The Great Officers of England

Lord High Steward

The position of Lord High Steward of England is the first of the Great Officers of State. He presides at coronations and during the trials of peers.

Although initially the position was largely an honorary one, over time it grew in importance until its holder became one of the most powerful men of the kingdom. From the late 12th century, the office was considered to be bound with the Earldom of Leicester.

The office should not be confused with the Lord Steward, a court functionary.

In March 1345 the Lord High Steward is Henry of Grosmont, 4th Earl of Lancaster.

Lord High Chancellor

The Lord Chancellor was almost always an ecclesiastic, as during the Middle Ages the clergy were amongst the few literate men of the realm. The Lord Chancellor performed multiple functions — he was the Keeper of the Great Seal, the chief royal chaplain, and advisor in both spiritual and temporal matters. Thus, the position emerged as one of the most important ones in government.

As one of the King's ministers, the Lord Chancellor attended the Curia Regis, or Royal Court. If a bishop, the Lord Chancellor received a writ of summons; if an ecclesiastic of a lower degree, or if a layman, he attended without any summons. The Curia Regis would later evolve into Parliament, the Lord Chancellor becoming the prolocutor of its upper house, the House of Lords. A Lord Chancellor could preside over the House of Lords even if not a Lord himself.

The Lord Chancellor's judicial duties also evolved through his role in the Curia Regis. Petitions for justice were normally addressed to the King and the Curia, but in 1280, Edward I instructed his justices to examine and deal with petitions themselves as the Court of King's Bench. Important petitions were to be sent to the Lord Chancellor for his decision; even more significant ones were to be brought to the King's attention. By the reign of Edward III, however, a separate tribunal for the Lord Chancellor had developed. In this body, which became known as the High Court of Chancery, the Lord Chancellor would determine cases according to fairness (or "equity") instead of according to the strict principles of common law. The Lord Chancellor also became known as the "Keeper of the King's Conscience."

When the office was held by ecclesiastics, a "Keeper of the Great Seal" acted in the Lord Chancellor's absence. Keepers were also appointed when the office of Lord Chancellor fell vacant, and discharged the duties of the office until an appropriate replacement could be found.

Formerly, it was customary to appoint commoners to the office of Lord Keeper, and peers to the office of Lord Chancellor. A Lord Keeper who acquired a peerage dignity would subsequently be appointed Lord Chancellor.

In March 1345 the Lord High Chancellor is John de Ufford, Dean of Lincoln.

Lord High Treasurer

The English Treasury seems to have come into existence around 1126, during the reign of Henry I, as the financial responsibilities were separated from the rest of the job that evolved into Lord High Chamberlain. The Treasury was a section of the Royal Household with custody of the King's money. In 1216, a Treasurer was appointed to take control of the Treasury in Winchester. The Treasurer was also an officer of the Exchequer, and supervised the royal accounts.

In March 1345 the Lord High Treasurer is William Edington, Bishop of Winchester.

Lord Privy Seal

The holder was responsible for the monarch's personal ("privy") seal (as opposed to the Great Seal of State, which is in the care of the Lord High Chancellor). The position put the holder very close to the monarch in day-to-day tasks.

In March 1345 the Lord Privy Seal is Thomas Hatfield.

Lord Great Chamberlain

The office was originally held by Robert Malet, a son of one of the leading companions of William the Conqueror. In 1133, however, King Henry I declared Malet's estates and titles forfeit, and awarded the office of Lord Great Chamberlain to Aubrey de Vere, whose son was created Earl of Oxford. Thereafter, the Earls of Oxford held the title almost continuously with a few intermissions due to the forfeiture of some Earls for treason.

The Lord Great Chamberlain has a major part to play in royal coronations, having the right to dress the monarch on coronation day and to serve the monarch water before and after the coronation banquet, and also being involved in investing the monarch with the insignia of rule.

In March 1345 the Lord Great Chamberlain is Thomas de Vere, 8th Earl of Oxford.

Lord High Constable

The Lord High Constable was originally the commander of the royal armies and the Master of the Horse. He was also, in conjunction with the Earl Marshal, president of the Court of Chivalry or Court of Honour. In feudal times, martial law was administered in the court of the Lord High Constable.

In March 1345 the Lord High Constable is Humphrey de Bohun, 6th Earl of Hereford and 5th Earl of Essex.

