Lord Privy Sealedit

From British Offices and Honours

Name Entered office Left office Party Notes
William Melton 1307 1312
Roger Northburgh 1312 1316
Thomas Charlton 1316 1320
Robert Baldock 1320 1323
Robert Wodehouse 1323 1323
Robert Ayleston 1323 1324
William Airmyn 1324 1325
Henry Cliff 1325 1325
William Herlaston 1325 1326
Robert Wyvell 1326 1327
Richard Airmyn 1327 1328
Adam Lymbergh 1328 1329
Richard Bury, Bishop of Durham 1329 1334
Robert Ayleston 1334 1334
Robert Tawton 1334 1335
William de la Zouche 1335 1337
Richard Bintworth 1337 1338
William Kilsby 1338 1342
John Offord 1342 1344
Thomas Hatfield 1344 1345
John Thoresby 1345 1347
Simon Islip, Archbishop of Canterbury 1347 1350
Michael Northburgh 1350 1354
Thomas Bramber 1354 1355
John Winwick 1355 1360
John Buckingham, Bishop of Lincoln 1360 1363
William of Wykeham 1363 1367
Peter Lacy 1367 1371
Nicholas Carew 1371 1377
John Fordham 1377 1381
William Dighton 1381 1382
Walter Skirlaw, Bishop of Coventry and Lichfield 1382 1386
John Waltham, Bishop of Salisbury 1386 1389
[[Edmund Stafford, Bishop of Exeter 1389 1396
Guy Mone 1396 1397
[[Richard Clifford 1397 1401
Thomas Langley 1401 1405
Nicholas Bubwith 1405 1406
John Prophet 1406 1415
John Wakering, Bishop of Norwich 1415 1416
Henry Ware 1416 1418
John Kemp, Bishop of Rochester 1418 1421
John Stafford 1421 1422
William Alnwick, Bishop of Norwich 1422 1432
William Lyndwood, Bishop of St David's 1432 1443
Thomas Beckington, Bishop of Bath and Wells 1443 1444
Adam Moleyns, Bishop of Chichester 1444 1450
Andrew Holes 1450 1452
Thomas Lisieux 1452 1456
Laurence Booth, Bishop of Durham 1456 1460
Robert Stillington, Bishop of Bath and Wells 1460 1467
Thomas Rotheram, Bishop of Rochester 1467 1470
John Hales, Bishop of Coventry and Lichfield 1470 1471
Thomas Rotheram, Bishop of Rochester 1471 1474
John Russell, Bishop of Rochester
later Bishop of Lincoln
1474 1483
John Gunthorp 1483 1485
Peter Courtenay, Bishop of Exeter 1485 1487
Richard Fox, Bishop of Exeter
later Bishop of Bath and Wells; then Bishop of Durham; then Bishop of Winchester
1487 1516
Thomas Ruthall, Bishop of Durham 1516 1523
The Lord Marney 1523 1523
Cuthbert Tunstall, Bishop of London 1523 1530
The Earl of Wiltshire 1530 1536
Thomas Cromwell
from 1540, the Earl of Essex
1536 1540
The Earl of Southampton 1540 1542
The Lord Russell
from 1550, the Earl of Bedford
1542 1555
The Lord Paget 1556 1558
in commission 1558 1571
The Lord Burghley 1571 1572
The Lord Howard of Effingham 1572 1573
Sir Thomas Smith 1573 1576
Francis Walsingham 1576 6 April 1590
The Lord Burghley April 1590 4 August 1598
Sir Robert Cecil
from 1603, the Lord Cecil of Essendon; from 1604 the Viscount Cranborne; from 1605, the Earl of Salisbury
August 1598 4 May 1608
The Earl of Northampton 4 May 1608 15 June 1614
The Earl of Somerset June 1614 1616
The Earl of Worcester 1616 1625
Sir John Coke 1625 1628
Sir Robert Naunton 1628 1628
The Earl of Manchester 1628 1642
The Viscount Falkland 1643 1643
Sir Edward Nicholas 1643 1644
The Earl of Bath 1644 1654
The Lord Robartes 1661 1673
The Earl of Anglesey 1673 9 August 1682
The Marquess of Halifax 25 October 1682 18 February 1685 Tory
The Earl of Clarendon 18 February 1685 March 1687 Tory
The Lord Arundell of Wardour March 1687 December 1688 Tory
The Marquess of Halifax 8 March 1689 8 February 1690 Tory
in commissoin 8 February 1690 March 1692
The Earl of Pembroke March 1692 March 1699 Tory
The Viscount Lonsdale March 1699 10 July 1700 Whig
The Earl of Tankerville November 1700 24 June 1701 Whig
in commission 24 June 1701 2 May 1702
The Marquess of Normanby
from 1703, the Duke of Buckingham
2 May 1702 23 March 1705 Tory
The Duke of Newcastle March 1705 15 July 1711 Whig
John Robinson, Bishop of Bristol August 1711 6 August 1713 Tory
The Earl of Dartmouth 6 August 1713 23 September 1714 Tory
The Earl of Wharton
from 1715, the Marquess of Wharton
23 September 1714 12 April 1715 Whig
in commission 12 April 1715 28 August 1715
The Earl of Sunderland 28 August 1715 December 1716 Whig
