The Commons traditionally referred important areas of business to ‘grand’ committees that, in the case of the Long Parliament, endured for years, although it was not unusual for them to lapse and then be revived by the House. These grand committees came in two forms – standing committees of the whole House and select standing committees with memberships nominated by the House. In contrast to ordinary committees of the whole House, which represented a continuation, in committee-form, of its plenary sessions, standing committees usually convened outside of the House’s normal hours of business and on their own authority.

In the majority of cases where it has proved impossible to identify the chairman of a standing committee, these bodies have been omitted from this appendix. The chairmanship of the Long Parliament’s major executive and regional committees is covered elsewhere in this Survey.