Lord Chancellor

This page lists both Lord Chancellors and Lord Keepers
Name 	Entered office 	Left office 	Party 	Notes
Herfast 	1068 	1070 	 	
Osmund 	1070 	1078 	 	
Maurice, Archdeacon of Le Mans 	1078 	1085 	 	
Gerard, Preceptor of Rouen 	1085 	1092 	 	
Robert Blouet 	1092 	1093 	 	
William Giffard 	1093 	1101 	 	
Roger 	1101 	1102 	 	
Waldric 	1102 	1107 	 	
Ranulf 	1107 	1123 	 	
Geoffrey Rufus 	1123 	1133 	 	
Robert de Sigillo 	1133 	1135 	 	
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 	1142 	 	
Robert of Ghent, Dean of York 	1142 	1154 	 	
Thomas Becket, Archdeacon of Canterbury 	1155 	1162 	 	
Geoffrey Ridel, Archdeacon of Canterbury 	1162 	1173 	 	
Ralph de Warneville, Treasurer of York 	1173 	1181 	 	
Geoffrey the Bastard 	1181 	1189 	 	
William Longchamp, Bishop of Ely 	1189 	1197 	 	
Eustace, Dean of Salisbury 	1197 	1198 	 	
Eustace, Bishop of Ely 	1198 	1199 	 	
Hubert Walter, Archbishop of Canterbury 	1199 	1205 	 	
Walter de Gray 	1205 	1214 	 	
Richard Marsh 	1214 	1226 	 	
Ralph Neville 	1226 	1240 	 	
Richard le Gras, Abbot of Evesham 	1240 	1242 	 	
Ralph Neville 	1242 	1244 	 	
Silvester de Everdon, Archdeacon of Chester 	1244 	1246 	 	
John Maunsell, Provost of Beverley 	1246 	1247 	 	
Sir John Lexington 	1247 	1248 	 	
John Maunsell 	1248 	1249 	 	
Sir John Lexington 	1249 	1250 	 	
William of Kilkenny 	1250 	1255 	 	
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 	1263 	 	
John Chishull, Archdeacon of London 	1263 	1264 	 	
Thomas Cantilupe, Archdeacon of Stafford 	1264 	1265 	 	
Ralph Sandwich 	1265 	1265 	 	
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 and Wells 	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 	1307 	 	
John Langton, Bishop of Chichester 	1307 	1310 	 	
Walter Reynolds, Bishop of Worcester 	1310 	1314 	 	
John Sandall 	1314 	1318 	 	
John Hotham, Bishop of Ely 	1318 	1320 	 	
John Salmon, Bishop of Norwich 	1320 	1323 	 	
Robert Baldock, Archdeacon of Middlesex 	1323 	1327 	 	
William Airmyn, Bishop of Norwich 	1327 	1328 	 	
Henry Burghersh, Bishop of Lincoln 	1328 	1330 	 	
John Stratford, Bishop of Winchester 	1330 	1334 	 	
Richard Bury, Bishop of Durham 	1334 	1335 	 	
John Stratford, Archbishop of Canterbury 	1335 	1337 	 	
Robert Stratford, Bishop of Chichester 	1337 	1338 	 	
Richard Bintworth, Bishop of London 	1338 	1339 	 	
John Stratford, Archbishop of Canterbury 	1340 	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 Edington, Bishop of Winchester 	1367 	1371 	 	
Sir Robert Thorp 	1371 	1372 	 	
Sir John Knyvet 	1372 	1377 	 	
Adam Houghton, Bishop of St David's 	1377 	1378 	 	
The Lord Scrope of Bolton 	1378 	1380 	 	
Simon Sudbury, Archbishop of Canterbury 	1380 	1381 	 	
Hugh Segrave 	1381 	1381 	 	
William Courtenay, Bishop of Lincoln 	1381 	1381 	 	
The Lord Scrope of Bolton 	1381 	1382 	 	
Robert Braybrook, Bishop of London 	1382 	1383 	 	
The Earl of Suffolk 	1383 	1386 	 	
Thomas Arundel, Bishop of Ely 	1386 	1389 	 	
William 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 	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 Beaufortfrom 1411, the Earl of Dorset 	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 and Wellsfrom 1443, Archbishop of Canterbury	1432 	1450 	 	
John Kemp, Archbishop of York 	1450 	1454 	 	
The 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 and Wells 	1467 	1470 	 	
