woolsack

[ woo l-sak ]

/ ˈwʊlˌsæk /

a sack or bag of wool.

British.

(in the House of Lords) one of a number of cloth-covered seats or divans stuffed with wool, for the use of judges, especially one for the Lord Chancellor.
the Lord Chancellor's office.

Origin of woolsack

Middle English word dating back to 1250–1300; see origin at wool, sack¹

He then resumed his seat on the woolsack, and communicated to the assembled peers the nature of the message.

Beacon Lights of History, Volume X |John Lord
"He was, certainly, when he was on the woolsack," said Sir Henry.

The Bertrams |Anthony Trollope
A harsher course might have led to ruin—the milder one was the stepping-stone to the woolsack and a peerage.

Nuts to crack; or Quips, quirks, anecdote and facete of Oxford and Cambridge Scholars |Richard Gooch
I came in late, and did not go immediately into the body of the House, but stood just behind the woolsack.

Life of Lord Byron, Vol. II |Thomas Moore

And the prudent brothers went with a light heart to the play, and so eventually to the Bench and the Woolsack.

Collections and Recollections |George William Erskine Russell

woolsack

/ (ˈwʊlˌsæk) /

a sack containing or intended to contain wool

(in Britain) the seat of the Lord Chancellor in the House of Lords, formerly made of a large square sack of wool