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. It also includes a list of commissioners of Parliament's Great Seal during the English Civil War and Interregnum.

Lord chancellors and lord keepers of England, 1050–1707

11th century

• Regenbald (1050 – after 1066)
• Herfast (1068–1070)
• Saint Osmund, count of Sées and bishop of Salisbury (c. 1070)
• Maurice, Archdeacon of Le Mans (c. 1078)
• Gerard, Preceptor of Rouen, later Archbishop of York (c. 1085 – before 1091)
• Robert Bloet (after January 1091)
• William Giffard (1094–1101)

12th century

• 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)
• Robert of Ghent, Dean of York (1142–1154)
• Thomas Becket, Archdeacon of Canterbury, later Archbishop 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)
• Eustace, Dean of Salisbury (1198–1199)

13th century

• Hubert Walter, Archbishop of Canterbury (1199–1205)
• Walter de Gray, at various times Bishop of Lichfield, Bishop of Worcester, Archbishop of York (1205–1214)
• Richard Marsh, later Bishop of Durham (1214–1226)
• Ralph Neville, Bishop of Chichester (1226–1240)
• Richard le Gras, Abbot of Evesham (1240–1242)
• Ralph Neville, Bishop of Chichester (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)
• John Lexington (1247–1248) (Keeper of the Great Seal)
• John Maunsell (1248–1249) (Keeper of the Great Seal)
• John Lexington (1249–1253) (Keeper of the Great Seal)
• Eleanor of Provence,[1][a] Queen Consort and Regent of England (1253–1254) (Keeper of the Great Seal)
• William of Kilkenny (1254–1255) (Keeper of the Great Seal)
• Henry Wingham, from 1259/1260 Bishop of London (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)
• Thomas Bek, Archdeacon of Dorset (1279) (Keeper of the Great Seal)
• John Langton, Canon of Lincoln (1292–1302)

14th century

• 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 (1323–1326)
• William Ayermin, Bishop of Norwich (1326–1327)
• 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)
• Robert de Stratford, Bishop of Chichester (1340)
• Robert Bourchier, 1st Baron Bourchier (1340–1341)
• Robert Parning (1341–1343)
• 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)
• Robert Thorpe (1371–1372)
• John Knyvet (1372–1377)
• Adam Houghton, Bishop of St David's (1377–1378)
• Lord 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)
• Lord Scrope of Bolton (1381–1382)
• Robert Braybrooke, Bishop of London (1382–1383)
• Lord de la Pole (later 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)

15th century

• 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)
• 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 (1473–1474)
• John Alcock, Bishop of Rochester (1475) (Keeper of the Great Seal)
• 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 (1485–1486)
• John Morton, Cardinal Archbishop of Canterbury (1486–1500)

1500–1654

Image	Name	Term of office		Monarch (reign)
	Henry Deane, Archbishop of Canterbury, Keeper	1500	1502	Henry VII (1485–1509)
	William Warham, Archbishop of Canterbury, Keeper to 1504	1502	1515
				Henry VIII (1509–1547)
	Thomas Wolsey, Cardinal Archbishop of York	1515	1529
	Thomas More[b]	1529	1532
	Thomas Audley (Lord Audley of Walden from 1538)[b]	1532	1544
	Lord Wriothesley	1544	1547
				Edward VI (1547–1553)
	Lord St John, Keeper	1547	1547
	Lord Rich[b]	1547	1551
	Thomas Goodrich, Bishop of Ely	1552	1553
	Stephen Gardiner, Bishop of Winchester	1553	1555	Mary I (1553–1558)
	Nicholas Heath, Archbishop of York	1555	1558
	Nicholas Bacon, Lord Keeper	1558	1579	Elizabeth I (1558–1603)
	Thomas Bromley	1579	1587
	Christopher Hatton	1587	1591
	In commission: Commissioners of the Great Seal Lord Burghley Lord Hunsdon Lord Cobham Lord Buckhurst Commissioners to hear causes Gilbert Gerard and others	1591	1592
	John Puckering, Lord Keeper[b]	1592	1596
	Thomas Egerton, Lord Keeper to 19 July 1603 (Lord Ellesmere from 1603; Viscount Brackley from 1616)	6 May 1596	5 March 1617
				James I (1603–1625)
	Francis Bacon, Lord Keeper to 1618 (Lord Verulam from 1618 Viscount St Alban from 1621)	7 March 1617	1621
	In commission: Commissioners to hear causes in the Court of Chancery Julius Caesar and others Commissioners to hear causes in the House of Lords James Ley and others Commissioners to use the Great Seal Viscount Mandeville Duke of Lennox Earl of Arundel	1621	1621
	John Williams, Bishop of Lincoln, Lord Keeper	1621	1625
	Thomas Coventry, Lord Keeper (Lord Coventry from 1628)	1625	1640	Charles I (1625–1649)
	Lord Finch, Lord Keeper[b]	1640	1641
	Lord Lyttleton of Mounslow, Lord Keeper (Took Great Seal to the King in 1642)	1641	1645
	Richard Lane, Lord Keeper	1645	1650
				Charles II Court in exile from 1649
Vacant		1650	1653
	Edward Herbert, Lord Keeper	1653	1654

