 Women were immediately eligible and four were among the first life peers appointed.However, hereditary peeresses continued to be excluded until the passage of the Peerage Act 1963.Since the passage of the House of Lords Act 1999, hereditary peeresses remain eligible for election to the Upper House; until her resignation on 1 May 2020, there was one (Margaret of Mar, 31st Countess of Mar) among the 90 hereditary peers who continue to sit.