The opening of the " Veto " Parliament : Peers taking the oath . Will the next Parliament see a difference in this ceremony ? - Peers taking the oath and suscribing the roll in the House of Lords . This artist's impression represents the formal preliminaries which were observed in the House of Lords . The Lord Chancellor ( Lord Loreburn ) having first taken the oath himself , is seated on the Woolsack while other Peers are taking the oath and subscribing the roll . The custom is for the Peers to present their writs or patents , kneeling on one knee , to the Lord Chancellor . In the drawing the figure facing the Lord Chancellor ( with his back to the spectator ) is that of Viscount Althorp , the Lord Chamberlain . The Earl of Granard , Master of the Horse , is seen suscribing the roll with a quill pen , while on the right Earl Carrington , President of the Board of Agriculture , is kissing the Book before taking the oath . February 1910