List of English chief ministers

Not to be confused with List of prime ministers of the United Kingdom.

This is a dynamic list and may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. You can help by editing the page to add missing items, with references to reliable sources.

For a list of particular governments of the Kingdom of England, see List of English ministries.

Chief minister is a term used retroactively by historians to describe servants of the English monarch who presided over the government of England, and after 1707, Great Britain, before 1721. Chief ministers were usually one of the great officers of state, but it was not unusual for there to be no chief minister. ^[1]

Under the Norman and Angevin kings, the justiciar was often chief minister. When kings left England to oversee other parts of the Angevin Empire, the justiciar functioned as his viceroy or regent. In the 13th century, after the loss of the Angevin territories in France, the justiciar's power declined as monarchs resided permanently in England. ^[2]

For the next three centuries, the Lord Chancellor was most often chief minister. The chancellor served as Keeper of the Great Seal, presided over the Privy Council and Parliament, and led the High Court of Chancery. After the English Reformation, the chancellor's power shifted to the Lord High Treasurer. ^[3] After 1721, the office of prime minister became the head of British governments.

List of Chief Ministers

Minister		Birth	Death	Formal office(s)	Monarch
Dunstan, Archbishop of Canterbury 946–955 [4]		c. 920, near Glastonbury Son of Thegn Heorstan and Cynethryth	19 May 988	Treasurer Chancellor	Eadred (946–955)
No informal holder; personal rule of King Eadwig (955–959)
Dunstan, Archbishop of Canterbury 959–978 [5]		c. 920, near Glastonbury Son of Thegn Heorstan and Cynethryth	19 May 988	Chancellor	Edgar (959–975)
No informal holder (978–1021)
Godwin, Earl of Wessex 1022–1053 [6]		c. 988, England Son of Wulfnoth Cild	15 April 1053	Justiciar Treasurer	Cnut (1016–1035) Harold I (1035–1040) Harthacnut (1040–1042) Edward the Confessor (1042–1066)
Harold, Earl of Wessex 1053–1066 [7]		c. 1022, England Son of Godwin, Earl of Wessex and Gytha Thorkelsdóttir	14 October 1066	—
No informal holder; personal rule of King William I (1066–1087)
Ranulf Flambard, Bishop of Durham 1089–1100 [8]		c. 1060, near Bayeux Son of Thurstin	5 September 1128, Durham	Treasurer Justiciar Keeper of the Great Seal	William II (1087–1100)
Roger, Bishop of Salisbury 1100–1135 [9]		c. 1070-1080, Normandy	11 December 1139, Salisbury	Lord Chancellor Justiciar	Henry I (1100–1135)
Thomas Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury 1155–1162 [4]		21 December 1118, London Son of Gilbert and Matilda Beket	29 December 1170, Canterbury	Lord Chancellor	Henry II (1154–1189)
No informal holder; personal rule of king Henry II (1162–1189)
William de Longchamp, Bishop of Ely 1190–1191 [10] [11]		Normandy Son of Hugh de Longchamp and Eve de Lacy	January 1197 Poitiers	Justiciar Lord Chancellor	Richard I (1189–1199)
Walter de Coutances, Archbishop of Rouen 1191–1194 [12]		Cornwall Son of Reinfrid and Gonilla	16 November 1207	Justiciar
No informal holder; personal rule of King Richard I (1194–1199)
William Marshal, 1st Earl of Pembroke 1213–1216 [13]		c. 1145, Wiltshire Son of John Marshall and Sybilla of Salisbury	14 May 1219, Caversham	Lord Marshal	John (1199–1216)
William Marshal, 1st Earl of Pembroke 1216–1219 [14]		c. 1145 Wiltshire Son of John Marshall and Sybilla of Salisbury	14 May 1219, Caversham	Regent Lord Marshal	Henry III (1216–1272)
Hubert de Burgh, Earl of Kent 1219–1232 [15] [16]		c. 1175, Norfolk Son of Reyner de Burgh	c. 5 May 1243, Banstead	Regent (1219–1227) Justiciar
Peter des Roches, Bishop of Winchester 1232–1234 [17]		—	9 June 1238	—
Personal rule (1234–1258); Council of Fifteen (1258–1261); Personal rule (1262–1264)
Simon de Montfort, 6th Earl of Leicester 1264–1265 [18]		c. 1208, Montfort-l'Amaury Son of Simon de Montfort, 5th Earl of Leicester and Alix de Montmorency	4 August 1265, Evesham	Lord High Steward Protector of the Realm
No informal holder; personal rule of King Henry III (1265–1272)
Regents: Walter Giffard , Roger Mortimer , and Robert Burnell (1272–1274) [19]					Edward I (1272–1307)