George Neville, Archbishop of York 	1470 	1471 	 	
Robert Stillington, Bishop of Bath and Wells 	1471 	1473 	 	
Laurence Booth,Bishop of Durham 	1473 	1475 	 	
John Alcock,Bishop of Rochester 	1475 	1475 	 	
Thomas Rotheram,Bishop of Lincoln 	1475 	1483 	 	
John Russell,Bishop of Lincoln 	1483 	1 August 1485 	 	
Thomas Rotheram,Archbishop of York 	1 August 1485 	22 August 1485 	 	Lord Keeper
John Alcock,Bishop of Worcester 	22 August 1485 	6 March 1486 	 	later Bishop of Ely
John Morton,Archbishop of Canterbury 	6 March 1486 	September 1500 	 	
Richard Nikke 	16 September 1500	13 October 1500 	 	Lord Keeper
Henry Deane,Bishop of Salisbury 	13 October 1500 	27 July 1502 	 	later Archbishop of Canterbury
William Barnes 	27 July 1502 	11 August 1502 	 	Lord Keeper
William Warham,Archbishop of Canterbury 	11 August 1502 	22 December 1515 	 	
Cardinal Wolsey,Archbishop of York 	22 December 1515 	17 October 1529 	 	
Sir Thomas More 	25 October 1529 	20 May 1532 	 	
Sir Thomas Audley laterThe Lord Audley of Walden 	20 May 1532 	22 April 1544 	 	Lord Keeper to 26 January 1533
The Lord Wriothesley laterThe Earl of Southampton 	22 April 1544 	25 March 1547 	 	Lord Keeper to 3 May 1544
The Lord St John 	25 March 1547 	23 October 1547 	 	Lord Keeper
The Lord Rich 	23 October 1547 	22 December 1551 	 	
Thomas Goodrich,Bishop of Ely 	22 December 1551 	23 August 1553 	 	Lord Keeper to 19 January 1552
Stephen Gardiner,Bishop of Winchester 	23 August 1553 	12 November 1555 	 	
Nicholas Heath,Archbishop of York 	1 January 1556 	18 November 1558 	 	
Sir Nicholas Bacon 	22 December 1558 	20 February 1579 	 	Lord Keeper
Sir Thomas Bromley 	26 April 1579 	12 April 1587 	 	
Sir Christopher Hatton 	29 April 1587 	20 November 1591 	 	
in commission 	22 November 1591 	28 May 1592 	 	Commissioners: The Lord Burghley, The Lord Hunsdon, The Lord Cobham, The Lord Buckhurst
Sir John Puckering 	28 May 1592 	30 April 1596 	 	Lord Keeper
Sir Thomas Egerton laterThe Lord Ellesmere laterThe Viscount Brackley 	6 May 1596 	15 March 1617 	 	Lord Keeper to 24 July 1603
Sir Francis Bacon laterThe Lord Verulam laterThe Viscount St. Albans 	7 March 1617 	1 May 1621 	 	Lord Keeper to 4 January 1618
in commission 	1 May 1621 	10 July 1621 	 	Commissioners: The Viscount Mandeville, The Duke of Lennox, The Earl of Arundel
John Williams,Bishop of Lincoln 	10 July 1621 	30 October 1625 	 	Lord Keeper
Sir Thomas Coventry laterThe Lord Coventry 	1 November 1625 	13 January 1640 	 	Lord Keeper
The Lord Finch 	17 January 1640 	19 January 1641 	 	Lord Keeper
The Lord Lyttelton 	19 January 1641 	21 May 1642 	 	Lord Keeper
Great Seal held by the King 	21 May 1642 	25 October 1645 	 	
Sir Richard Lane 	25 October 1645 	1650 	 	Lord Keeper
Sir Edward Herbert 	5 April 1653 	June 1654 	 	Lord Keeper
Sir Edward Hyde laterThe Lord Hyde laterThe Earl of Clarendon 	13 January 1658 	30 August 1667 	 	Lord Keeper to 29 January 1658
Sir Orlando Bridgeman 	30 August 1667 	17 November 1672 	 	Lord Keeper
The Earl of Shaftesbury 	17 November 1672 	9 November 1673 	 	
Sir Heneage Finch later The Lord Finch laterThe Earl of Nottingham 	9 November 1673 	18 December 1682 	Tory 	Lord Keeper to 19 December 1675
Sir Francis North laterThe Lord Guilford 	18 December 1682 	5 September 1685 	Tory 	Lord Keeper
The Lord Jeffreys 	28 September 1685	December 1688 	Tory 	