The Duke of Kingston December 1716 February 1718 Whig
The Duke of Kent February 1718 June 1720 Whig
The Duke of Kingston 11 June 1720 5 March 1726 Whig
The Lord Trevor 11 March 1726 8 May 1730 Tory
The Earl of Wilmington 14 May 1730 December 1730 Whig
in commission December 1730 1731
The Duke of Devonshire 1731 1733 Whig
The Viscount Lonsdale 1733 May 1735 Whig
The Earl of Godolphin 14 May 1735 25 April 1740 Whig
The Lord Hervey of Ickworth 1 May 1740 12 July 1742 Whig
The Lord Gower July 1742 December 1743 Tory
The Earl of Cholmondeley December 1743 December 1744 Whig
The Lord Gower
from 1746, the Earl Gower
December 1744 25 December 1754 Tory
The Duke of Marlborough January 1755 December 1755 Whig
The Earl Gower December 1755 25 June 1757 Whig
The Earl Temple 2 July 1757 October 1761 Whig
The Duke of Bedford 25 November 1762 April 1763 Whig
The Duke of Marlborough April 1763 July 1765 Whig
The Duke of Newcastle July 1765 July 1766 Whig
The Earl of Chatham July 1766 October 1768 Whig
The Earl of Bristol 2 November 1768 29 January 1770 Whig
The Earl of Halifax 29 January 1770 19 January 1771 Whig
The Earl of Suffolk 19 January 1771 12 June 1771 Tory
The Duke of Grafton 12 June 1771 9 November 1775 Whig
The Earl of Dartmouth 10 November 1775 27 March 1782 Tory
The Duke of Grafton 27 March 1782 2 April 1783 Whig
The Earl of Carlisle 2 April 1783 23 December 1783 Tory
The Duke of Rutland 23 December 1783 11 February 1784 Tory
in commission 11 February 1784 December 1784
The Earl Gower
from 1786, the Marquess of Stafford
December 1784 July 1794 Tory
The Earl Spencer July 1794 December 1794 Portland Whig
The Earl of Chatham December 1794 February 1798 Tory
The Earl of Westmorland February 1798 February 1806 Tory
The Viscount Sidmouth February 1806 September 1806 Tory
The Lord Holland September 1806 March 1807 Whig
The Earl of Westmorland March 1807 April 1827 Tory
The Duke of Portland April 1827 July 1827 Tory
The Earl of Carlisle July 1827 January 1828 Whig
The Lord Ellenborough January 1828 June 1829 Tory
The Earl of Rosslyn June 1829 22 November 1830 Tory
The Lord Durham 22 November 1830 3 April 1833 Whig
The Earl of Ripon 3 April 1833 5 June 1834 Canningite/Whig
The Earl of Carlisle 5 June 1834 30 July 1834 Whig
The Earl of Mulgrave 30 July 1834 14 November 1834 Whig
The Lord Wharncliffe 15 December 1834 8 April 1835 Conservative
Viscount Duncannon 23 April 1835 15 January 1840 Whig
The Earl of Clarendon 15 January 1840 30 August 1841 Whig
The Duke of Buckingham 3 September 1841 2 February 1842 Conservative
The Duke of Buccleuch 2 February 1842 21 January 1846 Conservative
The Earl of Haddington 21 January 1846 27 June 1846 Conservative
The Earl of Minto 6 July 1846 21 February 1852 Whig
The Marquess of Salisbury 27 February 1852 17 December 1852 Conservative
The Duke of Argyll 4 January 1853 7 December 1855 Peelite
The Earl of Harrowby 7 December 1855 3 February 1858 Whig
The Marquess of Clanricarde 3 February 1858 21 February 1858 Whig
The Earl of Hardwicke 26 February 1858 11 June 1859 Conservative
The Duke of Argyll 18 June 1859 26 June 1866 Liberal
The Earl of Malmesbury 6 July 1866 1 December 1868 Conservative
The Earl of Kimberley 9 December 1868 6 July 1870 Liberal
The Viscount Halifax 6 July 1870 17 February 1874 Whig
The Earl of Malmesbury 21 February 1874 12 August 1876 Conservative
The Earl of Beaconsfield 12 August 1876 4 February 1878 Conservative also First Lord of the Treasury
The Duke of Northumberland 4 February 1878 21 April1 1880 Conservative
The Duke of Argyll 28 April 1880 2 May 1881 Liberal
The Lord Carlingford 2 May 1881 5 March 1885 Liberal
The Earl of Rosebery 5 March 1885 9 June 1885 Liberal
The Earl of Harrowby 24 June 1885 28 January 1886 Conservative
William Gladstone 17 February 1886 20 July 1886 Liberal also First Lord of the Treasury
The Earl Cadogan 3 August 1886 11 August 1892 Conservative
William Gladstone 20 August 1892 10 March 1894 Liberal also First Lord of the Treasury
The Lord Tweedmouth 10 March 1894 21 June 1895 Liberal
