List of excepted hereditary peers
Under the reforms of the House of Lords Act 1999, the majority of hereditary peers lost the right to sit as members of the House of Lords, the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Section 2 of the Act, however, provides an exception from this general exclusion of membership for up to 92 hereditary peers: 90 to be elected by the House, as well as the holders of two royal offices, the Earl Marshal and the Lord Great Chamberlain, who sit as ex officio members. The initial cohort of excepted hereditary peers were elected in the 1999 [House of Lords elections]. Between 1999 and November 2002, vacancies among this group were filled by runners-up in the 1999 election. Since then, by-elections to the House of Lords have filled vacancies.
Candidature for both the 1999 elections and subsequent by-elections is restricted to peers in the Peerages of England, Scotland, Great Britain and the United Kingdom. Peers in the Peerage of Ireland are only eligible for election if they hold a title in one of the other peerages, but if successful may use their Irish peerage title as a member of the House. The electorates are either the whole membership of the House of Lords, or a party group of sitting hereditary peers. A standing order of the House, approved prior to the commencement of the House of Lords Act 1999, mandates that the 90 elected hereditary peers consist of:
- 2 peers elected by the Labour hereditary peers
- 42 peers elected by the Conservative hereditary peers
- 3 peers elected by the Liberal Democrat hereditary peers
- 28 peers elected by the crossbench hereditary peers
- 15 peers elected by the whole House
These numbers elected by each group reflected the relative strengths of the parties among hereditary peers in 1999; this allocation has remained unchanged since then. The fifteen peers elected by the whole House were intended to provide a group of experienced members ready to serve as deputy speakers or other officers.
A small number of hereditary peers sit in the Lords by virtue of their being granted life peerages. These are not listed below.
In 2024, the Starmer ministry put forth the House of Lords (Hereditary Peers) Bill, which would expel the hereditary peers from the House.
''Ex officio'' members
Earl Marshal
The Earl Marshal is an hereditary post held by the Duke of Norfolk.Lord Great Chamberlain
The Lord Great Chamberlain is an hereditary office in gross post among the Cholmondeley, Heathcote-Drummond-Willoughby and Carington families.In 1902 it was ruled by the House of Lords that the then joint office holders had to agree on a deputy to exercise the office, subject to the approval of the Sovereign. Should there be no such agreement, the Sovereign should appoint a deputy until an agreement be reached.
In 1912 an agreement was reached. The office, or right to appoint the person to exercise the office, would thereafter rotate among the three joint office holders and their heirs after them, changing at the start of each successive reign. Cholmondeley and his heirs would serve in every other reign; Ancaster and Carrington would each serve once in four reigns.
Elected by the whole House
Resigned
Pursuant to section 1 of House of Lords Reform Act 2014Elected by the Conservative hereditary peers
Resigned Conservative peers
Pursuant to section 1 of House of Lords Reform Act 2014| Hereditary peer and title used in the Lords | First sat | Elected | Replacing | Resigned | Died |
| Arthur Lawson Johnston, 3rd Baron Luke | 1996 | 1999 | 24.06.2015 | 2 10 2015 | |
| Robin Dixon, 3rd Baron Glentoran | 1995 | 1999 | 01.06.2018 | ||
| John Palmer, 4th Earl of Selborne Left party to become non-affiliated in 2019 | 1971 | 1999 | 26.03.2020 | 12.02.2021 | |
| Bertram Bowyer, 2nd Baron Denham | 1949 | 1999 | 26.04.2021 | 01.12.2021 | |
| Matthew White Ridley, 5th Viscount Ridley | 2013 | 6 2 2013 | Robert Shirley, 13th Earl Ferrers | 17.12.2021 | |
| Robin Cayzer, 3rd Baron Rotherwick | 1996 | 1999 | 1 2 2022 | ||
| Ivon Moore-Brabazon, 3rd Baron Brabazon of Tara | 1976 | 1999 | 28 4 2022 | ||
| John Astor, 3rd Baron Astor of Hever | 1984 | 1999 | 22 7 2022 |
Removed Conservative peers
Pursuant to section 2 of House of Lords Reform Act 2014| Hereditary peer and title used in the Lords | First sat | Elected | Replacing | Removed | Died |
| Malcolm Mitchell-Thomson, 3rd Baron Selsdon | 1963 | 1999 | 11 5 2021 | 18 9 2024 | |
| David Verney, 21st Baron Willoughby de Broke Joined UKIP in 2007; non-affiliated from 2018 | 1986 | 1999 | 9 July 2024 | - |
Elected by the Crossbencher hereditary peers
Resigned Crossbench peers
Pursuant to section 1 of House of Lords Reform Act 2014Removed Crossbench peers
Pursuant to section 2 of House of Lords Reform Act 2014| Hereditary peer and title used in the Lords | First sat | Elected | Replacing | Removed | Died |
| Thomas Bridges, 2nd Baron Bridges | 1969 | 1999 | 18 5 2016 | 27 5 2017 |
Current party composition
, the party affiliations of the elected hereditary peers are as follows:- One additional hereditary peer is an ex officio ''member of the Lords: Duke of Norfolk.''