List of Lord Chancellors and Lord Keepers

This list shows those people who held the office of Lord Chancellor or, alternatively, the office of Lord Keeper of the Great Seal of England and the United Kingdom.

Early Chancellor of England

Angmendus (605)
Cenmora (?)
Bosa (?)
Swithulplus (?)
St. Swithin ( 827 )
Turketel (920)
Adolphus ( 959 )
Alfric (978)
Lesfric ( 1043 )
Reinhildus (1050 )

Lord Chancellor of England, 1068-1707

Herfast (1068-1070)
Osmund Sées (1070-1078)
Maurice, Archdeacon of Le Mans (1078-1085)
Gerard of Rouen (1085-1092)
Robert Blouet (1092-1093)
William Giffard (1093-1101)
Roger (1101-1102)
Waldric (1102-1107)
Ranulf Flambard (1107-1123)
Geoffrey Rufus (1123-1133)
Robert de sigillo (1133-1135) (as Lord 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)
William de Vere ( 1142 )
Robert of Ghent, Dean of York (1142-1154)
Thomas Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury (1155-1162)
Geoffrey Ridel, bishop of Ely (1162-1173)
Ralph de Ville Warne, eunuchs of York (1173-1181)
Geoffrey Plantagenet (1181-1189)
William Longchamp, Bishop of Ely (1189-1197)
Eustace, Bishop of Ely (1197-1199)
Hubert Walter, Archbishop of Canterbury (1199-1205)
Walter de Gray (1205-1214)
Richard Marsh (1214-1226)
Ralph Neville, 1st Earl of Westmorland ( 1226-1240 )
Richard le Gras, Abbot of Evesham (1240-1242)
Ralph Neville, 1st Earl of Westmorland ( 1242-1244 )
Silvester de Everdon, Archdeacon of Chester (1244-1246) (as Lord Keeper of the Great Seal )
John Maunsell, provost of Beverley (1246-1247) (as Lord Keeper of the Great Seal )
Sir John Lexington (1247-1248) (as Lord Keeper of the Great Seal )
John Maunsell (1248-1249) (as Lord Keeper of the Great Seal )
Sir John Lexington (1249-1250) (as Lord Keeper of the Great Seal )
William of Kilkenny (1250-1255) (as Lord Keeper of the Great Seal )
Henry Wingham (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 ) (as Lord 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)
John Langton, canon of Lincoln (1292-1302)
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 Worceter (1310-1314)
John Sandall, canon of Lincoln (1314-1318)
John Hotham, Bishop of Ely (1318-1320)
John Salmon, Bishop of Norwich (1320-1323)
Robert Baldock, Archdeacon of Middlesex (1323-1327)
Airmyn William, Bishop of Norwich (1327-1328)
Henry Burghersh, Bishop of Lincoln (1328-1330)
John de Stratford, Bishop of Winchester (1330-1334)
Richard de 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 )
Sir Robert Bourchier (1340-1341)
Sir Robert Parving (1341-1343)
Sir Robert Sadington (1343-1345)
John Offord, 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)
Sir Robert Thorp (1371-1372)
Sir John Knyvet (1372-1377)
Adam Houghton, Bishop of St David's (1377-1378)
Richard Scrope, 1st Baron Scrope of Bolton ( 1378-1380 )
Simon Sudbury, Archbishop of Canterbury (1380-1381)
