Lord Privy Seal is one of the traditional
sinecure offices in the British Cabinet. Though one of the oldest offices in government anywhere, since it has no particular function the office has generally been used as a kind of Minister without Portfolio. Since the end of the prime ministership of
Margaret Thatcher, the position of Lord Privy Seal has frequently been combined with that of
Leader of the House of Lords[?]. The jocular clarification that the office holder is
neither a lord, nor a privy nor a seal, though sometimes credited to
Edward Heath, was attributed by him to
Ernest Bevin[?].
incomplete
- John Robartes, Lord Robartes 1661 - 1673
- Arthur Annesley, Earl of Anglesey 1673 - 1682
- George Saville, Marquess of Halifax 1682 - 1685
- Henry Hyde, 2nd Earl of Clarendon[?] 1685 - 1687
- Henry Arundell, Lord Arundell of Wardour 1687 - 1688
- George Saville, Marquess of Halifax 1689 - 1690
- seal in commission 1690 - 1692
- Thomas Herbert, Earl of Pembroke and Montgomery 1692 - 1699
- John Lowther, Viscount Lonsdale 1699 - 1700
- Ford Grey, Earl of Tankerville 1700 - 1701
- seal in commission 1701 - 1702
- John Sheeffield, Marquess of Normanby, Duke of Buckinghamshire and Normanby (1703) 1702 - 1705
- John Holles, Duke of Newcastle 1705 - 1711
- John Robinson, Bishop of Bristol 1711 - 1713
- William Legge, 1st Earl of Dartmouth 1713 - 1714
- Thomas Wharton, Earl Wharton, Marquess of Wharton (1715) 1714 - 1715
- seal in commission 1715
- Charles Spencer, 3rd Earl of Sunderland[?] 1715 - 1716
- Evelyn Pierrepont, Duke of Kingston 1716 - 1719
- Henry Grey, Duke of Kent 1719 - 1720
- Evelyn Pierrepont, Duke of Kingston 1720 - 1726
- Thomas Trevor, Lord Trevor 1726 - 1730
- Spencer Compton, 1st Earl of Wilmington[?] 1730 - 1731
- seal in commission 1731
- William Cavendish, 3rd Duke of Devonshire 1731 - 1733
- Henry Lowther, Viscount Lonsdale 1733 - 1735
- Francis Godolphin, 2nd Earl of Godolphin 1735 - 1740
- John Hervey, Lord Hervey 1740 - 1742
- John Leveson-Gower, Lord Gower 1742 - 1743
- George Cholmondeley, Earl of Cholmondeley 1743 - 1744
- John Leveson-Gower, Lord Gower, 1st Earl Gower (1746) 1744 - 1755
- Charles Spencer, 3rd Duke of Marlborough 1755 - 1757
- Richard Grenville, Earl Temple 1757 - 1761
- seal in commission 1761
- John Russell, 4th Duke of Bedford[?] 1761 - 1763
- George Spencer, 4th Duke of Marlborough 1763 - 1765
- Thomas Pelham-Holles, 1st Duke of Newcastle[?] 1765 - 1766
- William Pitt, 1st Earl of Chatham 1766 - 1768
- George William Hervey, Earl of Bristol 1768 - 1770
- George Montague-Dunk, Earl of Halifax 1770 - 1771
- Henry Howard, Earl of Suffolk and Berkshire 1771
- Augustus Henry Fitzroy, 3rd Duke of Grafton[?] 1771 - 1775
- William Legge, Earl of Dartmouth 1775 - 1782
- Augustus Henry FitzRoy, 3rd Duke of Grafton[?] 1782 - 1783
- Frederick Howard, Earl of Carlisle 1783
- Charles Manners 4th Duke of Rutland[?] 1783 - 1784
- seal in commission 1784
- Granville Leveson-Gower, Earl Gower, 1st Marquess of Stafford (1786) 1784 - 1794
- George Spencer, 4th Duke of Marlborough 1794
- John Pitt, 2nd Earl of Chatham[?] 1794 - 1798
- John Fane, Earl of Westmorland 1798 - 1806
- Henry Addington, 1st Viscount Sidmouth 1806
- Henry Richard Fox, Lord Holland 1806 - 1807
- John Fane, Earl of Westmorland 1807 - 1827
- William Cavendish-Scott-Bentinck, Duke of Portland 1827
- George Howard, Earl of Carlisle 1827 - 1828
- Edward Law, Lord Ellenborough 1828 - 1829
- James St. Clair-Erskine, Earl of Rosslyn 1829 - 1830
- John Lambton, Lord Durham[?] 1830 - 1833
- Frederick John Robinson, 1st Earl of Ripon 1833 - 1834
- George Howard, Earl of Carlisle 1834
- Constantine Henry Phipps, 2nd Earl of Mulgrave 1834
- James Stuart-Wortley-Mackenzie, Lord Wharnecliffe 1834 - 1835
- John William Ponsonby, Lord Duncannon 1835 - 1840