Robert Burnell, Bishop of Bath and Wells 1274–1292 [20]		c. 1235, Acton Burnell Son of Robert Burnell	25 October 1292, Berwick-upon-Tweed	Lord Chancellor
John de Stratford , Archbishop of Canterbury 1330–1340
William of Wykeham , Bishop of Winchester 1367–1371
William of Wykeham , Bishop of Winchester 1389–1391
Minister		Birth	Death	Formal office(s)	Monarch
Henry Beaufort , Cardinal Bishop of Winchester 1413–1417		1375 Son of John of Gaunt and Katherine Swynford	11 April 1447, Wolvesey Castle Aged 71–72	Lord Chancellor	Henry V (1413–1422)
No informal holder; personal rule of king Henry V (1417–1422)
John of Lancaster, Duke of Bedford 1422–1435 & Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester 1422–1437 See Regency government, 1422–1437		1389 Son of Henry Bolingbroke and Mary de Bohun 1390 Son of Henry Bolingbroke and Mary de Bohun	14 September 1435, Rouen Aged 46, 23 February 1447, Bury St Edmunds Aged 56	Lord Protector (Jointly) Constable of England (Bedford, possibly) Regent of France (Bedford) & Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports (Gloucester) Justice in Eyre south of Trent (Gloucester)	Henry VI (1422–1461)
Henry Beaufort , Cardinal Bishop of Winchester 1437–1447		1375 Son of John of Gaunt and Katherine Swynford	11 April 1447, Wolvesey Castle Aged 71–72	—
William de la Pole, 1st Duke of Suffolk 1447–1450		1375 Son of Michael de la Pole, 2nd Earl of Suffolk and Katherine de Stafford	2 May 1450, English Channel Aged 53	Lord High Admiral
No informal holder; personal rule of king Henry VI (1450–1454)
Richard of York, 3rd Duke of York 1454–1455		1411 Son of Richard of Conisburgh and Anne Mortimer	30 December 1460, Sandal Magna Aged 49	Lord Protector Lieutenant of Ireland
No informal holder; personal rule of king Henry VI (February 1455–November 1455)
Richard of York, 3rd Duke of York 1455–1456		1411 Son of Richard of Conisburgh and Anne Mortimer	30 December 1460, Sandal Magna Aged 49	Lord Protector Lieutenant of Ireland
No informal holder; personal rule of king Henry VI (1460–1461)
Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick "Warwick the Kingmaker"" 1461–1467		1428, England Son of Richard Neville, 5th Earl of Salisbury and Alice Montacute, 5th Countess of Salisbury	14 April 1471, Battle of Barnet Aged 42	Lord High Admiral Captain of Calais Steward of the Duchy of Lancaster Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports	Edward IV (1461–1470)
No informal holder; personal rule of king Edward IV (1467–1470)
Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick "Warwick the Kingmaker" 1470–1471 (Readeption of Henry VI)		1428, England Son of Richard Neville, 5th Earl of Salisbury and Alice Montacute, 5th Countess of Salisbury	14 April 1471, Battle of Barnet Aged 42	Lord High Admiral Captain of Calais Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports	Henry VI (1470–1471)
No informal holder; personal rule of king Edward IV (1471–1475)					Edward IV (1461–1470, 1471–1483)
Thomas Rotherham, Bishop of Lincoln 1475–1483		1423, England Son of Thomas Rotherham and Dame Alice Rotherham	29 May 1500, Cawood Castle Aged 76	Keeper of the Privy Seal Lord Chancellor
Richard, Duke of Gloucester 30 April 1483–25 June 1483		1452, England Richard of York and Cecily Neville	22 August 1485, Bosworth Field Aged 32	Lord Protector of the Realm	Edward V (9 April 1483–25 June 1483)
Thomas Stanley, 1st Earl of Derby 1485–1504		1435, England Son of Thomas Stanley, 1st Baron Stanley and Joan Goushill	29 July 1504, Lancashire Aged 68–69	Lord High Constable	Henry VII (1485–1509)
Richard Empson & Edmund Dudley 1505–1509		1450, England Son of Peter Empson and Elizabeth Joseph 1462 or 1471, England Son of John Dudley and Elizabeth Bramshot	17 August 1510, Tower Hill Executed for treason Aged 59–60 and 39–47 (respectively)	Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (Empson) & President of the King's Council (Dudley)
No informal holder; personal rule of king Henry VIII (1509–1514)					Henry VIII (1509–1547)
Cardinal Thomas Wolsey, Archbishop of York 1514–1529		March 1473, Ipswich Son of Robert Wolsey and Joan Daundy	29 November 1530, Leicester Aged 57	Lord Chancellor Papal Legate in England
Thomas More 1529–1532		7 February 1478, London Son of John More and Agnes Graunger	6 July 1535, Tower Hill Executed for treason Aged 57	Lord Chancellor