The Great Seal was captured and destroyed by Parliament on 11 August 1646.

Commissioners of Parliament's Great Seal 1643–1660

Image	Name[2]	Term
	In commission: Earl of Kent Earl of Bolingbroke died July 1646 Oliver St John John Wilde Samuel Browne Edmund Prideaux Earl of Salisbury replacing Bolingbroke	Nov 1643 – Oct 1646
	In commission: Earl of Salisbury Earl of Manchester William Lenthall (as Speaker of the House of Commons)	1646–1648
	In commission: Earl of Kent Lord Grey of Werke Thomas Widdrington Bulstrode Whitelocke	1648–1649
	In commission: Bulstrode Whitelocke John Lisle Richard Keble	1649–1654
	In commission: Bulstrode Whitelocke Thomas Widdrington John Lisle	1654–1656
	In commission: Nathaniel Fiennes John Lisle	1656–1659
	In commission: Nathaniel Fiennes John Lisle Bulstrode Whitelocke	January–June 1659
	In commission: John Bradshaw Thomas Tyrrell John Fountaine	June 1659 – 1660
	In commission: William Lenthall Thomas Widdrington Thomas Tyrrell John Fountaine Earl of Manchester	1660–1660

From the Restoration (1660) to the Act of Union (1707)

Lord Chancellor and Lord Keeper		Term of office		Other peerage(s)	Monarch (reign)
	Edward Hyde	13 January 1658	30 August 1667	Baron Hyde in 1660 Earl of Clarendon in 1661	Charles II (1660–1685)
	Orlando Bridgeman[c]	31 August 1667	17 November 1672	—
	Anthony Ashley Cooper 1st Earl of Shaftesbury	17 November 1672	9 November 1673
	Heneage Finch (Lord Keeper until 1675) (Lord Finch from 10 January 1673, Earl of Nottingham from 12 May 1681)	9 November 1673	18 December 1682^†	—
	Francis North[c]	20 December 1682	5 September 1685^†	Baron Guilford in 1683
					James II (1685–1688)
	Lord Jeffreys	28 September 1685	December 1688	—
	In commission: John Maynard Anthony Keck William Rawlinson	4 March 1689	14 May 1690	—	Mary II (1689–1694) & William III (1689–1702)
	In commission: John Trevor William Rawlinson George Hutchins	14 May 1690	22 March 1693	—
	John Somers (Lord Keeper until 1697) (Lord Somers from 1697)	23 March 1693	27 April 1700	—
	In commission: John Holt, Lord Chief Justice George Treby, Chief Justice of the Common Pleas Edward Ward, Chief Baron of the Exchequer	27 April 1700	31 May 1700	—
	Nathan Wright[c]	31 May 1700	11 October 1705	—
					Anne (1702–1714)
	William Cowper[c]	11 October 1705	4 May 1707	Baron Cowper in 1706

