List of Lord Chancellors and Lord Keepers
The following is a list of Lord Chancellors and Lord Keepers of the Great Seal of England and Great Britain.
Lord Chancellors and Lord Keepers of England, 1068–1707
- Herfast (1068–1070)
- Osmund (1070–1078)
- Maurice, Archdeacon of Le Mans (1078–1085)
- Gerard, Preceptor of Rouen (1085–1092), later Archbishop of York
- Robert Bloet (1092–1093)
- William Giffard (1093–1101)
- Roger of Salisbury (1101–1102)
- Waldric (1102–1107)
- Ranulf (1107–1123)
- Geoffrey Rufus (1123–1133)
- Robert de Sigello (1133–1135) (Keeper of the Great Seal)
- Roger le Poer (1135–1139)
- Philip de Harcourt, Dean of Lincoln (1139–1140)
- Robert of Ghent, Dean of York (1140–1141)
- William FitzGilbert (1141–1142)
- William de Vere (1142)
- Robert of Ghent, Dean of York (1142–1154)
- Thomas Becket, Archdeacon of Canterbury (1155–1162)
- Geoffrey Ridel, Archdeacon of Canterbury (1162–1173)
- Ralph de Warneville, Treasurer of York (1173–1181)
- Geoffrey, the Bastard, Plantagenet (1181–1189)
- William Longchamp, Bishop of Ely (1189–1197)
- Eustace, Dean of Salisbury (1197–1199) (Keeper of the Great Seal)
- Hubert Walter, Archbishop of Canterbury (1199–1205)
- Walter de Gray (1205–1214)
- Richard Marsh (1214–1226)
- Ralph Neville (1226–1240)
- Richard le Gras, Abbot of Evesham (1240–1242)
- Ralph Neville (1242–1244)
- Silvester de Everdon, Archdeacon of Chester (1244–1246) (Keeper of the Great Seal)
- John Maunsell, Provost of Beverley (1246–1247) (Keeper of the Great Seal)
- Sir John Lexington (1247–1248) (Keeper of the Great Seal)
- John Maunsell (1248–1249) (Keeper of the Great Seal)
- Sir John Lexington (1249–1250) (Keeper of the Great Seal)
- William of Kilkenny (1250–1255) (Keeper of the Great Seal)
- Henry Wingham (1255–1260)
- Nicholas of Ely, Archdeacon of Ely (1260–1261)
- Walter de Merton, Archdeacon of Bath (1261–1263)
- Nicholas of Ely, Archdeacon of Ely (1263)
- John Chishull, Archdeacon of London (1263–1264)
- Thomas Cantilupe, Archdeacon of Stafford (1264–1265)
- Ralph Sandwich (1265) (Keeper of the Great Seal)
- Walter Giffard, Bishop of Bath and Wells (1265–1266)
- Godfrey Giffard, Archdeacon of Wells (1266–1268)
- John Chishull, Dean of St Paul's (1268–1269)
- Richard Middleton, Archdeacon of Northumberland (1269–1272)
- Walter de Merton, Archdeacon of Bath (1272–1274)
- Robert Burnell, Bishop of Bath (1274–1292)
- John Langton, Canon of Lincoln (1292–1302)
- William Greenfield, Dean of Chichester (1302–1305)
- William Hamilton, Dean of York (1305–1307)
- Ralph Baldock, Bishop of London (1307)
- John Langton, Bishop of Chichester (1307–1310)
- Walter Reynolds, Bishop of Worcester (1310–1314)
- John Sandale, Canon of Lincoln (1314–1318)
- John Hotham, Bishop of Ely (1318–1320)
- John Salmon, Bishop of Norwich (1320–1323)
- Robert Baldock, Archdeacon of Middlesex (1323–1327)
- John Hotham, Bishop of Ely (1327–1328)
- Henry Burghersh, Bishop of Lincoln (1328–1330)
- John de Stratford, Bishop of Winchester (1330–1334)
- Richard Bury, Bishop of Durham (1334–1335)