Thomas Cromwell, 1st Earl of Essex (1540) 1532–1540		1485, Putney Son of Walter Cromwell and Katherine Williams	28 July 1540, Tower Hill Executed for treason Aged 54–55	Chancellor of the Exchequer Lord Privy Seal Secretary of State Master of the Rolls Clerk of the Hanaper Master of King's Jewel House Lord Great Chamberlain Governor of the Isle of Wight Surveyor of the King's Woods Trier/Receiver of Petitions in the Lords Warden and Chief Justice in Eyre, North of Trent
Thomas Howard, 3rd Duke of Norfolk 1540–1546		1473, England Son of Thomas Howard, 2nd Duke of Norfolk and Elizabeth Tilney, Countess of Surrey	25 August 1554, Kenninghall Aged 80–81	Lord High Treasurer Earl Marshal Lieutenant-General of the army
Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset 1547–1549		1500, England Son of John Seymour and Margery Wentworth	22 January 1552, Tower Hill Executed for treason Aged 50–51	Lord Protector of the Realm Lord High Treasurer Earl Marshal	Edward VI (1547–1553) and Jane (1553)
John Dudley, 1st Earl of Warwick then 1st Duke of Northumberland 1549–1553		1504, London Son of Edmund Dudley and Elizabeth Grey	22 August 1553, Tower Hill Executed for treason Aged 48–49	Lord Great Chamberlain Lord President of the Council Grandmaster of the Household
Stephen Gardiner, Bishop of Winchester 1553–1555		1483, Bury St Edmunds Son of John or William Gardiner and Ellen/Helen Tudor	12 November 1555, London Aged 71–72	Lord Chancellor	Mary I (1553–1558)
Cardinal Reginald Pole, Archbishop of Canterbury 1555–1558		3 March 1500, Stourton Son of Richard Pole and Margaret Pole, Countess of Salisbury	17 November 1558, London Aged 58	Papal Legate to England
William Cecil, 1st Baron Burghley 1558–1598		13 September 1520, Bourne Son of Richard Cecil and Jane Heckington	4 August 1598, Westminster Aged 77	Lord High Treasurer Lord Privy Seal Secretary of State	Elizabeth I (1558–1603)
Robert Cecil 1598–1603		1563, Westminster Son of William Cecil, 1st Baron Burghley and Mildred Cooke	24 May 1612, Marlborough, Wiltshire Aged 48	Lord Privy Seal Secretary of State Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
Robert Cecil, Baron Cecil then (1605) 1st Earl of Salisbury 1603 – 1612		1 June 1563, Westminster Son of William Cecil, 1st Baron Burghley and Mildred Cooke	24 May 1612, Marlborough Aged 48	Lord High Treasurer Lord Privy Seal	James I (1603–1625)
Henry Howard, 1st Earl of Northampton 1612 – 1614		25 February 1540, Shotesham Son of Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey and Frances de Vere	15 June 1614, Westminster Aged 74	First Lord of the Treasury Lord Privy Seal
Robert Carr, 1st Earl of Somerset 1614 – 1615		c. 1587, Wrington Son of Thomas Kerr (Carr) and Janet Scott	17 July 1645, Dorset Aged 57–58	Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports Lord Chamberlain Lord Privy Seal
No informal holder; personal rule of king James I (1615–1617)
Francis Bacon, Baron Verulam (1618) 1617 – 1621		22 January 1561, Strand, London Son of Nicholas Bacon and Anne Cooke	9 April 1626, Highgate Aged 65	Lord Chancellor
George Villiers, ennobled (1623) 1st Duke of Buckingham 1623 – 1628		28 August 1592, Brooksby Son of George Villiers and Mary Beaumont	23 August 1628, Portsmouth Assassinated by John Felton Aged 35	Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports Lord High Admiral Master of the Horse
					Charles I (1625–1649) Since 1642 in status of civil war
Richard Weston, Baron Weston then 1st Earl of Portland 1628 – 1634/35		1 March 1577, Essex Son of Jerome Weston and Mary Cave	13 March 1634/35, prob. Westminster Aged 57/58	Lord High Treasurer First Lord of the Admiralty
No informal holder; personal rule of king Charles I (1635–1640)
Thomas Wentworth, 1st Earl of Strafford 1640 – 1641		13 April 1593, London Son of William Wentworth and Anne Atkins	12 May 1641, Tower Hill Executed for conspiracy Aged 48	Lord Lieutenant of Ireland
Robert Bertie, 1st Earl of Lindsey 1641 – 1642		16 December 1582, England Son of Peregrine Bertie and Mary de Vere	24 October 1642, Battle of Edgehill Aged 59	Lord Great Chamberlain
Prince Rupert, Count Palatine of the Rhine 1642 – 1646		17 December 1619, Prague Son of Frederick V, Elector Palatine and Elizabeth Stuart	29 November 1682, Westminster Aged 62	—
Imprisonment of king Charles I until his execution (1646–1649)

