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ThePeerage Bill was a 1719 measure proposed by the BritishWhig government led byJames Stanhope, 1st Earl Stanhope, andCharles Spencer, 3rd Earl of Sunderland, which would have largely halted the creation of newpeerages, limiting membership of theHouse of Lords.[1]
It was inspired by a desire to prevent a repeat of the 1711 creation of twelve Tory peers, known widely as "Harley's Dozen", in order to secure the passage of thepeace treaty with France through the Whig-dominated Lords. Following theWhig Split of 1717 there was also a wish to stop thePrince of Wales who backed the renegade Whigs, once he became King, from packing the house with his own supporters.[2]
The proposal had an attraction to existingaristocrats both Tory and Whig. However,Robert Walpole rallied opposition to it and successfully appealed toMPs by arguing the bill would deny them and their families the opportunity of ever being allowed to join the aristocracy. He also mocked Stanhope, who had recently been made a Lord, for being "desirous to shut the door after him".[3] Tories also strongly opposed the measure, includingRobert Harley who criticised the proposal as potentially underminingBritain's constitution.[4]
The bill led to a public dispute betweenJoseph Addison andRichard Steele, former friends and collaborators onThe Spectator and both Whig members of theKit-Kat Club. Addison supported the Bill while Steele opposed it.
The proposal was finally defeated in theHouse of Commons on 8 December 1719.[5] The following year Walpole and his opposition Whig allies rejoined the government, ending the party's split. Membership of the house gradually expanded over the century, and Walpole himself joined the house asLord Orford in 1742 following his record 21 years as prime minister.