- John de Stratford, Archbishop of Canterbury (1335–1337)
- Robert de Stratford, Bishop of Chichester (1337–1338)
- Richard Bintworth, Bishop of London (1338–1339)
- John de Stratford, Archbishop of Canterbury (1340)
- Sir Robert Bourchier (1340–1341)
- Sir Robert Parning (1341–1343)
- Sir Robert Sadington (1343–1345)
- John de Ufford, Dean of Lincoln (1345–1349)
- John Thoresby, Bishop of Worcester (1349–1356)
- William Edington, Bishop of Winchester (1356–1363)
- Simon Langham, Bishop of Ely (1363–1367)
- William of Wykeham, Bishop of Winchester (1367–1371)
- Sir Robert Thorpe (1371–1372)
- Sir John Knyvet (1372–1377)
- Adam Houghton, Bishop of St David's (1377–1378)
- Richard Scrope, 1st Baron Scrope of Bolton (1378–1380)
- Simon Sudbury, Archbishop of Canterbury (1380–1381)
- Hugh Segrave (1381) (Keeper of the Great Seal)
- William Courtenay, Bishop of London (1381)
- Richard Scrope, 1st Baron Scrope of Bolton (1381–1382)
- Robert Braybrooke, Bishop of London (1382–1383)
- Michael de la Pole, 1st Earl of Suffolk (1383–1386)
- Thomas Arundel, Bishop of Ely (1386–1389)
- William of Wykeham, Bishop of Winchester (1389–1391)
- Thomas Arundel, Archbishop of York (1391–1396)
- Edmund Stafford, Bishop of Exeter (1396–1399)
- Thomas Arundel, Archbishop of Canterbury (1399)
- John Scarle, Archdeacon of Lincoln (1399–1401)
- Edmund Stafford, Bishop of Exeter (1401–1403)
- Henry Beaufort, Bishop of Lincoln (1403–1405)
- Thomas Langley, Dean of York (1405–1407)
- Thomas Arundel, Archbishop of Canterbury (1407–1410)
- Sir Thomas Beaufort (1410–1412)
- Thomas Arundel, Archbishop of Canterbury (1412–1413)
- Henry Beaufort, Bishop of Winchester (1413–1417)
- Thomas Langley, Bishop of Durham (1417–1424)
- Henry Beaufort, Bishop of Winchester (1424–1426)
- John Kemp, Archbishop of York (1426–1432)
- John Stafford, Bishop of Bath (later Archbishop of Canterbury) (1432–1450)
- John Kemp, Archbishop of York (1450–1454)
- Richard Neville, 5th Earl of Salisbury (1454–1455)
- Thomas Bourchier, Archbishop of Canterbury (1455–1456)
- William Waynflete, Bishop of Winchester (1456–1460)
- George Neville, Bishop of Exeter (1460–1467)
- Robert Stillington, Bishop of Bath (1467–1470)
- George Neville, Archbishop of York (1470–1471)
- Robert Stillington, Bishop of Bath (1471–1473)
- Laurence Booth, Bishop of Durham (1473–1475)
- John Alcock, Bishop of Rochester (1475)
- Thomas Rotheram, Bishop of Lincoln (1475–1483)
- John Russell, Bishop of Lincoln (1483–1485)
- Thomas Rotheram, Archbishop of York (1485)
- John Alcock, Bishop of Worcester (1485–1487)
- John Morton, Archbishop of Canterbury (1487–1500)
- Henry Deane, Archbishop of Canterbury (1500–1502) (Keeper of the Great Seal)
- William Warham, Archbishop of Canterbury (1502–1515) (Keeper of the Great Seal to 1504)
- Thomas Wolsey, Cardinal Archbishop of York (1515–1529)
- Sir Thomas More (1529–1532)
- Thomas Audley, 1st Baron Audley of Walden (1532–1544)
- Thomas Wriothesley, 1st Baron Wriothesley (1544–1547)
- William Paulet, 1st Baron St John (1547) (Keeper of the Great Seal)