Hugh Segrave ( 1381 ) (as Lord Keeper of the Great Seal )
William Courtenay, Bishop of London ( 1381 )
Richard Scrope, 1st Baron Scrope of Bolton ( 1381-1382 )
Robert Braybrook, Bishop of London (1382-1383)
Michael de la Pole, 1st 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 )
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)
Sir 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)
Richard Stillington, Bishop of Bath (1471-1473)
Laurence Booth, Bishop of Durham (1473-1475)
John Alcock, Bishop of Rochester ( 1475 )
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 (1485-1487)
John Morton, Archbishop of Canterbury (1487-1500)
Henry Deane, Archbishop of Canterbury (1500-1502) (as Lord Keeper of the Great Seal )
William Warham, Archbishop of Canterbury (1502-1515) ( to 1504 Lord Keeper of the Great Seal )
Thomas Wolsey, Archbishop of York (1515-1529)
Sir Thomas More (1529-1532)
Thomas Audley, 1st Baron Audley of Walden ( 1532-1544 )
Thomas Wriothesley, 1st Earl of Southampton ( 1544-1547 )
William Paulet, 1st Marquess of Winchester ( 1547) (as Lord Keeper of the Great Seal )
Richard Rich, 1st Baron Rich ( 1547-1551 )
Thomas Goodrich, Bishop of Ely (1552-1553)
Stephen Gardiner, Bishop of Winchester (1553-1555)
Nicholas Heath, Archbishop of York (1555-1558)
Sir Nicholas Bacon (1558-1579) (as Lord Keeper of the Great Seal )
Sir Thomas Bromley (1579-1587) (as Lord Keeper of the Great Seal )
Sir Christopher Hatton (1587-1591) (as Lord Keeper of the Great Seal )
Vacant (1591-1592)
Sir John Puckering (1592-1596) (as Lord Keeper of the Great Seal )
Thomas Egerton, 1st Baron Ellesmere ( 1596-1617 ) ( to 1603 as Lord Keeper of the Great Seal )
Francis Bacon, 1st Baron Verulam ( 1617-1621 ) ( to 1618 as Lord Keeper of the Great Seal )
Vacant ( 1621)
John Williams, Bishop of Lincoln (1621-1625) (as Lord Keeper of the Great Seal )
Thomas Coventry, 1st Baron Coventry ( 1625-1640 ) (as Lord Keeper of the Great Seal )
John Finch, 1st Baron Finch ( 1640-1641 ) (as Lord Keeper of the Great Seal )
Edward Littleton, 1st Baron Lyttleton of Mounslow ( 1641-1642 ) (as Lord Keeper of the Great Seal )
Sir Richard Lane (1645-1653) (as Lord Keeper of the Great Seal )
Sir Edward Herbert (1653-1658) (as Lord Keeper of the Great Seal )
Edward Hyde, 1st Earl of Clarendon ( 1658-1667 )
Sir Orlando Bridgeman (1667-1672) (as Lord Keeper of the Great Seal )
Anthony Ashley -Cooper, 1st Earl of Shaftesbury ( 1672-1673 )
Heneage Finch, 1st Earl of Nottingham ( 1673-1682 ) (until 1675 as Lord Keeper of the Great Seal )
Francis North, 1st Baron Guilford ( 1682-1685 ) (as Lord Keeper of the Great Seal )
George Jeffreys (1685-1688)
Vacant (1689-1693)
John Somers, 1st Baron Somers ( 1693-1700 ) ( to 1697 as Lord Keeper of the Great Seal )
Sir Nathan Wright (1700-1705) (as Lord Keeper of the Great Seal )
William Cowper, 1st Earl Cowper ( 1705-1707 ) (as Lord Keeper of the Great Seal )