Stuart Restoration

Further information: List of English ministries, Convention Parliament (1660), Cavalier Parliament, Habeas Corpus Parliament, Exclusion Bill Parliament, Oxford Parliament (1681), and Loyal Parliament

This is very true: for my words are my own, and my actions are my ministers.

—  King Charles II, reply to Lord Rochester's epitaph on him (Knowles 1999, p. 203)

In 1660, the leadership of the Commonwealth recalled Charles II and the chief minister became responsible to some extent to Parliament as leader of a ministry, although much of the time King Charles was in effect his own chief minister. The Glorious Revolution of 1688–89 furthered this process and by the time of Queen Anne in 1702, monarchs had little choice as to who their ministers would be.

Minister(s) (Lifespan)		Party	Term of office		Ministerial offices	Election	Ministry	Monarch
	Edward Hyde, 1st Earl of Clarendon (1609–1674)	—	1660	1667	First Lord of the Treasury (1660) Chancellor of the Exchequer (1660–1661) Lord Chancellor	1661	Clarendon	Charles II (1660–1685)
Buckingham	The C.A.B.A.L. Thomas Clifford, 1st Baron Clifford of Chudleigh (1630–1673) Henry Bennet, 1st Earl of Arlington (1618–1685) George Villiers, 2nd Duke of Buckingham (1628–1687) George Villiers, Lord Ashley (1621–1683) George Villiers, 1st Duke of Lauderdale (1621–1683)	—	1667	1674	(See Cabal ministry for details.)	—	Cabal
	Thomas Osborne, 1st Earl of Danby (1632–1712)	Tory	1674	March 1679	Lord High Treasurer	—	Danby I
Temple	The Privy Council chaired by William Temple (1628–1699)	—	April 1679	November 1679	(See Privy Council ministry for details.)	—	Privy Council
Rochester Godolphin Sunderland	Laurence Hyde, 1st Earl of Rochester (1642–1711) & Sidney Godolphin, 1st Earl of Godolphin (1645–1712) & Robert Spencer, 2nd Earl of Sunderland (1641–1702)	Tory	November 1679	1687	(Rochester): First Lord of the Treasury (1679–1684) (Godolphin): First Lord of the Treasury (1684–1685) (Sunderland): Northern Secretary (1679–1680 & 1683–1684) (Godolphin): Northern Secretary (1684) (Sunderland): Southern Secretary (1680–1681 & 1684–1688) (Rochester): Lord High Treasurer (1685–1687)	1681	The Chits
						1685		James II (1685–1688)
Carmarthen Halifax	Thomas Osborne, 1st Marquess of Carmarthen (1632–1712) & George Savile, 1st Marquess of Halifax (1633–1695)	—	1689 (see Convention Parliament (1689))	8 February 1690	(Carmarthen): Lord President of the Council (Halifax): Lord Privy Seal	1689	Carmarthen–Halifax	William III (1689–1702) & Mary II (1689–1694)
	Thomas Osborne, 1st Marquess of Carmarthen (1632–1712)	Tory	February 1690	1695	Lord President of the Council	1690	Carmarthen
Godolphin Marlborough	Sidney Godolphin, 1st Earl of Godolphin (1645–1712) & John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough (1650–1722)	Tory	1702	1707	(Godolphin): Lord High Treasurer (Marlborough): Master-General of the Ordnance	1702	Godolphin–Marlborough	Anne (1702–1714)
The Kingdoms of England and Scotland united to form the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707.
Godolphin Marlborough	Sidney Godolphin, 1st Earl of Godolphin (1645–1712) & John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough (1650–1722)	Tory	1707	1710	(Godolphin): Lord High Treasurer (Marlborough): Master-General of the Ordnance	1702	Godolphin–Marlborough
						1705
						1708
	Robert Harley (1661–1724)	Tory (formerly Whig)	1710	30 July 1714	Chancellor of the Exchequer (1710–1711) Lord High Treasurer (1711–1714)	1710	Harley
						1713
	Charles Talbot, 1st Duke of Shrewsbury (1660–1718)	Tory	30 July 1714	13 October 1714	Lord High Treasurer	—

