Archbishops and bishops of the Church of England sit in the House of Lords as ‘Lords Spiritual’. Their presence in the British parliament, an inheritance from its English predecessors, can be dated from at least the post-Norman curia regis. Because of this long continuity in the legislature – broken only briefly by expulsion during the civil war and Interregnum – the bishops acquired a special place in the House. Most notably, they occupy specially embellished benches – the ‘bishops’ benches’ – to the right of the throne. This is suggestive not only of their proximity to the monarchy in its dual role of supreme governorship of the Church of England and head of state, but also of the ‘higher’ responsibilities which legislators are expected to take into consideration. These higher responsibilities are reaffirmed each day that the House sits by a Christian prayer, usually delivered by a member of the bishops’ bench, which precedes the start of business. Such is their constitutional distinction that according to the House of Lords’ Standing Orders, Lords Spiritual are not technically ‘peers’, like other members of the House, but ‘Lords of the Realm’.

The Anglican archbishops and bishops are not the only spiritual leaders to be found in the House. Since the first creation of ‘life peers’ in 1958, leaders of various non-Anglican denominations, non-Christian faiths and ethical creeds have obtained a presence in the House of Lords. Yet these differ in standing from the Lords Spiritual in significant ways. The elevation of life peers is arranged on the advice of the prime minister through a less-than-transparent process in which the candidates’ personal distinction is balanced against partisan political interest. Once elevated, life peers of a ‘spiritual’ bent might, if they wish, sever connection to institutional religion, renounce their faith and abandon their convictions, and yet retain their full right of admittance to the House. This is not so for the Lords Spiritual. Under the process established by the Bishopric of Manchester Act (1847), the holders of the five most prestigious diocesan seats in the Church of England – the ‘great sees’ of Canterbury, York, London, Durham and Winchester – receive a writ of summons on an ex officio basis. The remaining twenty-one seats are allocated according to a bishop's length of tenure.