Lord High Steward

Not to be confused with Lord Steward.

"Great Steward" redirects here. For the Scottish title, see mormaer.

Lord High Steward of England
Longest Serving John of Gaunt 1362–1399
Type	Great Officer of State
Appointer	The Monarch
Term length	At His Majesty's Pleasure
Formation	1154
First holder	The 2nd Earl of Leicester
Final holder	General Sir Gordon Messenger
Superseded by	Chief Justiciar

The Lord High Steward is the first of the Great Officers of State in England, nominally ranking above the Lord Chancellor.

The office has generally remained vacant since 1421, and is now an ad hoc office that is primarily ceremonial and is filled only for a coronation.

At coronations of the British monarch, the Lord High Steward bears St Edward's Crown. The Lord High Steward has the sole legal power to preside over impeachment trials of peers (which last happened in 1806). The trial of peers by their peers (a law which applied for felonies) was abolished in 1948. In general, but not invariably, the Lord Chancellor was deputised (to act as Lord High Steward) in the felony trials. There was a Court of the Lord High Steward which served this purpose when Parliament was not in session. ^[1]

Initially the position was largely an honorary one. 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. When the House of Lancaster ascended the throne in 1399, Henry IV made his second son, Thomas of Lancaster, Duke of Clarence, Lord High Steward. He held the post until his death in 1421.^{[ citation needed ]}

The equivalent offices in Scotland and Ireland respectively are the Great Steward of Scotland (always held by the heir to the throne, known in Scotland as the Duke of Rothesay) and the Lord High Steward of Ireland (held by the Earls of Shrewsbury, who are also Earls of Waterford in the Peerage of Ireland).^{[ citation needed ]}

Lord High Stewards of England, 1154–1421

• 1154–1168: Robert de Beaumont, 2nd Earl of Leicester
• 1168–1190: Robert de Beaumont "Blanchemains", 3rd Earl of Leicester
• 1190–1204: Robert de Beaumont "FitzPernel", 4th Earl of Leicester
• 1206–1218: Simon IV de Montfort, 5th Earl of Leicester (son of the sister of the previous)
• 1218–1239: uncertain, probably vacant
• 1239–1265: Simon V de Montfort, 6th Earl of Leicester (de facto ruler from c. 1259)
• 1265–1267: uncertain, probably vacant
• 1267–1274: Edward I of England (first son of Henry III)
• 1274–1296: Edmund Crouchback, 1st Earl of Leicester and of Lancaster (second son of Henry III & brother to Edward I)
• 1296–1322: Thomas, 2nd Earl of Lancaster and of Leicester (Edmund's eldest son; nephew of Edward I)
• 1322–1324: uncertain, probably vacant
• 1324–1345: Henry, 3rd Earl of Lancaster and of Leicester (Thomas' younger brother; first-cousin to Edward II)
• 1345–1361: Henry of Grosmont, 1st Duke of Lancaster, 4th Earl of Leicester (3rd Earl's son; second cousin to Edward III)
• 1362–1399: John of Gaunt, 1st Duke of Lancaster, 6th Earl of Leicester jure uxoris (third son of Edward III and son-in-law of the previous)
• 1399: Henry Bolingbroke, 2nd Duke of Lancaster, 7th Earl of Leicester (elder son of John; first cousin to Richard II, whose throne he usurped)
• 1399–1421: Thomas of Lancaster, 1st Duke of Clarence (second son of Henry IV (Bolingbroke))

Lord High Stewards of England, 1422–present

See also: List of coronations of British monarchs

See also: List of trials of peers in the House of Lords

Incomplete before 1660.

Coronations

Name	Year	Notes	Ref.
Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester	1429	Coronation of King Henry VI (Humphrey's nephew)	[2]
Thomas de Courtenay, 5th/13th Earl of Devon	1445	Coronation of Margaret of Anjou	[ citation needed ]
John de la Pole, 2nd Duke of Suffolk	1461	Coronation of King Edward IV (brother of Pole's wife, Elizabeth of York)	[ citation needed ]
George Plantagenet, 1st Duke of Clarence	1465	Coronation of Elizabeth Woodville (wife of George's brother, Edward IV)	[3]
John Howard, 1st Duke of Norfolk	1483	Coronation of King Richard III (Howard's close friend) and his wife Anne Neville	[ citation needed ]
John de Vere, 13th Earl of Oxford	1485	Coronation of King Henry VII (Vere was commander of Henry's army at the Battle of Bosworth Field)	[4]
Jasper Tudor, Duke of Bedford	1487	Coronation of Elizabeth of York (Tudor was half-brother to the late Henry VI and paternal uncle to Henry VII)
Edward Stafford, 3rd Duke of Buckingham	1509	Coronation of King Henry VIII and his wife Queen Catherine	[5]
The Duke of Suffolk	1533	Coronation of Queen Anne	[6]
The Baron Russell	1547	Coronation of King Edward VI	[7]
The Earl of Derby	1553	Coronation of Queen Mary I	[8]
The Earl of Arundel	1559	Coronation of Queen Elizabeth I	[9]
The Earl of Nottingham	1603	Coronation of King James I and his wife Queen Anne	[10]
The Duke of Buckingham	1626	Coronation of King Charles I	[11]
The Duke of Ormond	1661	Coronation of King Charles II	[12]
	1685	Coronation of King James II and his wife Queen Mary
The Earl of Devonshire	1689	Coronation of King William III and Queen Mary II
The Duke of Devonshire	1702	Coronation of Queen Anne
The Duke of Grafton	1714	Coronation of King George I
The Duke of Dorset	1727	Coronation of King George II and his wife Queen Caroline
The Earl Talbot	1761	Coronation of King George III and his wife Queen Charlotte
The Marquess of Anglesey	1821	Coronation of King George IV
The Duke of Hamilton and Brandon	1831	Coronation of King William IV and his wife Queen Adelaide
	1838	Coronation of Queen Victoria
The Duke of Marlborough	1902	Coronation of King Edward VII and his wife Queen Alexandra	[13]
The Duke of Northumberland	1911	Coronation of King George V and his wife Queen Mary	[14]
The Marquess of Salisbury	1937	Coronation of King George VI and his wife Queen Elizabeth	[15]
The Viscount Cunningham of Hyndhope	1953	Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II	[16]
Sir Gordon Messenger	2023	Coronation of King Charles III and his wife Queen Camilla	[17]

