Woolsack in 1346. From the Middle Ages until 2006, the presiding officer in the House of Lords was the Lord Chancellor and the Woolsack was usually mentioned in association with the office of Lord Chancellor. In July 2006, the function of Lord Speaker was split from that of Lord Chancellor pursuant to the Constitutional Reform Act 2005. The Woolsack is a large, wool-stuffed cushion or seat covered with red cloth; it has neither a back nor arms, though in the centre of the Woolsack there is a back-rest. The Lords' Mace is placed on the rear part of the Woolsack. In
Women in the House of Lords Women in the House of Lords The first women in the House of Lords took their seats in 1958, forty years after women were granted the right to stand as MPs in the House of Commons. There are 209 female peers out of 798 in the House of Lords today, up from 199 out of 826 (24%) in 2015, 176 out of 771 (23%) in 2013, and 164 out of 777 (21%) in 2010. Women make up 25% of the total members, compared with 32% for women in the House of Commons. Women were excluded from the House of Lords