Lord high chancellors and lord keepers of Great Britain (1707–present)

Tory        Whig        Conservative        Liberal        Labour        National Labour        National Liberal
High Chancellor and Lord Keeper			Term of office		Party	Ministry	Other peerage(s)	Monarch (Reign)
		William Cowper 1st Baron Cowper	4 May 1707	23 September 1710[3]	—	Godolphin–Marlborough	see below	Anne (1702–1714)
						Oxford–Bolingbroke
		In commission: Thomas Trevor, Chief Justice of the Common Pleas Robert Tracy, Justice of the Common Pleas John Scrope, Baron of the Exchequer	26 September 1710	19 October 1710	—		—
		Simon Harcourt 1st Baron Harcourt[d]	19 October 1710	21 September 1714	Tory		Viscount Harcourt in 1721
		William Cowper 1st Baron Cowper	21 September 1714	15 April 1718	—	Townshend	Earl Cowper in 1718	George I (1714–1727)
						Stanhope–Sunderland I
		In commission: Robert Tracy, Justice of the Common Pleas John Pratt, Justice of the King's Bench James Montagu, Baron of the Exchequer	18 April 1718	12 May 1718	—	Stanhope–Sunderland II	—
		Thomas Parker 1st Baron Parker	12 May 1718	7 January 1725	Whig		Earl of Macclesfield in 1721
						Walpole–Townshend
		In commission: Joseph Jekyll, Master of the Rolls Jeffrey Gilbert, Baron of the Exchequer Robert Raymond, Lord Chief Justice of the King's Bench	7 January 1725	1 June 1725	—		—
		Peter King 1st Baron King	1 June 1725	29 November 1733	—		—
								George II (1727–1760)
						Walpole
		Charles Talbot 1st Baron Talbot	29 November 1733	14 February 1737^†	—		—
		Philip Yorke 1st Baron Hardwicke	21 February 1737	19 November 1756	Whig		Earl of Hardwicke in 1754
						Carteret
						Broad Bottom (I & II)
						Newcastle I
		In commission: John Willes, Chief Justice of the Common Pleas Sidney Stafford Smythe, Baron of the Exchequer John Eardley Wilmot, Justice of the King's Bench	19 November 1756	30 June 1757	—	Pitt–Devonshire	—
						1757 Caretaker
		Robert Henley 1st Baron Henley[e]	30 June 1757	30 July 1766	Whig	Pitt–Newcastle	Earl of Northington in 1764
								George III (1760–1820) [f]
						Bute
						Grenville (Whig–Tory)
						Rockingham I
		Charles Pratt 1st Baron Camden	30 July 1766	17 January 1770	Whig	Chatham (Whig–Tory)	Earl Camden in 1786
						Grafton (Whig–Tory)
		Charles Yorke MP for Cambridge University	17 January 1770	20 January 1770^†	Whig		[g]
		In commission: Sidney Stafford Smythe, Baron of the Exchequer Henry Bathurst, Justice of the Common Pleas Richard Aston, Justice of the King's Bench	21 January 1770	23 January 1771	—	North	—
		Henry Bathurst 1st Baron Apsley	23 January 1771	3 June 1778	Tory		Succeeded as Earl Bathurst in 1775
		Edward Thurlow 1st Baron Thurlow	3 June 1778	7 April 1783	Tory
						Rockingham II	see below
						Shelburne (Whig–Tory)
		In commission: Lord Loughborough, Chief Justice of the Common Pleas William Henry Ashurst, Justice of the King's Bench Beaumont Hotham, Baron of the Exchequer	9 April 1783	23 December 1783	—	Fox–North (Whig–Tory)	—
		Edward Thurlow 1st Baron Thurlow	23 December 1783	15 June 1792	Tory	Pitt I	Baron Thurlow in 1792
		In commission: James Eyre, Chief Baron of the Exchequer William Henry Ashurst, Justice of the King's Bench John Wilson, Justice of the Common Pleas	15 June 1792	28 January 1793	—		—
		Alexander Wedderburn 1st Baron Loughborough	28 January 1793	14 April 1801	—		Earl of Rosslyn in 1801
		John Scott 1st Baron Eldon	14 April 1801	7 February 1806	Tory	Addington	see below
						Pitt II
		Thomas Erskine 1st Baron Erskine	7 February 1806	1 April 1807	Whig	All the Talents (Whig–Tory)	—
		John Scott 1st Baron Eldon	1 April 1807	12 April 1827	Tory	Portland II	Earl of Eldon in 1821
						Perceval
						Liverpool