in commission 	4 March 1689 	23 March 1693 	 	Commissioners: Sir John Maynard (1689-1690), Sir Anthony Keck (1689-1690), Sir William Rawlinson (1689-1693), Sir John Trevor (1690-1693), Sir George Hutchins (1690-1693)
Sir John Somers laterThe Lord Somers 	23 March 1693 	5 May 1700 	Whig 	Lord Keeper to 22 April 1697
in commission 	5 May 1700 	21 May 1700 	 	Commissioners: Sir John Holt, Sir Robert Tracy, Sir Edward Ward, Sir John Trevor
Sir Nathan Wright 	21 May 1700 	11 October 1705 	Tory 	Lord Keeper
The Lord Cowper 	11 October 1705 	25 September 1710	Whig 	Lord Keeper to 4 May 1707
in commission 	25 September 1710	19 October 1710 	 	Commissioners: Sir Thomas Trevor, Sir Robert Tracy, John Scrope
The Lord Harcourt 	19 October 1710 	21 September 1714	Tory 	Lord Keeper to 7 April 1713
The Lord Cowper 	21 September 1714	18 April 1718 	Whig 	
in commission 	18 April 1718 	12 May 1718 	 	Commissioners: Sir Robert Tracy, Sir John Pratt, Sir James Montague
The Lord Parker laterThe Earl of Macclesfield 	12 May 1718 	4 January 1725 	Whig 	
in commission 	7 January 1725 	1 June 1725 	 	Commissioners: Sir Joseph Jekyll, Sir Jeffrey Gilbert, Sir Robert Raymond
The Lord King 	1 June 1725 	29 November 1733 	Whig 	
The Lord Talbot of Hensol 	29 November 1733 	21 February 1737 	Whig 	
The Lord Hardwicke laterThe Earl of Hardwicke 	21 February 1737 	9 November 1756 	Whig 	
in commission 	9 November 1756 	20 June 1757 	 	Commissioners: Sir John Willes, Sir Sidney Stafford Smythe, Sir John Eardley Wilmot
Sir Robert Henley laterThe Lord Henley laterThe Earl of Northington 	20 June 1757 	30 July 1766 	Whig 	Lord Keeper to 16 January 1761
The Lord Camden 	30 July 1766 	17 January 1770 	Whig 	
Charles Yorke 	17 January 1770 	20 January 1770 	Whig 	would have been Lord Morden, but killed himself before he was so created
in commission 	21 January 1770 	23 January 1771 	 	Commissioners: Sir Sidney Stafford Smythe, Henry Bathurst, Sir Richard Aston
The Lord Apsley laterThe Earl Bathurst 	23 January 1771 	3 June 1778 	Tory 	
The Lord Thurlow 	3 June 1778 	9 April 1783 	Tory 	
in commission 	9 April 1783 	23 December 1783 	 	Commissioners: The Lord Loughborough, Sir William Ashurst, Sir Beaumont Hotham
The Lord Thurlow 	23 December 1783 	15 June 1792 	Tory 	
in commission 	15 June 1792 	28 January 1793 	 	Commissioners: Sir James Eyre, Sir William Ashurst, Sir John Wilson
The Lord Loughborough 	28 January 1793 	14 April 1801 	Tory 	
The Lord Eldon 	14 April 1801 	7 February 1806 	Tory 	
The Lord Erskine 	7 February 1806 	1 April 1807 	Whig 	
The Lord Eldon laterThe Earl of Eldon 	1 April 1807 	2 May 1827 	Tory 	
The Lord Lyndhurst 	2 May 1827 	22 November 1830 	Tory 	
The Lord Brougham and Vaux 	22 November 1830 	14 November 1834 	Whig 	
The Lord Lyndhurst 	21 November 1834 	8 April 1835 	Tory 	
in commission 	23 April 1835 	16 1836 	 	Sir Charles Pepys, Sir Lancelot Shadwell, Sir John Bosanquet
The Lord Cottenham 	16 January 1836 	30 August 1841 	Whig 	
The Lord Lyndhurst 	3 September 1841 	27 June 1846 	Conservative 	
The Lord Cottenham 	30 June 1846 	19 June 1850 	Whig 	
in commission 	19 June 1850 	15 July 1850 	 	Commissioners: The Lord Langdale, Sir Lancelot Shadwell, Sir Robert Monsey Rolfe
The Lord Truro 	15 July 1850 	21 February 1852 	Whig 	
The Lord St. Leonards 	27 February 1852 	17 December 1852 	Conservative 	
The Lord Cranworth 	28 December 1852 	21 February 1858 	Whig 	
The Lord Chelmsford 	26 February 1858 	11 June 1859 	Conservative 	