- George Villiers, 4th Earl of Clarendon 1840 - 1841
- Richard Temple-Grenville, Duke of Buckingham 1841 - 1842
- Thomas Hamilton, Earl of Haddington 1842 - 1846
- Gilbert Elliot-Murray-Kynynmound, Earl of Minto 1846 - 1852
- James Gascoyne-Cecil, 2nd Marquess of Salisbury 1852
- George Douglas Campbell, 8th Duke of Argyll 1853 - 1855
- Dudley Ryder, Earl of Harrowby 1855 - 1858
- Ulick John de Burgh, Marquess of Clanricarde 1858
- Charles Philip Yorke, Earl of Hardwicke 1858 - 1859
- George Douglas Campbell, 8th Duke of Argyll 1859 - 1866
- James Howard Harris, 3rd Earl of Malmesbury 1866 - 1868
- John Wodehouse, 1st Earl of Kimberley 1868 - 1870
- Charles Wood, 1st Viscount Halifax 1870 - 1874
- James Howard Harris, 3rd Earl of Malmesbury 1874 - 1876
- Benjamin Disraeli, 1st Earl of Beaconsfield 1876 - 1880
- George Douglas Campbell, 8th Duke of Argyll 1880 - 1881
- Chichester Parkinson-Fortescue, Lord Carlingford 1881 - 1885
- Archibald Primrose, 5th Earl of Rosebery[?] 1885
- Dudley Francis Ryder, Earl of Harrowby 1885 - 1886
- William Ewart Gladstone 1886
- George Henry Cadogan, Earl of Cadogan 1886 - 1892
- William Ewart Gladstone 1892 - 1894
- Edward Marjoribanks, Lord Tweedmouth 1894 - 1895
- Richard Assheton Cross, 1st Viscount Cross 1895 - 1900
- Robert Arthur Talbot Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury 1900 - 1902
- Arthur James Balfour 1902 - 1903
- James Gascoyne-Cecil, 4th Marquess of Salisbury 1903 - 1905
- George Frederick Samuel Robinson, 1st Marquess of Ripon 1905 - 1908
- Robert Crewe-Milnes, 1st Earl of Crewe 1908 - 1911
- Charles Wyn Carrington, Earl Carrington 1911 - 1912
- Robert Crewe-Milnes, 1st Marquess of Crewe 1912 - 1915
- George Nathaniel Curzon, 1st Earl Curzon 1915 - 1916
- David Lindsay, Earl of Crawford and Balcarres 1916 - 1919
- Andrew Bonar Law 1919 - 1921
- Austen Chamberlain 1921 - 1923
- Robert Cecil, Viscount Cecil of Chelmwood 1923 - 1924
- John Robert Clynes[?] 1924
- James Gascoyne-Cecil, 4th Marquess of Salisbury 1924 - 1929
- James Henry Thomas 1929 - 1930
- Vernon Hartshorn 1930 - 1931
- Thomas Johnston 1931
- William Peel, Earl Peel 1931
- Philip Snowden[?], 1st Viscount Snowden 1931 - 1932
- Stanley Baldwin 1932 - 1934
- Anthony Eden 1934 - 1935
- Charles Vane-Tempest-Stewart, Marquess of Londonderry 1935
- Edward Wood, 3rd Viscount Halifax 1935 - 1937
- Herbrand Brassey Sackville, Earl de la Warr 1937 - 1938
- Sir John Anderson 1938 - 1939
- Sir Samuel Hoare[?] 1939 - 1940
- Sir Kingsley Wood[?] 1940
- Clement Attlee 1940 - 1942
- Sir Stafford Cripps[?] 1942
- Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, Viscount Cranborne 1942 - 1943
- William Maxwell Aitken, 1st Lord Beaverbrook 1943 - 1945
- Arthur Greenwood[?] 1945 - 1947
- Philip Inman, Lord Inman 1947
- Christopher Addison[?] 1947 - 1951
- Ernest Bevin[?] 1951
- Richard Stokes 1951
- Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, 5th Marquess of Salisbury 1951 - 1952
- Henry Crookshank 1952 - 1955
- Richard Austen Butler 1955 - 1959
- Quintin McGarel Hogg, 2nd Viscount Hailsham 1959 - 1960
- Edward Heath 1960-1963
- Selwyn Lloyd 1963-1964
- Frank Pakenham, 7th Earl of Longford 1964 - 1965
- Frank Soskice 1965 - 1966
- Lord Longford 1966 - 1968
- Lord Shackleton 1968
- Fred Peart 1968
- Lord Shackleton 1968 - 1970
- Earl Jellicoe 1970 - 1972
- Lord Windlesham 1972 - 1974
- Lord Shepherd 1974 - 1976
- Lord Peart 1976 - 1979
- Ian Gilmour 1979 - 1981
- Humphrey Atkins 1981 - 1982
- Baroness Young 1982 - 1983
- John Biffen 1983 - 1987
- John Wakeham 1987 - 1988
- Lord Belstead 1988 - 1990
- Lord Waddington 1990 - 1992
- Lord Wakeham 1992 - 1994
- Viscount Cranborne 1994 - 1997
- Lord Richard 1997 - 1998
- Baroness Jay 1998 - 2001
- Lord Williams of Mostyn 2001-2003
- Peter Hain 2003