								George IV (1820–1830)
		John Copley 1st Baron Lyndhurst	2 May 1827	24 November 1830	Tory	Canning (Canningite–Whig)	—
						Goderich (Canningite–Whig)
						Wellington–Peel
								William IV (1830–1837)
		Henry Brougham 1st Baron Brougham and Vaux	24 November 1830	21 November 1834	Whig	Grey	Baron Brougham and Vaux in 1860
						Melbourne I
		John Copley 1st Baron Lyndhurst	21 November 1834	8 April 1835	Conservative	Wellington Caretaker	—
						Peel I
		In commission: Charles Pepys, Master of the Rolls Lancelot Shadwell, Vice-Chancellor of England John Bosanquet, Justice of the Common Pleas	23 April 1835	16 January 1836	—	Melbourne II	—
		Charles Pepys 1st Baron Cottenham	16 January 1836	30 August 1841	Whig		see below
								Victoria (1837–1901)
		John Copley 1st Baron Lyndhurst	3 September 1841	27 June 1846	Conservative	Peel II	—
		Charles Pepys 1st Baron Cottenham	6 July 1846	19 June 1850	Whig	Russell I	Earl of Cottenham in 1850
		In commission: Lord Langdale, Master of the Rolls Lancelot Shadwell, Vice Chancellor of England Robert Rolfe, Baron of the Exchequer	19 June 1850	15 July 1850	—		—
		Thomas Wilde 1st Baron Truro	15 July 1850	21 February 1852	Whig		—
		Edward Sugden 1st Baron St Leonards[h]	27 February 1852	17 December 1852	Conservative	Who? Who?	—
		Robert Rolfe 1st Baron Cranworth	28 December 1852	21 February 1858	Whig	Aberdeen (Peelite–Whig)	—
						Palmerston I
		Frederic Thesiger 1st Baron Chelmsford	26 February 1858	11 June 1859	Conservative	Derby–Disraeli II	—
		John Campbell 1st Baron Campbell[h]	18 June 1859	24 June 1861	Liberal	Palmerston II	—
		Richard Bethell 1st Baron Westbury	26 June 1861	7 July 1865	Liberal		—
		Robert Rolfe 1st Baron Cranworth	7 July 1865	26 June 1866	Liberal		—
						Russell II
		Frederic Thesiger 1st Baron Chelmsford	6 July 1866	29 February 1868	Conservative	Derby–Disraeli III	—
		Hugh Cairns 1st Baron Cairns	29 February 1868	1 December 1868	Conservative		see below
		William Wood 1st Baron Hatherley	9 December 1868	15 October 1872	Liberal	Gladstone I	—
		Roundell Palmer 1st Baron Selborne	15 October 1872	17 February 1874	Liberal		see below
		Hugh Cairns 1st Baron Cairns	21 February 1874	21 April 1880	Conservative	Disraeli II	Earl Cairns in 1878
		Roundell Palmer 1st Baron Selborne	28 April 1880	9 June 1885	Liberal	Gladstone II	Earl of Selborne in 1882
		Hardinge Giffard 1st Baron Halsbury	24 June 1885	28 January 1886	Conservative	Salisbury I	see below
		Farrer Herschell 1st Baron Herschell	6 February 1886	20 July 1886	Liberal	Gladstone III	—
		Hardinge Giffard 1st Baron Halsbury	3 August 1886	11 August 1892	Conservative	Salisbury II	—
		Farrer Herschell 1st Baron Herschell	18 August 1892	21 June 1895	Liberal	Gladstone IV	—
						Rosebery
		Hardinge Giffard 1st Baron Halsbury	29 June 1895	4 December 1905	Conservative	Salisbury (III & IV) (Con.–Lib.U.)	Earl of Halsbury in 1898
								Edward VII (1901–1910)
						Balfour (Con.–Lib.U.)
		Robert Reid 1st Baron Loreburn	10 December 1905	10 June 1912	Liberal	Campbell-Bannerman	Earl Loreburn in 1911
						Asquith (I–III)
								George V (1910–1936)
		Richard Haldane 1st Viscount Haldane	10 June 1912	25 May 1915	Liberal		—
		Stanley Buckmaster 1st Baron Buckmaster	25 May 1915	5 December 1916	Liberal	Asquith Coalition (Lib.–Con.–Lab.)	Viscount Buckmaster in 1933
		Robert Finlay 1st Baron Finlay	10 December 1916	10 January 1919	Conservative	Lloyd George (I & II) (Lib.–Con.–Lab.)	Viscount Finlay in 1919
		F. E. Smith 1st Baron Birkenhead	10 January 1919	19 October 1922	Conservative		Viscount Birkenhead in 1921 Earl of Birkenhead in 1922
		George Cave 1st Viscount Cave	24 October 1922	22 January 1924	Conservative	Law	—
						Baldwin I
