The lord privy seal (or, more formally, the lord keeper of the privy seal) is the fifth of the Great Officers of State in the United Kingdom, ranking beneath the lord president of the Council and above the lord great chamberlain. Originally, its holder was responsible for the monarch's personal (privy) seal (as opposed to the Great Seal of the Realm, which is in the care of the lord chancellor) until the use of such a seal became obsolete. Though one of the oldest offices in European governments, it has no particular function today because the use of a privy seal has been obsolete for centuries; it may be regarded as a traditional sinecure, but today, the holder of the office is invariably given a seat in the Cabinet of the United Kingdom, and is sometimes referred to as a minister without portfolio.

Since the premiership of Clement Attlee, the position of lord privy seal has frequently been combined with that of leader of the House of Lords or leader of the House of Commons. The office of lord privy seal, unlike those of leader of the Lords or Commons, is eligible for a ministerial salary under the Ministerial and Other Salaries Act 1975. The office does not confer membership of the House of Lords, leading to Ernest Bevin's remark on holding this office that he was "neither a Lord, nor a Privy, nor a Seal".

During the reign of Edward I, prior to 1307, the privy seal was kept by the controller of the wardrobe. During the time that the Court of Requests existed, the lord privy seal was its president.

List of lord keepers of the privy seal

Lord keepers of the privy seal (1714)

+Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal Lord Keeper Term of office Monarch William Melton 1307 1312 Edward II Roger Northburgh 1312 1316 Thomas Charlton 1316 1320 Robert Baldock 1320 1323 Robert Wodehouse 1323 1323 Robert Ayleston 1323 1324 William Ayermin 1324 1325 Henry de Cliff 1325 1325 William Herlaston 1325 1326 Robert Wyvil 1326 1327 Richard Airmyn 1327 1328 Edward III Adam de Lymbergh 1328 1329 Richard Bury 1329 1334 Robert Ayleston 1334 1334 Robert Tawton 1334 1335 William de la Zouch 1335 1337 Richard Bintworth 1337 1338 William Kilsby 1338 1342 John de Ufford 1342 1344 Thomas Hatfield 1344 1345 John Thoresby 1345 1347 Simon Islip 1347 1350 Michael Northburgh 1350 1354 Thomas Bramber 1354 1355 John Winwick 1355 1360 John Buckingham 1360 1363 William of Wykeham 1363 1367 Peter Lacy 1367 1371 Nicholas Carew 1371 1377 John Fordham 1377 1381 Richard II William Dighton 1381 1382 Walter Skirclaw 1382 1386 John Waltham 1386 1389 Edmund Stafford 1389 1396 Guy Mone 1396 1397 Richard Clifford 1397 1401 Henry IV Thomas Langley 1401 1405 Nicholas Bubwith 1405 1406 John Prophet 1406 1415 Henry V John Wakering 1415 1416 Henry Ware 1416 1418 John Kemp 1418 1421 John Stafford 1421 1422 William AlnwickArchdeacon of Sarum until 1426; Bishop of Norwich from 1426 1422 1432 Henry VI William LyndwoodArchdeacon of Oxford 1434–1442; Bishop of St David's from 1442 1432 1443 Thomas Beckington 1443 1444 Adam MoleynsDean of Salisbury until 1446; Bishop of Chichester from 1446 1444 1450 Andrew Holes 1450 1452 Thomas Lisieux 1452 1456 Laurence BoothDean of St Paul's until 1457 1456 1460 Robert StillingtonArchdeacon of Taunton until 1465; Bishop of Bath and Wells from 1466 1460 1467 Edward IV Thomas RotherhamBishop of Rochester from 1468 1467 1470 John Hales 1470 1471 Henry VI Thomas RotherhamBishop of Rochester until 1472; Bishop of Lincoln from 1472 1471 1474 Edward IV John RussellBishop of Rochester 1476–1480; Bishop of Lincoln from 1480 1474 1483 Edward V John Gunthorpe 1483 1485 Richard III Peter Courtenay 1485 1487 Henry VII Richard FoxeBishop of Exeter until 1492; Bishop of Bath and Wells 1492–1494; Bishop of Durham 1494–1501; Bishop of Winchester from 1501 1487 1516 Henry VIII Thomas Ruthall 1516 1523 Henry Marney1st Baron Marney 1523 1523 Cuthbert Tunstall 1523 1530 Thomas Boleyn1st Earl of Wiltshire 1530 1536 Thomas Cromwell1st Earl of EssexConcurrently held the offices of Chancellor of the Exchequer from 1533, Secretary of State from 1534, and Lord Great Chamberlain in 1540 1536 1540 William FitzWilliam1st Earl of Southampton 1540 1542 John Russell1st Earl of BedfordBaron Russell from 1539, created Earl of Bedford in 1551 1542 1555 Edward VI Mary I William Paget1st Baron Paget 1555 1558 Nicholas Bacon 1558 1571 Elizabeth I William Cecil1st Baron Burghley 1571 1572 William Howard1st Baron Howard of Effingham 1572 1573 Thomas Smith 1573 1576 Francis Walsingham 1576 1590 William Cecil1st Baron Burghley 1590 1598 Robert Cecil1st Earl of Salisbury 1598 1608 James I Henry Howard1st Earl of Northampton 1608 1614 Robert Carr1st Earl of Somerset 1614 1616 Edward Somerset4th Earl of Worcester 1616 1625 John Coke 1625 1628 Charles I Robert Naunton 1628 1628 Henry Montagu1st Earl of Manchester 1628 1642 Lucius Cary2nd Viscount Falkland 1643 1643 Edward NicholasConcurrently held the office of Secretary of State 1643 1644 Henry Bourchier5th Earl of Bath 1644 1646Appointed in the controversial Oxford Parliament, Bourchier is sometimes regarded as holding the office for life. However, during the Interregnum Bourchier was identified as a Delinquent by Parliamentarians and use of the Privy Seal ended. Until the Restoration of Charles II the Great Seal was the primary seal of government, for which the custody held in commission. InterregnumCommissioners of Parliament's Great Seal 1646 1660 Charles II John Robartes2nd Baron Robartes 1660 1673 Charles II Arthur Annesley1st Earl of Anglesey 1673 1682 George Savile1st Marquess of Halifax 1682 1685 Henry Hyde2nd Earl of Clarendon 1685 1687 James II Henry Arundell3rd Baron Arundell of Wardour 1687 1688 George Savile1st Marquess of Halifax 1689 1690 Mary II&William III Thomas Herbert8th Earl of Pembroke 1692 1699 John Lowther1st Viscount Lonsdale 1699 1700 Ford Grey1st Earl of Tankerville 1700 1701 John Sheffield1st Duke of Buckingham and NormanbyMarquess of Normanby from 1694; created Duke of Buckingham and Normanby in 1703 1702 1705 Anne John Holles1st Duke of Newcastle upon Tyne 1705 1711 John Robinson 1711 1713 William Legge1st Earl of Dartmouth 1713 1714

