This week there are again three questions. The first two readers to submit the correct answers to all three will be declared the winners.
1. The Lords Spiritual comprise the Archbishops of Canterbury and York and the Bishops of Durham, London and Winchester ex officio. The remaining 21 Bishops sit by virtue of their seniority. Of these 21 Bishops, which is presently the most senior and when did he enter the House?
2. There are 149 women peers. How many of these are elected hereditary peers and who are they?
3. By what name is Baron Guerterbock known in the House?
UPDATE: Some readers appear to believe that the Bishop of Salisbury is the most senior of the 21 Bishops. He is the third most senior.
1) The Bishop of Salisbury
2) There’s 2:
Countess of Mar
Lady Saltoun of Abernethy
3) Lord Berkeley
1) Bishop of Salisbury, David Stancliffe 1993
2) Countess of Mar, Lady Saltoun.
3) Lord Berkeley
1. The Bishop of Salisbury, who entered the House in 1998.
2. Five: The Countess of Mar, Baroness Darcy de Knayth, Lady Saltoun, Baroness Strange and Baroness Wharton.
3. Lord Berkeley
1.David Stancliffe the Bishop of Salisbury. who entered the House in 1998.
2.Just two:The Countess of Mar and Lady Saltoun
3. His hereditary title Lord Berkeley
Duly noted: no women on current Register of Hereditary Peerages. Not exactly overpowered by the smell of lavender water now, either.
1. The Lord Bishop of Lincoln, David Stancliffe. Entered the house in 1998, having become Bishop of Lincoln in 1993.
2. Two: The Countess of Mar and Lady Saltoun. Unfortunately, three others elected have since died and been replaced by male peers.
3. Lord Berkeley
I’m going to change my answer to 1) to
The Bishop of Southwark
If it’s not too late:
1. The Lord Bishop of Southwark, Thomas Butler, entered the House in 1997.
My other answers stand as earlier.
Actually, Dods says the Bishop of Southwalk entered the house in 1996. Yet he doesn’t seem to have been introduced until 1998:
http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld199798/ldhansrd/vo981027/text/81027-01.htm
Final answer! He was introduced in the House as the Bishop of Leicester in 1997:
http://hansard.millbanksystems.com/lords/1997/feb/10/the-lord-bishop-of-leicester
We’ve discussed before how bishops have another introduction if they translate seats!
He must have become eligible for a seat at the end of 1996, but didn’t take his seat until February 1997, so it depends which date you count as “entering”!
Isn’t seniority determined by length of time as a bishop rather than time in the Lords?
Thanks for the various responses. The correct answers are:
1. The Bishop of Southwark. He became a Diocesan Bishop in 1991 and (as Jonathan correctly notes) was introduced into the House of Lords in 1997. Of the 21 Bishops sitting by reasons of seniority, the second most senior is the Bishop of Manchester. He became a Diocesan Bishop in 1992 and was introduced into the Lords in 1997. The Bishop of Salisbury became a Diocesan Bishop in 1993 and was introduced into the Lords in 1998.
The 21 Diocesan Bishops sit according to their dates of seniority. When a vacancy arises, it is filled by the senior Diocesan Bishop without a seat, and the vacated See is placed at the foot of the list of those awaiting seats. A point I have previously touched upon, the translation of a Bishop from one See to another does not affect his right to sit in the House. Both the current Bishops of Southwark and Manchester entered the House when holding different Sees.
2. The Countess of Mar and Lady Saltoun. The number was higher – NHolzapfel lists those who were elected hereditaries – but the other three have since died. As ladytizzy has noted, it is a small number – two out of the 92 hereditaries – but relatively few hereditary peerages can pass through the female line.
3. Lord Berkeley. He is one of the hereditary peers on the Labour benches who has returned to the House, not as an elected hereditary but as a life peer. As a life peer, he is Baron Guerterbock, but as is the normal practice is known by his earlier title.
Jonathan, having originally confused Lincoln and Salisbury, did get all the answers correct – including the date of the introduction of the Bishop of Southwark. He is therefore a prizewinner. Congratulations to him. Chris K also got the Bishop of Southwark – but failed to say in what year he was introduced. I think I am going to have to be rather strict, given that the date of introduction was specified in the question. We thus have a single winner this week. Whether we have another winner next week remains to be seen: I have what I think is a killer question lined up….