Earl Marshal

The Earl Marshal of England is a hereditary Royal officeholder under the King of England. The Earl Marshal and the Lord High Constable are the officers of the King's horses and stables. In conjunction with the Lord High Constable he had held a court, known as the Court of Chivalry, for the administration of justice in accordance with the law of arms, which was concerned with many subjects relating to military matters, such as ransom, booty and soldiers' wages, and including the misuse of armorial bearings. The Marshal, as eighth Great Officer of State, has to organise coronations.

In March 1345 the Earl Marshal is Margaret Brotherton, 2nd Countess of Norfolk. Normally the title would have gone to her husband, Rudolph, duc de Lorraine, but the marriage treaty between the two, although conferring the title of Earl of Norfolk upon the Duc, explicitly ruled out his being Earl Marshal as it was a question of inheritance via Margaret's royal blood.

Lord High Admiral

The Commander of the King's Navies. Most of them where courtiers, politicians, and the occasional soldier. Very few were naval officers.

The March 1345 the Lord High Admiral is William de Ros, 3rd Baron de Ros.

The Great Officers of Scotland

The Guardian of Scotland

Also known as the Steward of Scotland, the Guardian acts as regent in the absence of the king.

In March 1345 the Guardian of Scotland is Robert Stewart.

Lord High Constable of Scotland

The Lord High Constable was, after the King of Scots, the supreme officer of the Scottish army. He also performed judicial functions as the chief judge of the High Court of Constabulary. The Court, presided over by the Lord High Constable or his deputies, was empowered to judge all cases of rioting, disorder, bloodshed, and murder if such crimes occurred within four miles of the King, the King's Council, or the Parliament of Scotland. The Constable also commanded the Doorward Guard, the king's bodyguard.

He also held several honorific privileges, such as the right to sit on the right side of the King when he attended Parliament, custody of the keys to Parliament House, the ceremonial command of the King's bodyguards, and precedence above all Scotsmen except the members of the Royal Family and the Lord Chancellor of Scotland.

The office became hereditary in the twelfth century and was held by the Comyn family, but they ended up on the wrong side in the Wars of Scottish Independence. Since then it has been held by the Hays of Erroll. The first was Gilbert Hay, who was given the office by Robert the Bruce.

In March 1345 the Lord High Constable is David de la Haye, Chieftain of Clan Hay.

Great Chamberlain

The Great Chamberlain collected the revenues of the Crown and had jurisdiction for judging of all crimes committed within burgh, and of the crime of forestalling; and was in effect Justice-General over the burghs, and held Chamberlain-ayrs every year for that purpose; the form whereof is set down in Iter Camerarii, the Chamberlain-ayr. He was a supreme judge and his Decrees could not be questioned by any inferior judicatory. His sentences were to be put into execution by the baillies of burghs. He also settled the prices of provisions within burghs, and the fees of the workmen in the Mint.

In March 1345 the Great Chamberlain is Robert de Peebles.

Earl Marischal

The title of Earl Marischal was created in the peerage of Scotland for William Keith, the Great Marischal of Scotland.

The office of "Marischal of Scotland" (marascallus Scotie or marscallus Scotie) had been held heritably by the senior member of the Keith family since Hervey (Herveus) de Keith, who held the office of Marischal under Malcolm IV and William I. The descendant of Herveus, Sir Robert de Keith (d.1332), was confirmed in the office of "Great Marischal of Scotland" by Robert Bruce around 1324.

The role of the Marischal was to serve as custodian of the Royal Regalia of Scotland, and to protect the king's person when attending parliament.

In March 1345 the Earl Marischal is Robert Keith.

The Justiciar of Scotia

The Justiciar of Scotia (in Norman-Latin, Justiciarus Scotie) was the most senior legal office in Scotland. Scotia (meaning Scotland) in this context refers to Scotland to the north of the River Forth and River Clyde. The responsibilities of the Justiciar were to supervise the activity and behaviour of royal sheriffs and sergeants, held courts and reported on these things to the king personally.

In March 1345 the Justiciar of Scotia is Sir Robert Lauder of Quarrelwood

The Justiciar of Lothian

The Justiciar of Lothian (in Norman-Latin, Justiciarus Laudonie) was responsible for the administration of royal justice in the province of Lothian, covering Scotland south of the Forth and Clyde. The institution may date to the reign of King David I (died 1153), whose godson David Olifard was the first attested Justiciar. The Justiciars of Lothian, although not magnates of the stature of the typical Justiciar of Scotia, were significant landowners and not creatures of the kings. Their responsibilities were as the Justiciar of Scotia.

In March 1345 the Justiciar of Lothian is Sir Robert de Lawedre of the Bass.