Editing Peerages in the United Kingdom (section)

===Precedence within Parliament===
The order of precedence used to determine seating in the House of Lords chamber is governed by the ''[[House of Lords Precedence Act 1539]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.statutelaw.gov.uk/content.aspx?LegType=Act+(Old+English+Parliament)&searchEnacted=0&extentMatchOnly=0&confersPower=0&blanketAmendment=0&sortAlpha=0&PageNumber=1&NavFrom=0&parentActiveTextDocId=1517994&ActiveTextDocId=1517994&filesize=14887|title=House of Lords Precedence Act 1539 (c. 10)|publisher=The UK Statute Law Database|access-date=2007-10-22|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080306063631/http://www.statutelaw.gov.uk/content.aspx?LegType=Act+(Old+English+Parliament)&searchEnacted=0&extentMatchOnly=0&confersPower=0&blanketAmendment=0&sortAlpha=0&PageNumber=1&NavFrom=0&parentActiveTextDocId=1517994&ActiveTextDocId=1517994&filesize=14887|archive-date=2008-03-06}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.parliament.the-stationery-office.co.uk/pa/ld/ldstords/147/14703.htm|title=Standing Orders Of The House Of Lords Relating To Public Business: Appendix|publisher=The House of Lords|date=16 July 2007|access-date=2007-10-22|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081006201806/http://www.parliament.the-stationery-office.co.uk/pa/ld/ldstords/147/14703.htm|archive-date=6 October 2008}}</ref> Precedence as provided by the Act is similar to, but not the same as, the order outside Parliament. The sovereign, however, does not have the authority to change the precedence assigned by the Act.<ref name="velde"/>

Lords Temporal assume precedence similar to precedence outside Parliament. One difference in the precedence of peers relates to the positions of the Great Officers of State and the officers of the sovereign's Household. Some Great Officers—the [[Lord Chancellor]], the [[Lord High Treasurer]], the [[Lord President of the Council]] and the [[Lord Privy Seal]]—provided they are peers, rank before all other peers except those who are of the Blood Royal (no precedence is accorded if they are not peers). The positions of the other Great Officers—the [[Lord Great Chamberlain]], the [[Lord High Constable of England|Lord High Constable]], the [[Earl Marshal]] and the [[Admiralty (United Kingdom)|Lord High Admiral]]—and the officers of the Household—the [[Lord Steward]] and the [[Lord Chamberlain]]—are based on their respective ranks. Thus, if the Lord Steward were a duke, he would precede all dukes, if a marquess, he would precede all marquesses, and so on. If two such officers are of the same rank, the precedence of the offices (reflected by the order in which they are mentioned above) is taken into account: if the Lord Great Chamberlain and Earl Marshal were both marquesses, for example, then the Great Chamberlain would precede the Earl Marshal, as the former office precedes the latter.<ref name="velde"/>

In practice, however, the Act is obsolete, as the Lords do not actually sit according to strict precedence; instead, peers sit with their political parties.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld/ldcomp/compso2010/ldctso04.htm#a16|title=Chapter 1 The House and Its Membership §1.54–1.58|work=Companion to the Standing Orders and guide to the Proceedings of the House of Lords|publisher=United Kingdom Parliament|year=2010|access-date=13 June 2010|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101014192043/http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld/ldcomp/compso2010/ldctso04.htm#a16|archive-date=14 October 2010}}</ref>