Trials of peers

Name	Year	Notes	Ref.
Henry Stafford, 2nd Duke of Buckingham	1478	Trial of George, Duke of Clarence (brother of Edward IV, whose ward Stafford was)
John de Vere, 13th Earl of Oxford	1499	Trial of Edward Plantagenet, 17th Earl of Warwick (the last male-line Yorkist)
Thomas Howard, 2nd Duke of Norfolk	1503	Trial of Edward Sutton, 2nd Baron Dudley	[ citation needed ]
Thomas Howard, 2nd Duke of Norfolk	1521	Trial of Edward Stafford, 3rd Duke of Buckingham	[ citation needed ]
Thomas Howard, 3rd Duke of Norfolk	1534	Trial of William Dacre, 3rd Baron Dacre	[ citation needed ]
	1536	Trial of Anne Boleyn (Howard's niece)	[ citation needed ]
Henry Courtenay, 1st Marquess of Exeter	1537	Trial of Thomas Darcy, 1st Baron Darcy de Darcy (Courtenay was a first-cousin to Henry VIII)
Thomas Audley, 1st Baron Audley of Walden	1538	Trial of Henry Pole, 1st Baron Montagu and Henry Courtenay, 1st Marquess of Exeter (cousins; scions of the House of York)
	1541	Trial of Thomas Fiennes, 9th Baron Dacre
William Paulet, 1st Marquess of Winchester	1551	Trial of Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset (fallen Lord Protector, regent and uncle of Edward VI; Paulet was one of the 16 executors)	[18]
Thomas Howard, 3rd Duke of Norfolk	1553	Trial of John Dudley, 1st Duke of Northumberland (fallen regent)	[ citation needed ]
Henry FitzAlan, 19th Earl of Arundel	1557	Trial of Lord Stourton (FitzAlan was a godson of Henry VIII; Stourton a nephew of Dudley)
William Parr, 1st Marquess of Northampton	1559	Trial of Thomas Wentworth, 2nd Baron Wentworth (Parr was brother to the late queen Catherine; Wentworth a cousin of Seymour)
George Talbot, 6th Earl of Shrewsbury	1571	Trial of Thomas Howard, 4th Duke of Norfolk
William Paulet, 3rd Marquess of Winchester	1587	Funeral of Mary, Queen of Scots (Paulet was a judge at her trial)	[ citation needed ]
Henry Stanley, 4th Earl of Derby	1589	Trial of Philip Howard, 20th Earl of Arundel
Thomas Sackville, 1st Baron Buckhurst	1601	Trial of Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex (a favourite of Elizabeth I)
Thomas Coventry, 1st Baron Coventry	1631	Trial of Mervyn Tuchet, 2nd Earl of Castlehaven (Coventry was Lord Keeper)	[ citation needed ]
Thomas Howard, 21st Earl of Arundel	1641	Trial of Thomas Wentworth, 1st Earl of Strafford (Howard was the Earl Marshal; Wentworth the former Deputy of Ireland)
Edward Hyde, 1st Earl of Clarendon (Lord Chancellor)	1666	Trial of Thomas Park, 15th Baron Morley (Hyde was a member of Charles' exile court)
Heneage Finch, 1st Baron Finch (Lord Chancellor)	1676	Trial of Charles Cornwallis, 3rd Baron Cornwallis
		Trial of Philip Herbert, 7th Earl of Pembroke
	1679	Trial of Thomas Osborne, 1st Earl of Danby (later 1st Duke of Leeds)
	1679	Trial of William Herbert, 1st Earl of Powis; William Howard, 1st Viscount Stafford; Henry Arundell, 3rd Baron Arundell of Wardour; William Petre, 4th Baron Petre; and John Belasyse, 1st Baron Belasyse
	1680	Trial of William Howard, 1st Viscount Stafford,
George Jeffreys, 1st Baron Jeffreys (Lord Chancellor)	1686	Trial of Henry Booth, 2nd Baron Delamere
Thomas Osborne, 1st Marquess of Carmarthen (later 1st Duke of Leeds) (Lord President of the Council)	1693	Trial of Charles Mohun, 4th Baron Mohun
John Somers, 1st Baron Somers (Lord Chancellor)	1699	Trial of Edward Rich, 6th Earl of Warwick; and of Charles Mohun, 4th Baron Mohun
William Cowper, 1st Baron Cowper (Lord Chancellor)	1716	Trial of James Radclyffe, 3rd Earl of Derwentwater; William Widdrington, 4th Baron Widdrington; William Maxwell, 5th Earl of Nithsdale; Robert Dalzell, 5th Earl of Carnwath; William Gordon, 6th Viscount of Kenmure; and William Murray, 2nd Lord Nairne
	1716	Trial of George Seton, 5th Earl of Winton
	1717	Trial of Robert Harley, 1st Earl of Oxford and Earl Mortimer
Peter King, 1st Baron King (Lord Chancellor)	1725	Trial of Thomas Parker, 1st Earl of Macclesfield
Philip Yorke, 1st Earl of Hardwicke (Lord Chancellor)	1746	Trial of William Boyd, 4th Earl of Kilmarnock; George Mackenzie, 3rd Earl of Cromartie; and Arthur Elphinstone, 6th Lord Balmerino
	1747	Trial of Simon Fraser, 11th Lord Lovat
Robert Henley, 1st Baron Henley (Lord Keeper)	1760	Trial of Laurence Shirley, 4th Earl Ferrers
Robert Henley, 1st Earl of Northington (Lord Chancellor)	1765	Trial of William Byron, 5th Baron Byron
Henry Bathurst, 2nd Earl Bathurst (Lord Chancellor)	1776	Trial of Elizabeth Pierrepont, Duchess of Kingston-upon-Hull
Edward Thurlow, 1st Baron Thurlow (Lord Chancellor; until 1793)	1788–1795	Trial of Warren Hastings
Alexander Wedderburn, 1st Baron Loughborough (Lord Chancellor; from 1793)
Thomas Erskine, 1st Baron Erskine (Lord Chancellor)	1806	Trial of Henry Dundas, 1st Viscount Melville
Thomas Denman, 1st Baron Denman (Lord Chief Justice of the Queen's Bench)	1841	Trial of James Brudenell, 7th Earl of Cardigan
Hardinge Giffard, 1st Earl of Halsbury (Lord Chancellor)	1901	Trial of Frank Russell, 2nd Earl Russell
John Lambton, 3rd Earl of Durham	1911–1912	Lord High Steward to George V during his visit to India from 1911 to 1912	[19]
Douglas Hogg, 1st Viscount Hailsham (Lord Chancellor)	1935	Trial of Edward Russell, 26th Baron de Clifford (last trial of a peer in the House of Lords)