The Viscount Cross 29 June 1895 12 November 1900 Conservative
The Marquess of Salisbury 12 November 1900 14 July 1902 Conservative also Prime Minister
Arthur Balfour 14 July 1902 17 October 1903 Conservative also Prime Minister
The Marquess of Salisbury 17 October 1903 4 December 1905 Conservative
The Marquess of Ripon 10 December 1905 9 October 1908 Liberal
The Earl of Crewe
from 1911, the Marquess of Crewe
9 October 1908 23 October 1911 Liberal
The Earl Carrington 23 October 1911 13 February 1912 Liberal
The Marquess of Crewe 13 February 1912 25 May 1915 Liberal
The Earl Curzon of Kedleston 25 May 1915 5 December 1916 Unionist
The Earl of Crawford 15 December 1916 10 January 1919 Unionist
Andrew Bonar Law 10 January 1919 23 March 1921 Unionist
Austen Chamberlain 23 March 1921 19 October 1922 Unionist
none 19 October 1922 25 May 1923
Lord Robert Cecil 25 May 1923 22 January 1924 Conservative
John Clynes 22 January 1924 3 November 1924 Labour
The Marquess of Salisbury 6 November 1924 4 June 1929 Conservative
James Thomas 7 June 1929 5 June 1930 Labour
Vernon Hartshorn 5 June 1930 24 March 1931 Labour
Thomas Johnston 24 March 1931 24 August 1931 Labour
The Earl Peel 3 September 1931 5 November 1931 Conservative
Philip Snowden
from 1931, the Viscount Snowden
5 November 1931 29 September 1932 National Labour
Stanley Baldwin 29 September 1932 31 December 1933 Conservative also Lord President of the Council
Anthony Eden 31 December 1933 7 June 1935 Conservative
The Marquess of Londondery 7 June 1935 22 November 1935 Conservative
The Viscount Halifax 22 November 1935 28 May 1937 Conservative
The Earl De La Warr 28 May 1937 31 October 1938 National Labour
Sir John Anderson 31 October 1938 3 September 1939 Non-party
Sir Samuel Hoare 3 September 1939 3 April 1940 Conservative
Sir Kingsley Wood 3 April 1940 10 May 1940 Conservative
Clement Attlee 11 May 1940 19 February 1942 Labour
Sir Stafford Cripps 19 February 1942 22 November 1942 Labour
Viscount Cranborne 22 November 1942 24 September 1943 Conservative
The Lord Beaverbrook 24 September 1943 26 July 1945 Conservative
Arthur Greenwood 27 July 1945 17 April 1947 Labour
The Lord Inman 17 April 1947 7 October 1947 Labour
The Viscount Addison 7 October 1947 9 March 1951 Labour
Ernest Bevin 9 March 1951 26 April 1951 Labour
Richard Stokes 26 April 1951 26 October 1951 Labour
The Marquess of Salisbury 28 October 1951 7 May 1952 Conservative
Harry Crookshank 7 May 1952 20 December 1955 Conservative
Rab Butler 20 December 1955 14 October 1959 Conservative
The Viscount Hailsham 14 October 1959 27 July 1960 Conservative
Edward Heath 27 July 1960 20 October 1963 Conservative
Selwyn Lloyd 20 October 1963 16 October 1964 Conservative
The Earl of Longford 18 October 1964 23 December 1965 Labour
Sir Frank Soskice 23 December 1965 6 April 1966 Labour
The Earl of Longford 6 April 1966 16 January 1968 Labour
The Lord Shackleton 16 January 1968 6 April 1968 Labour
Fred Peart 6 April 1968 18 October 1968 Labour
The Lord Shackleton 18 October 1968 19 June 1970 Labour
The Earl Jellicoe 19 June 1970 July 1973 Conservative
The Lord Windlesham July 1973 March 1974 Conservative
The Lord Shepherd March 1974 September 1976 Labour
The Lord Peart September 1976 May 1979 Labour
Sir Ian Gilmour May 1979 September 1981 Conservative
Humphrey Atkins September 1981 April 1982 Conservative
Baroness Young April 1982 June 1983 Conservative
John Biffen June 1983 June 1987 Conservative
John Wakeham June 1987 January 1988 Conservative
The Lord Belstead January 1988 November 1990 Conservative
The Lord Waddington November 1990 April 1992 Conservative
The Lord Wakeham April 1992 1994 Conservative
Viscount Cranborne 1994 May 1997 Conservative
The Lord Richard May 1997 July 1998 Labour
The Baroness Jay of Paddington July 1998 June 2001 Labour
The Lord Williams of Mostyn June 2001 June 2003 Labour
Peter Hain June 2003 May 2005 Labour
Geoff Hoon May 2005 current incumbent Labour
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