As readers are well aware, the House of Lords has a diverse membership. We have peers drawn from a range of ethnic, socio-economic and national backgrounds. This week’s quiz is the first of several designed to identify some of the variety in the membership. As usual, the first two readers to supply the correct answers will be the winners. Even if you don’t know all the answers, feel free to have a go.
1. How many married couples sit in the House of Lords? Who are they?
2. Which female cross-bench peer is a former President of the Methodist Conference?
3. Which peer was educated at Worcester College for the Blind and became a law lecturer?
4. Which cross-bench peer is a philosopher who has given the Reith Lectures and been Principal of Newnham College, Cambridge?
1. Lord Thomas of Gresford and Baroness Walmsley; Lord Howe of Aberavon and Baroness Howe of Idlicote; Lord Layard and Baroness Meacher; Viscount Eccles and Baroness Eccles of Moulton; Lord Kinnock and Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead; Lord Bannside and Baroness Paisley of St Georges. So that makes 6.
2. Baroness Richardson of Calow
3. Lord Low of Dalston
4. Baroness O’Neill of Bengarve
1.4
Lord Howe of Aberavon and Baroness Howe of Idlicote
Lord Kinnock and Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead
Lord Layard and Baroness Meacher
Lord Thomas of Gresford and Baroness Walmsley
2.Baroness Richardson of Calow
3.Lord Low of Dalston
4.Baroness O’Neill of Bengarve
1. I may come back to that (I keep on thinking of Commons and Lords marriages)!
2. Baroness Richardson of Calow
3. Lord Low of Dalston
4. Baroness O’Neill of Bengarve – there is both a range of backgrounds but also, if not an embarassment, then a complement of riches.
In answer to Q.1, I’ll go for 5:
Baroness Eccles of Moulton and Viscount Eccles
Baroness Paisley of St George’s and Lord Bannside
Lord Howe of Aberavon and Lady Howe of Idlicote
Lord Kinnock and Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead
Lord Layard and Baroness Meacher
1) There are seven, I think:
-Lord Howe of Aberavon and Baroness Howe of Idlicote
-Lord Kinnock and Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead
-Lord Howarth of Newport and Baroness Hollis of Heigham
-Lord Thomas of Gresford and Baroness Walmsley
-Lord Layard and Baroness Meacher
-Lord Razzall and Baroness Bonham Carter of Yarnbury
-Viscount Eccles and Baroness Eccles of Moulton
2) Baroness Richardson of Calow OBE
3) Lord Low of Dalston
4) Baroness O’Neill of Bengarve
My Lord, I’m slightly more optimistic this week – I remember looking into the married couples in the Lords only last week after the Local Government bill had Lord Howarth of Newport and Baroness Hollis of Heigham debating against it, and then the criminal justice system debate with both Lord Thomas of Gresford and Baroness Walmsley (a debate, coincidentally, with a confidence-inspiring consensus for those of us in favour of the proposed reforms).
Amazing stuff, really.
1) Lord Bannside and Lady Paisley of St/ Geoges’ ;
Viscount Eccles and Viscountess Eccles, Baroness Eccles ;
Lord Thomas of Gresford and Lady Walmsley ;
Lord Razzall and Lady Bonham-Carter of Yarnbury ;
Lord Layard and Lady Meacher ;
Lord and Lady Kinnock ;
Lord Howe of Aberavon and Baroness Howe of Idlicote ;
So 7. I also found some controversy about Lord Howarth of Newport and Lady Hollis of Heigham, but cannot find any evidence that they are actually married.
2) Baroness Richardson of Calow
3) Baron Low of Dalston
4) Baroness O’Neill of Bengarve
1) Eek! 3? (Walmsley and Thomas of Gresford) (Howe)
2) Richardson of Calow
3) Low of Dalston
4) O’Neill of Bengarve
Clearly, Questions 2, 3 and 4 were straightforward and all respondents provided the correct answers: Baroness Richardson of Callow, Lord Low of Dalston and Baroness O’Neill of Bengarve.
However, Question 1 clearly proved tricky. Some of you undershot and some overshot in terms of the number. Some of you have listed peers who are partners rather than married couples: Lord Razall and Baroness Bonham-Carter are partners, as are Lord Howarth of Newport and Baroness Hollis.
There are six married couples in the Lords – those listed by Jonathan. The introduction of Lord Bannside (Ian Paisley), joining his wife Baroness Paisley, brought the number to six. Being strict, given that the question asks how many married couples there are, Jonathan is the only winner this week.