Lord Privy Seal

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