Peers

noblemen of especial rank. In Great Britain and Ireland a peer is a holder of the title of one of the five degrees of nobility. He is a duke, marquis, earl, viscount, or baron. The two English archbishops, as well as the twenty-four bishops entitled to a seat in the House of Lords, are also peers. The House of Lords is called frequently the House of Peers. The peers of Ireland elect twenty-eight of their number to represent them in the House of Lords; the peers of Scotland, sixteen. Peers are created by the sovereign. See Parliament