Lord keepers of the privy seal (1714–present)

+ Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal Lord Keeper Term of office Other ministerial portfolios held during tenure Party Ministry Monarch Thomas Wharton1st Marquess of WhartonEarl of Wharton from 1706; created Marquess of Wharton in 1715 1714 1715 Whig Townshend George I In commission 1715 1715 — Charles Spencer3rd Earl of Sunderland 1715 1716 — Evelyn Pierrepont1st Duke of Kingston-upon-Hull 1716 1719 — Stanhope–Sunderland I Stanhope–Sunderland II Henry Grey1st Duke of Kent 1719 1720 — Evelyn Pierrepont1st Duke of Kingston-upon-Hull 1720 1726 — Walpole–Townshend Thomas Trevor1st Baron Trevor 1726 1730 — George II Spencer Compton1st Earl of Wilmington 1730 1731 Whig Walpole William Cavendish3rd Duke of Devonshire 1731 1733 Whig Henry Lowther3rd Viscount Lonsdale 1733 1735 — Francis Godolphin2nd Earl of Godolphin 1735 1740 — John Hervey2nd Baron Hervey 1740 1742 — John Leveson-Gower2nd Baron Gower 1742 1743 Tory Carteret George Cholmondeley3rd Earl of Cholmondeley 1743 1744 — John Leveson-Gower1st Earl GowerBaron Gower from 1709; created Earl Gower in 1746 1744 1755 Tory Broad Bottom Newcastle I Charles Spencer3rd Duke of Marlborough 1755 1755 — Granville Leveson-Gower2nd Earl Gower 1755 1757 Tory Pitt–Devonshire 1757 Caretaker Richard Grenville-Temple2nd Earl Temple 1757 1761 — Pitt–Newcastle George IIIThe Prince of Wales served as prince regent from 5 February 1811. John Russell4th Duke of Bedford 1761 1763 Whig Bute George Spencer4th Duke of Marlborough 1763 1765 — Grenville Thomas Pelham-Holles1st Duke of Newcastle 1765 1766 Whig Rockingham I William Pitt1st Earl of Chatham 1766 1768 Prime Minister Whig Chatham George Hervey2nd Earl of Bristol 1768 1770 — Grafton George Montagu-Dunk2nd Earl of Halifax 1770 1771 Tory North Henry Howard12th Earl of Suffolk 1771 1771 — Augustus FitzRoy3rd Duke of Grafton 1771 1775 Whig William Legge2nd Earl of Dartmouth 1775 1782 — Augustus FitzRoy3rd Duke of Grafton 1782 1783 Whig Rockingham II Shelburne Frederick Howard5th Earl of Carlisle 1783 1783 — Fox–North Charles Manners4th Duke of Rutland 1783 1784 — Pitt I Granville Leveson-Gower1st Marquess of StaffordEarl Gower from 1754; created Marquess of Stafford in 1786 1784 1794 Tory George Spencer2nd Earl Spencer 1794 1794 Whig John Pitt2nd Earl of Chatham 1794 1798 — John Fane10th Earl of Westmorland 1798 1806 Tory Addington Pitt II Henry Addington1st Viscount Sidmouth 1806 1806 Tory All the Talents Henry Vassall-Fox3rd Baron Holland 1806 1807 Whig John Fane10th Earl of Westmorland 1807 1827 Tory Portland II Perceval Liverpool George IV William Cavendish-Scott-Bentinck4th Duke of Portland 1827 1827 Tory Canning George Howard6th Earl of Carlisle 1827 1828 Whig Goderich Edward Law2nd Baron Ellenborough 1828 1829 President of the Board of ControlServed as President of the Board of Control from September 1828 Tory WellingtonPeel James