- Richard Rich, 1st Baron Rich (1547–1551)
- Thomas Goodrich, Bishop of Ely (1552–1553)
- Stephen Gardiner, Bishop of Winchester (1553–1555)
- Nicholas Heath, Archbishop of York (1555–1558)
- Sir Nicholas Bacon (1558–1579) (Lord Keeper)
- Sir Thomas Bromley (1579–1587) (Lord Keeper)
- Sir Christopher Hatton (1587–1591) (Lord Keeper)
- In Commission (1591–1592)
- Commissioners of the Great Seal
- Commissioners to hear causes
- Sir John Puckering (1592–1596) (Lord Keeper)
- Sir Thomas Egerton, later 1st Baron Ellesmere and then 1st Viscount Brackley (May 6, 1596–March 5, 1617) (Lord Keeper to July 19, 1603)
- Francis Bacon, 1st Baron Verulam (1617–1621) (Lord Keeper to 1618)
- In Commission (1621)
- Commissioners to hear causes in the Court of Chancery
- Commissioners to hear causes in the House of Lords
- Commissioners to use the Great Seal
- John Williams, Bishop of Lincoln (1621–1625) (Lord Keeper)
- Thomas Coventry, 1st Baron Coventry (1625–1640) (Lord Keeper)
- John Finch, 1st Baron Finch (1640–1641) (Lord Keeper)
- Edward Littleton, 1st Baron Lyttleton of Mounslow (1641–1645) (Lord Keeper) (Took Great Seal to King, 1642)
- Sir Richard Lane (1645–1650) (Lord Keeper) (Great Seal captured and destroyed by Parliament, 11 August 1646)
- (New Parliamentary Great Seal) in Commission (Nov 1643 to Oct 1646)
- (Great Seal) in Commission (1646–1649)
- Sir Edward Herbert (1653–1654) (Lord Keeper)
- Edward Hyde, 1st Earl of Clarendon (1658–1667)
- Sir Orlando Bridgeman (1667–1672) (Lord Keeper)
- Anthony Ashley-Cooper, 1st Earl of Shaftesbury (1672–1673)
- Heneage Finch, 1st Earl of Nottingham (1673–1682) (Lord Keeper to 1675)
- Francis North, 1st Baron Guilford (1682–1685) (Lord Keeper)
- George Jeffreys, 1st Baron Jeffreys (1685–1688)
- In Commission (1689–1690)
- In Commission (1690–1693)
- John Somers, 1st Baron Somers (1693–1700) (Lord Keeper to 1697)
- In Commission (1700)
- Sir Nathan Wright (1700–1705) (Lord Keeper)
- William Cowper, 1st Baron Cowper (1705–1707) (Lord Keeper)
Lord High Chancellors and Lord Keepers of Great Britain, 1707–present
Notes:
1: Yorke, who had been associated with the opposition, was persuaded to accept appointment as Lord Chancellor and was to have been created Baron Morden. However on meeting with his erstwhile opposition colleagues he became ashamed of his action. He refused to sign the patent conferring the peerage on himself and then committed suicide.
2: Jack Straw was the first person to have been a Member of Parliament for the whole of his tenure of the post of Lord Chancellor, although a few previous Lord Chancellors had been MPs when appointed.
See also
References
- ^ Geoffrey Treasure, ‘Cowper, William, first Earl Cowper (1665–1723)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, Sept 2004; online edn, Jan 2009 accessed 27 March 2009
John Haydn and Horace Ockerby, The Book of Dignities, third edition, W.H. Allen and Co. Ltd, London 1894, reprinted Firecrest Publishing Limited, Bath 1969, p. 352-358
External links