The Hereditary Peerage Association is a British representative body for hereditary peer

Hereditary peer

Hereditary peers form part of the Peerage in the United Kingdom. There are over seven hundred peers who hold titles that may be inherited. Formerly, most of them were entitled to sit in the House of Lords, but since the House of Lords Act 1999 only ninety-two are permitted to do so...

s in the United Kingdom

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

 formed in the wake of the House of Lords Act 1999

House of Lords Act 1999

The House of Lords Act 1999 was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that was given Royal Assent on 11 November 1999. The Act reformed the House of Lords, one of the chambers of Parliament. For centuries, the House of Lords had included several hundred members who inherited their seats;...

. It came into being in 2002 due to a merger of the "Hereditary Peers" and "TOPs".

Aims

It aims to provide a representative voice for hereditary peers thus attempting to clarify the rights of the remaining peers, and to protect the remaining rights and dignities of the hereditary peerage of the United Kingdom, and those peers whose titles derived from the former Peerages of Great Britain, and of Ireland, and to provide a forum for communication and debate of matters of common concern for members of the peerage. It seeks to maintain a common bond between hereditary peers through its active social events, and to protect and promote the heritage which they collectively represent in a "somewhat unlikely trade union."

In November 2003, the Hereditary Peerage Association responded to the white paper

White paper

A white paper is an authoritative report or guide that helps solve a problem. White papers are used to educate readers and help people make decisions, and are often requested and used in politics, policy, business, and technical fields. In commercial use, the term has also come to refer to...

 Constitutional Reform: next steps for the House of Lords, expressing opposition to the proposed removal of the then 92 remaining hereditary peers. On March 13, 2007, Flora Fraser, 21st Lady Saltoun

Flora Fraser, 21st Lady Saltoun

Marjorie Flora Fraser, 21st Lady SaltounIt has recently been determined that Margaret Abernethy succeeded her brother, Alexander Abernethy, 9th Lord Saltoun in 1668, but only survived him by about 6 weeks and had not been counted in the title's numbering. This new information has resulted in the...

 suggested that the Hereditary Peerage Association could give advice on candidate selection in Peers' elections.

Membership

Membership is open to all hereditary peers, with associate membership open to their heirs

Heir apparent

An heir apparent or heiress apparent is a person who is first in line of succession and cannot be displaced from inheriting, except by a change in the rules of succession....

.

The Joint Chairmen are Viscount Torrington

Viscount Torrington

Viscount Torrington is a title in the Peerage of Great Britain. It was created in 1721 for the statesman Sir George Byng, 1st Baronet, along with the subsidiary title Baron Byng, of Southill in the County of Bedford, also in the Peerage of Great Britain. He had already been created a Baronet, of...

 and Lord Newall, the committee being composed of the latter as well as, Lord Kilmaine

Baron Kilmaine

Baron Kilmaine is a title that has been created twice, both times in the Peerage of Ireland. The first creation came in 1722 in favour of the soldier the Hon. James O'Hara. Two years later he succeeded his father as Baron Tyrawley. However, both titles became extinct on the second Baron Tyrawley's...

, Lord St. Oswald

Baron St Oswald

Baron St Oswald, of Nostell in the County of York, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1885 for the industrialist and Conservative politician Rowland Winn, a former Member of Parliament for North Lincolnshire. His son, the second Baron, represented Pontefract in the...

, the Earl of Erroll, Viscount Trenchard

Hugh Trenchard, 3rd Viscount Trenchard

Hugh Trenchard, 3rd Viscount Trenchard DL is a British soldier and businessman. In 1987, he succeeded to his father's titles...

 and Lord Glanusk

Baron Glanusk

Baron Glanusk, of Glanusk Park in the County of Brecknock, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1899 for Sir Joseph Russell Bailey, 2nd Baronet, who had earlier represented Herefordshire and Hereford in the House of Commons as a Conservative. Both his son, the second...

.

Events

The HPA is active through an array of social events, including a monthly luncheon. On February 28, 2006, Windsor Herald

Windsor Herald

Windsor Herald of Arms in Ordinary is an officer of arms at the College of Arms in London. It has been suggested that the office was instituted specifically for the Order of the Garter in 1348, or that it predates the Order and was in use as early as 1338...

 William Hunt

William Hunt (officer of arms)

William George Hunt, CStJ,TD, FCA is the current Windsor Herald of Arms in Ordinary at the College of Arms in London. Hunt worked for many years in the City of London as a chartered accountant. He was appointed as Portcullis Pursuivant of Arms in Ordinary in 1992 and in 1999 he was appointed as...

 spoke on the subject of the Roll of the Peerage

Roll of the Peerage

The Roll of the Peerage is a public record registering peers in the peerages of England, Scotland, Ireland, Great Britain and the United Kingdom...

before an HPA luncheon.

External links

• hereditarypeers.com
• College of Arms
• Guardian Article on 'Ousted Peers'