ghts of the shire, and the burgesses, on the other
hand, combined to form the House of Commons.

[Footnote 138: "The House of Lords not only springs
out of, it actually is, the ancient Witenagemot. I
can see no break between the two." Freeman, Growth
of the English Constitution, 62. Professor Freeman,
it must be remembered, was prone to glorify
Anglo-Saxon institutions and to under-estimate the
changes that were introduced in England through the
agency of the Norman Conquest. For the most recent
statement of the opposing view see Adams, Origin of
the English Constitution, Chaps. 1-4.]

*102. Princes of the Blood and Hereditary Peers.*--In respect to its
fundamental constitution the House of Lords has undergone but slight
modification during the many centuries of its existence. In respect,
however, to the composition and size of the body changes have been
numerous and important. There are in the chamber to-day at least six
distinct groups of members, sitting by various rights and possessing
a status which is by no means identical. The first comprises (p. 098)
princes of the royal blood who are of age. The number of these is
variable, but of course never large. They take precedence of the other
nobility, but in point of fact seldom participate in the proceedings
of the Chamber. The second group is the most important of all. It
comprises the peers with hereditary seats and is itself divided
properly into three groups: the peers of England created before the
union with Scotland in 1707, the peers of Great Britain created
between the date mentioned and the union with Ireland in 1801, and the
peers of the United Kingdom created since that date. Technically,
peers are created by the crown; but in practice their creation is
controlled largely by the premier; and the act may be performed for
the purpose of honoring men of distinction in law, letters, science,
or business, or for the more practical purpose of altering the
political complexion of the upper chamber.[139] The power to create
peerages is unlimited[140] and, this being the only means by which the
membership of the body can be increased at discretion, the power is
one which is not infrequently exercised. Originally the right to sit
as a peer was conferred simply by an individ