The House of Lords was unquestionably a powerful force in Charles II's reign. Few writing in 1659 could have predicted that a defunct institution would rise phoenix-like from the ashes of 1649 to assume such a vigorous part in the politics of later Stuart England. Turberville was correct when he wrote, ‘It is clear that the House of Lords emerged from the testing time of the Restoration a much stronger body than might have been anticipated in 1660. The House succeeded in re-establishing itself as an … integral part of the mechanism of the state.’ How the House of Lords exercised its responsibilities between 1660 and 1681 vindicated those who had emphasised the need for a second chamber during the Interregnum.

The Lords provided the most powerful section of the country with an arena for the detailed discussion of national and local issues in the same way as the Commons did for the gentry. Although only a minority, especially privy councillors, played a decisive role in shaping legislation in committee, virtually all peers were involved at some time in discussing legislation that had a direct bearing on their estates or localities. Disaffected magnates too, such as the duke of Buckingham and the earl of Shaftesbury, were able to let off steam in debates rather than in armed uprisings. During the popish plot and succession crisis the Lords acted as a safety-valve for the government, in that ‘opposition’ peers were usefully preoccupied at Westminster investigating the plot and framing legislation against popery.