Lord Chancellor of Great Britain, 1707 -present

William Cowper, 1st Earl Cowper ( 1707-1708 )
Vacant (1708-1710)
Simon Harcourt, 1st Viscount Harcourt ( 1710-1714 ) ( until 1713 as Lord Keeper of the Great Seal )
William Cowper, 1st Earl Cowper ( 1714-1718 )
Thomas Parker, 1st Earl of Macclesfield ( 1718-1725 )
Vacant ( 1725)
Peter King, 1st Baron King ( 1725-1733 )
Charles Talbot, 1st Baron Talbot of Hensol ( 1733-1737 )
Philip Yorke, 1st Earl of Hardwicke ( 1737-1756 )
Vacant (1756-1757)
Robert Henley, 1st Earl of Northington ( 1757-1766 ) ( until 1761 as Lord Keeper of the Great Seal )
Charles Pratt, 1st Earl Camden ( 1766-1770 )
Charles Yorke (1770 )
Vacant (1770-1771)
Henry Bathurst, 2nd Earl Bathurst ( 1771-1778 )
Edward Thurlow, 1st Baron Thurlow ( 1778-1783 )
Vacant (1783 )
Edward Thurlow, 1st Baron Thurlow ( 1783-1792 )
Vacant (1792-1793)
Alexander Wedderburn, 1st Earl of Rosslyn ( 1793-1801 )
John Scott, 1st Baron Eldon ( 1801-1806 )
Thomas Erskine, 1st Baron Erskine ( 1806-1807 )
John Scott, 1st Earl of Eldon ( 1807-1827 )
John Singleton Copley, 1st Baron Lyndhurst ( 1827-1830 )
Henry Brougham, 1st Baron Brougham and Vaux ( 1830-1834 )
John Singleton Copley, 1st Baron Lyndhurst ( 1834-1835 )
Vacant (1835-1836)
Charles Pepys, 1st Earl of Cottenham ( 1836-1841 )
John Singleton Copley, 1st Baron Lyndhurst ( 1841-1846 )
Charles Pepys, 1st Earl of Cottenham ( 1846-1850 )
Thomas Wilde, 1st Baron Truro ( 1850-1852 )
Edward Burtenshaw Sugden, 1st Baron St Leonards (1852 )
Robert Rolfe, 1st Baron Cranworth ( 1852-1858 )
Frederic Thesiger, 1st Baron Chelmsford ( 1858-1859 )
John Campbell, 1st Baron Campbell ( 1859-1861 )
Richard Bethell, 1st Baron Westbury (1861-1865 )
Robert Rolfe, 1st Baron Cranworth ( 1865-1866 )
Frederic Thesiger, 1st Baron Chelmsford ( 1866-1868 )
Hugh Cairns, 1st Earl Cairns ( 1868)
William Page Wood, 1st Baron Hatherley ( 1868-1872 )
Roundell Palmer, 1st Earl of Selborne ( 1872-1874 )
Hugh Cairns, 1st Earl Cairns ( 1874-1880 )
Roundell Palmer, 1st Earl of Selborne ( 1880-1885 )
Hardinge Giffard, 1st Earl of Halsbury ( 1885-1886 )
Farrer Herschell, 1st Baron Herschell (1886 )
Hardinge Giffard, 1st Earl of Halsbury ( 1886-1892 )
Farrer Herschell, 1st Baron Herschell ( 1892-1895 )
Hardinge Giffard, 1st Earl of Halsbury ( 1895-1905 )
Robert Reid, 1st Earl of Loreburn ( 1905-1912 )
Richard Burdon Haldane, 1st Viscount Haldane ( 1912-1915 )
Stanley Buckmaster, 1st Viscount Buckmaster ( 1915-1916 )
Robert Finlay, 1st Viscount Finlay ( 1916-1919 )
Frederick Edwin Smith, 1st Earl of Birkenhead ( 1919-1922 )
George Cave, 1st Viscount Cave ( 1922-1924 )
Richard Burdon Haldane, 1st Viscount Haldane (1924 )
George Cave, 1st Viscount Cave ( 1924-1928 )
Douglas Hogg, 1st Viscount Hailsham ( 1928-1929 )
John Sankey, 1st Viscount Sankey ( 1929-1935 )
Douglas Hogg, 1st Viscount Hailsham ( 1935-1938 )
Frederic Maugham, 1st Viscount Maugham ( 1938-1939 )
Thomas Inskip, 1st Viscount Caldecote ( 1939-1940 )
John Allsebrook Simon, 1st Viscount Simon ( 1940-1945 )
William Jowitt, 1st Viscount Jowitt ( 1945-1951 )
Gavin Simonds, 1st Viscount Simonds ( 1951-1954 )
David Maxwell Fyfe, 1st Earl of Kilmuir ( 1954-1962 )
Reginald Manningham - Buller, 1st Viscount Dilhorne ( 1962-1964 )
Gerald Gardiner, Baron Gardiner (1964-1970)
Quintin Hogg, Baron Hailsham of St Marylebone (1970-1974)
Elwyn Jones, Baron Elwyn -Jones (1974-1979)
Quintin Hogg, Baron Hailsham of St Marylebone (1979-1987)
Michael Havers, Baron Havers (1987 )
James Mackay, Baron Mackay of Clash Remote (1987-1997)
Derry Irvine, Baron Irvine of Lairg (1997-2003)
Charles Falconer, Baron Falconer of Thoroton (2003-2007)
Jack Straw (2007-2010)
Kenneth Clarke (2010-2012)
Chris Grayling ( since 2012 )

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