St Clair-Erskine2nd Earl of Rosslyn 1829 1830 Tory William IV John Lambton1st Baron Durham 1830 1833 Whig Grey Frederick John Robinson1st Earl of Ripon 1833 1834 Whig George Howard6th Earl of Carlisle 1834 1834 Whigs Constantine Phipps2nd Earl of Mulgrave 1834 1834 Whig Melbourne I James Stuart-Wortley-Mackenzie1st Baron Wharncliffe 1834 1835 Conservative Peel I John Ponsonby1st Baron Duncannonstyled Viscount Duncannon 1835 1840 First Commissioner of Woods and Forests Whig Melbourne II Victoria George Villiers4th Earl of Clarendon 1840 1841 Chancellor of the Duchy of LancasterServed as Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster October 1840 – June 1841 Whig Richard Temple-Nugent-Brydges-Chandos-Grenville2nd Duke of Buckingham and Chandos 1841 1842 Conservative Peel II Walter Montagu-Douglas-Scott5th Duke of Buccleuch 1842 1846 Conservative Thomas Hamilton9th Earl of Haddington 1846 1846 Conservative Gilbert Elliot-Murray-Kynynmound2nd Earl of Minto 1846 1852 Whig Russell I James Gascoyne-Cecil2nd Marquess of Salisbury 1852 1852 Conservative Who? Who? George Campbell8th Duke of Argyll 1853 1855 Peelite Aberdeen Palmerston I Dudley Ryder2nd Earl of Harrowby 1855 1858 Whig Ulick de Burgh1st Marquess of Clanricarde 1858 1858 Whig Charles Yorke4th Earl of Hardwicke 1858 1859 Conservative DerbyDisraeli II George Campbell8th Duke of Argyll 1859 1866 Liberal Palmerston II Russell II James Harris3rd Earl of Malmesbury 1866 1868 Conservative DerbyDisraeli III John Wodehouse1st Earl of Kimberley 1868 1870 Liberal Gladstone I Charles Wood1st Viscount Halifax 1870 1874 Liberal James Harris3rd Earl of Malmesbury 1874 1876 Conservative Disraeli II Benjamin Disraeli1st Earl of Beaconsfield 1876 1878 Prime Minister First Lord of the Treasury Conservative Algernon Percy6th Duke of Northumberland 1878 1880 Conservative George Campbell8th Duke of Argyll 1880 1881 Liberal Gladstone II Chichester Parkinson-Fortescue1st Baron Carlingford 1881 1885 Liberal Archibald Primrose5th Earl of Rosebery 1885 1885 First Commissioner of Works Liberal Dudley Ryder3rd Earl of Harrowby 1885 1886 Conservative Salisbury I William Ewart GladstoneMP for Midlothian 1886 1886 Prime Minister First Lord of the Treasury Leader of the House of Commons Liberal Gladstone III George Cadogan5th Earl Cadogan 1886 1892 Conservative Salisbury II William Ewart GladstoneMP for Midlothian 1892 1894 Prime Minister First Lord of the Treasury Leader of the House of Commons Liberal Gladstone IV Edward Marjoribanks2nd Baron Tweedmouth 1894 1895 Chancellor of the Duchy of LancasterServed as Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster from May 1894 Liberal Rosebery Richard Assheton Cross1st Viscount Cross 1895 1900 Conservative Salisbury Robert Gascoyne-Cecil3rd Marquess of Salisbury 1900 1902 Prime Minister Leader of the House of Lords Conservative Edward VII Arthur BalfourMP for Manchester East 1902 1903 Prime Minister