness Ravensdale had already entered the Lords in 1958 through the receipt of a life peerage. The women who took their seats in the House after the Peerage Act 1963 and before the House of Lords Act 1999 were:
| Title | Name | Date inherited Peerage | Date took seat | Date left House of Lords | Ref. |
 The Baroness Strange of Knokin | Elizabeth Philipps, Viscountess St Davids | 23 February 1921 | 19 November 1963 | 12 December 1974 | |
| The Baroness Audley | Rosina MacNamee | 3 July 1963 | 20 November 1963 | 24 October 1973 | |
| The Baroness Beaumont | Mona Fitzalan-Howard, Baroness Howard of Glossop | 1 June 1896 | 4 December 1963 | 31 August 1971 | |
 The Lady Kinloss | Mary Freeman-Grenville | 17 October 1944 | 18 February 1964 | 11 November 1999 | |
| The Countess of Erroll | Diana Hay | 24 January 1941 | 29 July 1964 | 16 May 1978 | |
| The Lady Nairne | Katherine Bigham, Viscountess Mersey | 3 June 1927 | 27 October 1964 | 20 October 1995 | |
| The Lady Sempill | Ann Forbes-Sempill | 30 December 1965 | 19 July 1966 | 6 July 1995 | |
| The Baroness Berkeley | Mary Foley-Berkeley | 5 April 1967 | 10 May 1967 | 17 October 1992 | |
| The Countess of Loudoun | Barbara Abney-Hastings | 24 February 1960 | 22 June 1967 | 11 November 1999 | |
| The Lady Ruthven of Freeland | Bridget Monckton, Viscountess Monckton of Brenchley | 6 April 1956 | 26 October 1967 | 17 April 1982 | |
| The Countess of Sutherland | Elizabeth Sutherland | 1 January 1963 | 27 March 1968 | 11 November 1999 | |
| The Baroness Darcy de Knayth | Davina Ingrams | 23 March 1943 | 15 July 1969 | 24 February 2008 | |
| The Baroness Dacre | Rachel Douglas-Home | 24 February 1970 | 28 May 1970 | 11 November 1999 | |
 The Baroness Portal of Hungerford | Rosemary Portal | 22 April 1971 | 26 April 1972 | 29 September 1990 | |
| The Baroness Dudley | Barbara Hamilton | 19 April 1972 | 23 May 1973 | 11 November 1999 | |
| The Baroness Lucas | Anne Palmer | 3 November 1958 | 10 June 1975 | 31 December 1991 | |
| The Countess of Mar | Margaret of Mar | 21 April 1975 | 28 October 1975 | 1 May 2020 | |
| The Lady Saltoun | Marjorie Fraser | 3 December 1979 | 13 December 1979 | 12 December 2014 | |
| The Baroness Braye | Mary Aubrey-Fletcher | 19 December 1985 | 09 April 1986 | 11 November 1999 | |
| The Baroness Strange | Jean Drummond of Megginch | 10 December 1986 | 17 December 1986 | 11 March 2005 | |
| The Countess Mountbatten of Burma | Patricia Knatchbull, Baroness Brabourne | 27 August 1979 | 8 July 1987 | 11 November 1999 | |
| The Baroness Wharton | Myrtle Robertson | 4 April 1990 | 25 June 1990 | 15 May 2000 | |
| The Baroness Willoughby de Eresby | Jane Heathcote-Drummond-Willoughby | 29 March 1983 | 25 January 1994 | 11 November 1999 | |
| The Baroness Berners | Pamela Kirkham | 30 June 1995 | 25 October 1995 | 11 November 1999 | |
| The Baroness Arlington | Jennifer Forwood | 28 April 1999 | 27 May 1999 | 11 November 1999 |
| Title | Name | Date inherited Peerage |
| The Baroness Furnivall | Rosamund Dent | 3 May 1913 |