Hanoverian Succession

Further information: Act of Settlement 1701 and Prime Minister of the United Kingdom

In the immediate aftermath of the death of Queen Anne in 1714, the monarchy was unable to function as the new King was in his domains in Hanover and did not know of his accession. As a stopgap, Parliament elected Thomas Parker, 1st Earl of Macclesfield Regent, or "acting king" until the new monarch arrived to take his crown. Later, George, Prince of Wales reigned as regent for six months from July 1716 to January 1717 when the King went to Hanover.

In the early part of the reign of George I, who could not speak English, the cabinet began meeting without the monarch present.

Following the succession of George I and the resignation of the Duke of Shrewsbury in 1714, the office of Lord High Treasurer went into permanent commission, its function undertaken by a commission of Lords of the Treasury, chaired by the First Lord of the Treasury, rather than by an individual Lord High Treasurer. From 1714 to 1717 the ministry was led by Viscount Townshend, who was nominally Northern Secretary; the Earl of Halifax, the Earl of Carlisle and Robert Walpole successively served alongside Townshend as nominal First Lord of the Treasury. From 1717 to 1721 Lords Stanhope (First Lord 1717–1718) and Sunderland (First Lord 1718–1721) led the administration jointly, with Stanhope managing foreign affairs and Sunderland managing home affairs. Stanhope died in February 1721 and Sunderland resigned in April 1721; Townshend and Walpole returned to office.

Thus the First Lord of the Treasury came to be the most powerful minister and the prototype of Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and its dominions.

George I

Minister(s) (Lifespan)		Party	Term of office		Ministerial offices	Election	Ministry
	Charles Townshend, 2nd Viscount Townshend (1674–1738)	Whig	13 October 1714	1716	Northern Secretary	1715	Townshend
Stanhope Sunderland	James Stanhope, 1st Viscount Stanhope (c. 1673–1721) & Charles Spencer, 3rd Earl of Sunderland (1675–1722)	Whig	12 April 1717	21 March 1718	(Stanhope): First Lord of the Treasury Chancellor of the Exchequer (Sunderland): Northern Secretary	—	Stanhope–Sunderland I
			21 March 1718	4 April 1721	(Sunderland): First Lord of the Treasury (Stanhope): Northern Secretary		Stanhope–Sunderland II

See also

• Chief minister of France

Notes

1. Bigham 1925, p. 4.
2. Bigham 1925, pp. 1–2.
3. Bigham 1925, pp. 3–4.
4. Bigham 1925, p. 12.
5. Bigham 1925, p. 14.
6. Bigham 1925, pp. 20–25.
7. Bigham 1925, p. 28.
8. Bigham 1925, pp. 40–41.
9. Bigham 1925, pp. 47–52.
10. Maddicott 2010, p. 110.
11. Butt 1989, p. 45–46.
12. Maddicott 2010, pp. 110–111.
13. Bigham 1925, p. 76.
14. Bigham 1925, p. 77.
15. Bigham 1925, pp. 83 & 86.
16. Maddicott 2010, p. 167.
17. Maddicott 2010, pp. 167–168.
18. Bigham 1925, p. 104.
19. Powell & Wallis 1968, p. 201.
20. Bigham 1925, pp. 113–114.

References

• Bigham, Clive (1925). The Chief Ministers of England, 920–1720. London: John Murray.
• Butt, Ronald (1989). A History of Parliament: The Middle Ages. London: Constable. ISBN   0-0945-6220-2.
• Collier's Encyclopedia , vol. 9, Electron Gun to Fischer, pp. 184–185
• Collier's Encyclopedia, vol. 11, Germanium to Heath Hen, pp. 372–373
• Knowles, Elizabeth M. (1999), The Oxford Dictionary of Quotations, Oxford University Press, ISBN   978-0-19-860173-9
• Maddicott, J. R. (2010). The Origins of the English Parliament, 924-1327. Oxford University Press. ISBN   978-0-199-58550-2.
• Powell, J. Enoch; Wallis, Keith (1968). The House of Lords in the Middle Ages: A History of the English House of Lords to 1540 . London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson. ISBN   0297761056.