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The Chancellor of the High Court is the head of the Chancery Division of the High Court of Justice of England and Wales. Before October 2005, when certain provisions of the Constitutional Reform Act 2005 took effect, the office was known as the Vice-Chancellor. He nominally acted as the Lord Chancellor's deputy in the English and Welsh legal system; however, he was in effect the head of the Chancery Division. Despite the change of title, the duties of the office did not change.
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The judges of the Court of Chancery (apart from the Lord Chancellor and the Master of the Rolls), before the creation of the High Court of Justice of England and Wales in 1873-75, held the title of Vice-Chancellor. The first of them was appointed in 1813 and two more such posts were added in 1842. After the Judicature Acts of the 1870s Vice-Chancellors were not appointed, and judges of the Chancery Division were styled "Mr. Justice ..." like other judges of the High Court (this style had previously been used for judges of the common law courts).
A similar position was held by Hedges Eyre Chatterton as Vice-Chancellor of Ireland from 1867 to 1904 in the High Court of Justice (Ireland) Chancery Division, as deputy to the Lord Chancellor of Ireland.
In 1971 the office of Vice-Chancellor was recreated, to be the Vice President of the Chancery Division of the High Court.
Sir Robert Andrew Morritt became the Vice-Chancellor in July 2000 and is the first Chancellor of the High Court.
A similar position existed in Ireland between 1867 and 1904 when the office was abolished; surprisingly throughout that period it was held by one man, Hedges Eyre Chatterton.