References

1. William Blackstone (1769). Commentaries on the Laws of England vol. 4, chapter 19
2. Nicolas, Nicholas Harris (1835), Proceedings and Ordinances of the Privy Council of England, Vol. 4 (8 H. VI to 14 H. VI), ed. by Sir Harris Nicholas, 1835, pp. 3-4; (here linked as pdf)
3. Hipshon, David (26 August 2011), Richard III and the Death of Chivalry, by David Hipshon, 2011, The History Press, ISBN   9780752469157
4. Baumgaertner, Wm. E. (2010), Squires, Knights, Barons, Kings: War and Politics in Fifteenth Century England; by Wm. E. Baumgaertner, 2010, Trafford, ISBN   9781426907692
5. Stafford was ward of Henry VIII's grandmother, Margaret Beaufort
6. Brandon's wife, Mary Tudor, was Henry VIII's sister
7. Russell was one of the 16 executors of the will of Henry VIII
8. Stanley was a ward of King Henry VIII
9. "The Coronation of Queen Elizabeth". History Today. Retrieved 10 January 2012.
10. Howard was Lord High Admiral, and a cousin to the late Thomas, 4th Duke of Norfolk
11. Villiers was Lord High Admiral, and a favourite of King Charles I father, King James I
12. Butler was a leading figure in the exile court of King Charles II
13. "No. 27489". The London Gazette (Supplement). 29 October 1902. p. 6865.
14. "No. 28535". The London Gazette (Supplement). 27 September 1911. p. 7084.
15. "No. 34453". The London Gazette (Supplement). 10 November 1937. p. 7051.
16. "No. 40020". The London Gazette (Supplement). 20 November 1953. p. 6238.
17. "Roles to be performed at the Coronation Service at Westminster Abbey". The Royal Family. 27 April 2023. Retrieved 27 April 2023.
18. Patrick Cracroft-Brennan, Winchester, Marquess of (E, 1551). Accessed 19 July 2014.
19. "No. 28536". The London Gazette. 29 September 1911. p. 7121.

External links

•   Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Lord High Steward". Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.
• Harcourt, Lewis Vernon (1907). His Grace the Steward and trial of peers. London: Longmans, Green & Co.