4-698: The Lord Keeper of the Great Seal of England , and later of Great Britain , was formerly an officer of the English Crown charged with physical custody of the Great Seal of England . This position evolved into that of one of the Great Officers of State . The seal was adopted by Edward the Confessor , and its custody was at first entrusted to a chancellor . The office of chancellor from
8-658: A permanent appointment, and the lord keeper acquired the right of discharging all the duties connected with the great seal. He was usually, though not necessarily, a peer , and held office during the king's pleasure . He was appointed merely by delivery of the seal, and not, like the chancellor, by patent . His status was definitely fixed (in the case of lord keeper Sir Nicholas Bacon ) by the Lord Keeper Act 1562 (5 Eliz 1 c. 18), which declared him entitled to like place, pre-eminence, jurisdiction , execution of laws, and all other customs , commodities , and advantages as
12-551: The Lord Chancellor . In subsequent reigns the lord keeper was generally raised to the chancellorship, and retained the custody of the seal. The last lord keeper was Robert Henley , afterwards Earl of Northington, who was made chancellor on the accession of George III . English Crown Too Many Requests If you report this error to the Wikimedia System Administrators, please include
16-445: The time of Thomas Becket onwards varied much in importance. The holder being a churchman, he was not only engaged in the business of his diocese , but was sometimes away from England. Consequently, it became not unusual to place the personal custody of the great seal in the hands of a vice-chancellor or keeper ; this was also the practice followed during a temporary vacancy in the chancellorship. This office gradually developed into
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