		Richard Haldane 1st Viscount Haldane	22 January 1924	6 November 1924	Labour	MacDonald I	—
		George Cave 1st Viscount Cave	6 November 1924	28 March 1928	Conservative	Baldwin II	—
		Douglas Hogg 1st Baron Hailsham	28 March 1928	4 June 1929	Conservative		Viscount Hailsham in 1929
		John Sankey 1st Baron Sankey	7 June 1929	7 June 1935	Labour	MacDonald II	Viscount Sankey in 1932
					National Labour	National I (N.Lab.–Con.–N.Lib. –Lib.
						National II (N.Lab.–Con.–N.Lib. –Lib. until 1932)
		Douglas Hogg 1st Viscount Hailsham	7 June 1935	9 March 1938	Conservative	National III (Con.–N.Lab.–N.Lib.)	—
								Edward VIII (1936)
						National IV (Con.–N.Lab.–N.Lib.)		George VI (1936–1952)
		Frederic Maugham Baron Maugham	9 March 1938	3 September 1939	Conservative		Viscount Maugham in 1939
		Thomas Inskip 1st Viscount Caldecote	3 September 1939	12 May 1940	Conservative	Chamberlain War (Con.–N.Lab.–N.Lib.)	—
		John Simon 1st Viscount Simon	10 May 1940	27 July 1945	National Liberal	Churchill War (All parties)	—
						Churchill Caretaker (Con.–N.Lib.)
		William Jowitt 1st Baron Jowitt	27 July 1945	26 October 1951	Labour	Attlee (I & II)	Viscount Jowitt in 1947 Earl Jowitt in 1951
		Gavin Simonds Baron Simonds	30 October 1951	18 October 1954	Conservative	Churchill III	Baron Simonds in 1952 Viscount Simonds in 1954
								Elizabeth II (1952–2022)
		David Maxwell Fyfe 1st Viscount Kilmuir	18 October 1954	13 July 1962	Conservative		Earl of Kilmuir in 1962
						Eden
						Macmillan (I & II)
		Reginald Manningham-Buller 1st Baron Dilhorne	13 July 1962	16 October 1964	Conservative		Viscount Dilhorne in 1962
						Douglas-Home
		Gerald Gardiner Baron Gardiner	16 October 1964	19 June 1970	Labour	Wilson (I & II)	—
		Quintin Hogg Baron Hailsham of St Marylebone	20 June 1970	4 March 1974	Conservative	Heath	—
		Frederick Elwyn Jones Baron Elwyn-Jones	5 March 1974	4 May 1979	Labour	Wilson (III & IV)	—
						Callaghan
		Quintin Hogg Baron Hailsham of St Marylebone	4 May 1979	13 June 1987	Conservative	Thatcher I	—
						Thatcher II
		Michael Havers Baron Havers	13 June 1987	26 October 1987	Conservative	Thatcher III	—
		James Mackay Baron Mackay of Clashfern	28 October 1987	2 May 1997	Conservative		—
						Major I
						Major II
		Derry Irvine Baron Irvine of Lairg	2 May 1997	12 June 2003	Labour	Blair I	—
						Blair II
		Charlie Falconer Baron Falconer of Thoroton	12 June 2003	27 June 2007	Labour		—
						Blair III
		Jack Straw[i] MP for Blackburn	28 June 2007	11 May 2010	Labour	Brown	—
		Kenneth Clarke MP for Rushcliffe	12 May 2010	4 September 2012	Conservative	Cameron–Clegg (Con.–L.D.)	Baron Clarke of Nottingham for Life in 2020
		Chris Grayling MP for Epsom and Ewell	4 September 2012	9 May 2015	Conservative		Baron Grayling for Life in 2024
		Michael Gove MP for Surrey Heath	9 May 2015	14 July 2016	Conservative	Cameron II	—
		Liz Truss[j] MP for South West Norfolk	14 July 2016	11 June 2017	Conservative	May I	—
		David Lidington MP for Aylesbury	11 June 2017	8 January 2018	Conservative	May II	—
		David Gauke MP for South West Hertfordshire	8 January 2018	24 July 2019	Conservative		—
		Robert Buckland MP for South Swindon	24 July 2019	15 September 2021	Conservative	Johnson I	—
						Johnson II
		Dominic Raab MP for Esher and Walton	15 September 2021	6 September 2022	Conservative		—
		Brandon Lewis MP for Great Yarmouth	6 September 2022	25 October 2022	Conservative	Truss	—
								Charles III (2022–present)
		Dominic Raab MP for Esher and Walton	27 October 2022	21 April 2023[4]	Conservative	Sunak	—
		Alex Chalk MP for Cheltenham	26 April 2023	5 July 2024	Conservative		—
		Shabana Mahmood MP for Birmingham Ladywood	5 July 2024	Incumbent	Labour	Starmer	—