The Lord Campbell 	18 June 1859 	26 June 1861 	Liberal 	
The Lord Westbury 	26 June 1861 	7 July 1865 	Liberal 	
The Lord Cranworth 	7 July 1865 	26 June 1866 	Liberal 	
The Lord Chelmsford 	6 July 1866 	29 February 1868 	Conservative 	
The Lord Cairns 	29 February 1868 	1 December 1868 	Conservative 	
The Lord Hatherley 	9 December 1868 	15 October 1872 	Liberal 	
The Lord Selborne 	15 October 1872 	17 February 1874 	Liberal 	
The Lord Cairns later The Earl Cairns 	21 February 1874 	21 April 1880 	Conservative 	
The Lord Selborne laterThe Earl of Selborne 	28 April 1880 	9 June 1885 	Liberal 	
The Lord Halsbury 	24 June 1885 	28 January 1886 	Conservative 	
The Lord Herschell 	6 February 1886 	20 July 1886 	Liberal 	
The Lord Halsbury 	3 August 1886 	11 August 1892 	Conservative 	
The Lord Herschell 	18 August 1892 	21 June 1895 	Liberal 	
The Lord Halsbury laterThe Earl of Halsbury 	29 June 1895 	4 December 1905 	Conservative/Unionist 	
The Lord Loreburn laterThe Earl Loreburn 	10 December 1905 	10 June 1912 	Liberal 	
The Viscount Haldane 	10 June 1912 	25 May 1915 	Liberal 	
The Lord Buckmaster 	25 May 1915 	5 December 1916 	Liberal 	
The Lord Finlay 	10 December 1916 	10 January 1919 	Unionist 	
The Lord Birkenhead 	10 January 1919 	19 October 1922 	Unionist 	
The Viscount Cave 	24 October 1922 	22 January 1924 	Conservative 	
The Viscount Haldane 	22 January 1924 	3 November 1924 	Labour 	
The Viscount Cave 	6 November 1924 	28 March 1928 	Conservative 	
The Lord Hailsham 	28 March 1928 	4 June 1929 	Conservative 	
The Lord Sankey laterThe Viscount Sankey 	7 June 1929 	7 June 1935 	Labour/National Labour	
The Viscount Hailsham 	7 June 1935 	9 March 1938 	Conservative 	
The Lord Maugham 	9 March 1938 	3 September 1939 	Non-party 	
The Viscount Caldecote 	3 September 1939 	12 May 1940 	Conservative 	
The Viscount Simon 	12 May 1940 	26 July 1945 	National Liberal 	
The Lord Jowitt laterThe Viscount Jowitt 	27 July 1945 	26 October 1951 	Labour 	
The Lord Simonds 	30 October 1951 	18 October 1954 	Conservative 	
The Viscount Kilmuir 	18 October 1954 	13 July 1962 	Conservative 	
The Lord Dilhorne 	13 July 1962 	16 October 1964 	 	
The Lord Gardiner 	16 October 1964 	19 June 1970 	Labour 	
The Lord Hailsham of St Marylebone 	June 1970 	March 1974 	Conservative 	
The Lord Elwyn-Jones 	March 1974 	May 1979 	Labour 	
The Lord Hailsham of St Marylebone 	May 1979 	June 1987 	Conservative 	
The Lord Havers 	June 1987 	October 1987 	Conservative 	
The Lord Mackay of Clashfern 	October 1987 	May 1997 	Conservative 	
The Lord Irvine of Lairg 	May 1997 	June 2003 	Labour 	
The Lord Falconer of Thoroton 	June 2003 	27 June 2007 	Labour 	
Jack Straw 	28 June 2007 	11 May 2010 	Labour 	
Kenneth Clarke 	12 May 2010 	4 September 2012 	Conservative 	
Chris Grayling 	4 September 2012 	9 May 2015 	Conservative 	
Michael Gove 	9 May 2015 	14 July 2016 	Conservative 	
Liz Truss 	14 July 2016 	11 June 2017 	Conservative 	
David Lidington 	11 June 2017 	8 January 2018 	Conservative 	
David Gauke 	8 January 2018 	24 July 2019 	Conservative 	
Robert Buckland 	24 July 2019 	15 September 2021	Conservative 	
Dominic Raab 	15 September 2021	6 September 2022 	Conservative 	
Brandon Lewis 	6 September 2022 	25 October 2022 	Conservative 	
Dominic Raab 	27 October 2022 	21 April 2023 	Conservative 	
Alex Chalk 	21 April 2023 	 	Conservative