Woolsack of Appeal and the Justices of the High Court only attend Parliament for the State Opening. Woolsack The Woolsack is the seat of the Lord Speaker in the House of Lords, the Upper House of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. In the 14th century King Edward III (1327–1377) commanded that his Lord Chancellor whilst in council should sit on a wool bale, now known as "The Woolsack", in order to symbolise the central nature and huge importance of the wool trade to the economy of England in the Middle Ages. Indeed, it was largely to protect the vital English
Judicial functions of the House of Lords Act 1999, members of that House. Theoretically, the Crown, as "fount of honour", is entitled to decide all questions relating to peerage disputes. In practice, however, such decisions are made in contentious cases only after a reference is made to the House of Lords. Under modern procedure, the House of Lords refers the matter to the Committee for Privileges, which until October 2009 included a number of Law Lords. The Law Lords were the ones who give opinions on the case, the other Lords normally concurring therein. However the Law Lords were removed from the House when the Supreme Court