Timeline

Notes

1. Not Lord Chancellor as such, but exercised those functions as regent until she appointed William of Kilkenny; only woman to do so until Liz Truss was appointed in 2016.
2. A former Speaker of the House of Commons.
3. Lord Keeper of the Great Seal
4. Lord Keeper of the Great Seal until 7 April 1713.
5. Lord Keeper of the Great Seal until 16 January 1761.
6. The Prince of Wales served as prince regent from 5 February 1811.
7. Charles 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.
8. A former Lord High Chancellor of Ireland.
9. First non-peer to serve as Lord Chancellor since Robert Henley as Lord Keeper of the Seal in 1760.
10. First woman to hold the office, and first to exercise its functions since Eleanor of Provence in 1254.

References

1. "Swearing In of the Lord Chancellor" (PDF). The Right Hon. The Lord Thomas of Cwmgiedd Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales. Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales. 21 July 2016. Retrieved 18 April 2022.
2. Cook and Wroughton, English Historical Facts, 1603–1688, pp. 8–9
3. Geoffrey Treasure, ‘Cowper, William, first Earl Cowper (1665–1723)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, September 2004; online edn, January 2009 accessed 27 March 2009
4. "Dominic Raab resigns over bullying report". BBC News. 21 April 2023. Retrieved 21 April 2023.

Sources

• 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
• John Lord Campbell (1845) Lives of the Lords Chancellors and Keepers of the Great Seal of England. 5th ed. (1868) London: Murray, vol. 10
• Fryde, E. B.; Greenway, D. E.; Porter, S.; Roy, I. (1996). Handbook of British Chronology (Third revised ed.). Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-56350-X.

External links

• Department for Constitutional Affairs' list