Online Encyclopedia

Search over 40,000 articles from the original, classic Encyclopedia Britannica, 11th Edition.

WOOLSACK

Online Encyclopedia
Originally appearing in Volume V28, Page 818 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
» Make a correction to this article.
» Add information or comments to this article.
Spread the word: del.icio.us del.icio.us it!

WOOLSACK , i.e. a See also:

sack or See also:cushion stuffed with See also:wool, a name more particularly given to the seat of the See also:lord See also:chancellor in the See also:House of Lords. It is a large square cushion of wool, without back or arms, covered with red See also:cloth. It is stated to have been placed in the House of Lords in the reign of See also:Edward III. to re-mind the peers of the importance of the wool See also:trade of See also:England. The earliest legislative mention, however, is in an See also:act of See also:Henry VIII. (c. ro s. 8) : " The lord chancellor, lord treasurer and all other See also:officers who shall be under the degree of a See also:baron of a See also:parliament shall sit and be placed at the uppermost See also:part of the sacks in the midst of the said parliament chamber, either there to sit 1mnn nine See also:form or See also:canon the uppermost sack." The woolsack istechnically outside the precincts of the house, and the lord chancellor, wishing to speak in a debate, has to advance to his See also:place as a peer.

End of Article: WOOLSACK

Additional information and Comments

There are no comments yet for this article.
» Add information or comments to this article.
Please link directly to this article:
Highlight the code below, right click, and select "copy." Then paste it into your website, email, or other HTML.
Site content, images, and layout Copyright © 2006 - Net Industries, worldwide.
Do not copy, download, transfer, or otherwise replicate the site content in whole or in part.

Links to articles and home page are always encouraged.

[back]
WOOLNER, THOMAS (1825-1892) 		[next]
WOOLSEY, THEODORE DWIGHT (18or—1889)

Site © 2006 - Net Industries