Woolsack 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 wool trade routes with continental Europe that the Battle of Crécy was fought with the French
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