| The Countess of Seafield | Nina Caroline Studley-Herbert | 12 November 1915 |
| The Baroness Zouche | Mary Frankland | 7 April 1917 |
| The Countess of Dysart | Wenefryde Scott | 22 November 1935 |
| The Baroness Berners | Vera Williams | 19 April 1950 |
| The Baroness de Ros | Georgiana Maxwell | 9 August 1958 |
| The Countess of Kintore | Ethel Keith-Falconer, Viscountess Stonehaven | 26 May 1966 |
| The Baroness Wharton | Elisabeth Kemeys-Tynte | 22 July 1969 |
| The Lady Herries of Terregles | Anne Fitzalan-Howard | 31 January 1975 |
| The Countess of Dysart | Rosamund Greaves | 2 June 1975 |
List of disclaimed peerages
| Title | Disclaimed by; life | Time disclaimed | Notes | Ref. |
| Viscount Stansgate | Tony Benn 2nd Viscount 1925–2014 | 1963 to 2014 | Extant; inherited in 2014 by Stephen Benn, 3rd Viscount Stansgate | |
| Baron Altrincham | John Grigg 2nd Baron 1924–2001 | 1963 to 2001 | Extant; inherited in 2001 by Anthony Grigg, 3rd Baron Altrincham | |
| Earl of Home | Sir Alec Douglas-Home 14th Earl 1903–1995 | 1963 to 1995 | Extant; inherited in 1995 by David Douglas-Home, 15th Earl of Home | |
| Viscount Hailsham | Quintin Hogg 2nd Viscount 1907–2001 | 1963 to 2001 | Extant; inherited in 2001 by Douglas Martin Hogg, 3rd Viscount Hailsham | |
 Baron Southampton | Charles FitzRoy 5th Baron 1904–1989 | 1964 to 1989 | Extant; inherited in 1989 by Charles FitzRoy, 6th Baron Southampton | |
| Baron Monkswell | William Collier 4th Baron 1913–1984 | 1964 to 1984 | Extant; inherited in 1984 by Gerard Collier, 5th Baron Monkswell | |
| Baron Beaverbrook | Sir Max Aitken, Bt. 2nd Baron 1910–1985 | 1964 to 1985 | Extant; inherited in 1985 by Maxwell Aitken, 3rd Baron Beaverbrook | |
| Earl of Sandwich | Victor Montagu 10th Earl 1906–1995 | 1964 to 1995 | Extant; inherited in 1995 by John Montagu, 11th Earl of Sandwich | |
| Baron Fraser of Allander | Sir Hugh Fraser, Bt. 2nd Baron 1936–1987 | 1966 to 1987 | Extinct 1987 | |
| Earl of Durham | Antony Lambton 6th Earl 1922–2006 | 1970 to 2006 | Extant; inherited in 2006 by Edward Lambton, 7th Earl of Durham | |
| Baron Sanderson of Ayot | Alan Lindsay Sanderson 2nd Baron born 1931 | Since 1971 | ||
| Baron Reith | Christopher Reith 2nd Baron 1928–2016 | 1972 to 2016 | Extant; inherited in 2016 by James Reith, 3rd Baron Reith | |
| Baron Silkin | Arthur Silkin 2nd Baron 1916–2001 | 1972 to 2001 | Inherited in 2001 by Christopher Silkin, 3rd Baron Silkin, who also disclaimed the peerage | |
| Baron Archibald | George Christopher Archibald 2nd Baron 1926–1996 | 1975 to 1996 | Extinct 1996 | |
| Baron Merthyr | Trevor Lewis 4th Baron 1935–2015 | 1977 to 2015 | Extant; inherited in 2015 by David Lewis, 5th Baron Merthyr | |
| Earl of Selkirk | Lord James Douglas-Hamilton 11th Earl born 1942 | Since 1994 | ||
| Viscount Camrose | Michael Berry, Baron Hartwell 3rd Viscount 1911–2001 | 1995 to 2001 | Extant; inherited in 2001 by Adrian Berry, 4th Viscount Camrose | |
| Baron Silkin | Christopher Silkin 3rd Baron born 1947 | Since 2002 |
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