Alord-lieutenant (UK:/lɛfˈtɛnənt/lef-TEN-ənt)[1] is theBritish monarch's personal representative in eachlieutenancy area of the United Kingdom. Historically, each lieutenant was responsible for organising the county'smilitia. In 1871, the lieutenant's responsibility over the local militia was removed. However, it was not until 1921 that they formally lost the right to call upon able-bodied men to fight when needed.[2]
Lord-lieutenant is now an honorary titular position usually awarded to a notable person in the county, and despite the title of the office, may be either male or female, peer or not.
Lieutenants were first appointed to a number ofEnglish counties by KingHenry VIII in the 1540s, when the military functions of thesheriffs were handed over to them. Each lieutenant raised and was responsible for the efficiency of the localmilitia units of his county, and afterwards of theyeomanry and volunteers. He was commander of these forces, whose officers he appointed.[3] These commissions were originally of temporary duration, and only when the situation required the local militia to be specially supervised and well prepared, often when invasion byScotland or France might be expected.
Lieutenancies soon became more organised, probably in the reign of Henry's successorKing Edward VI, their establishment being approved by the English parliament in 1550. However, it was not until the threat of invasion by the forces of Spain in 1585 that lieutenants were appointed to all counties andcounties corporate and became in effect permanent. Although some counties were left without lieutenants during the 1590s, following the defeat of theSpanish Armada, the office continued to exist, and was retained byKing James I even after the end of theAnglo-Spanish War.
The office of lieutenant was abolished under theCommonwealth, but was re-established following theRestoration under theCity of London Militia Act 1662, which declared that:
[T]he King's most Excellent Majesty, his Heirs and Successors, shall and may from Time to Time, as Occasion shall require, issue forth several Commissions of Lieutenancy to such Persons as his Majesty, his Heirs and Successors, shall think fit to be his Majesty's Lieutenants for the several and respective Counties, Cities and Places of England and Dominion of Wales, and Town of Berwick upon Tweed.
Although not explicitly stated, from that date lieutenants were appointed to "counties at large", with their jurisdiction including the counties corporate within the parent county.[4] For example, lieutenants of Devon in the 17th and 18th centuries appointeddeputy lieutenants to the City of Exeter, and were sometimes described as the "Lieutenant of Devon and Exeter".[5][6] The one exception wasHaverfordwest, to which a lieutenant continued to be appointed until 1974. The origin of this anomaly may have lain in the formerpalatine status of Pembrokeshire.[4]
The official title of the office at this time was His or Her Majesty's "Lieutenant for the county of x", but, as almost all office-holders werepeers of the realm, they were referred to as "Lord-Lieutenant". Nowadays, few office-holders are peers.
TheCity of London was uniquely given a commission of lieutenancy, and was exempt from the authority of the lieutenant ofMiddlesex. TheConstable of the Tower of London and theWarden of the Cinque Ports wereex officio lieutenants for theTower Hamlets and theCinque Ports respectively, which were treated as counties in legislation regarding lieutenancy and militia affairs.[4]
In thecounties of Ireland, theofficer in charge ofthe county militia was styled "Lieutenant" untilJames II and "Governor" thereafter.[7] There could be up to three Governors in onecounty.[8] Responsibility for recommendingCounty magistrates lay with theCustos Rotulorum.[8] TheCustos Rotulorum (Ireland) Act 1831[9] cancelled thecommissions of the Governors, transferred themilitia andcounty magistrate functions to the (re)established office of Lieutenant (appointed byletters patent and styled "Lord Lieutenant"), and empowered theLord Lieutenant of Ireland to appoint deputy lieutenants.[8]
In theRepublic of Ireland the office of Lord Lieutenants has been rescinded since the creation of theIrish Free State in 1922, and all relevant statutes have been repealed.
In 1921, with the establishment ofNorthern Ireland, lord lieutenants continued to be appointed through theGovernor of Northern Ireland to thesix counties and the twocounty boroughs ofDerry andBelfast. Whereas in 1973 the counties and county boroughswere abolished as local government units, lord-lieutenants are now appointed directly by the King to "counties and county boroughs ... as defined for local government purposes immediately before 1 October 1973".[10]
AlthoughColin, Earl of Balcarres was appointed Lord Lieutenant of Fife in 1688,[11] and lieutenants were appointed to a few counties from about 1715, it was not until 1794 that permanent lieutenancies were established byroyal warrant. By theMilitia Act 1797,[12] the lieutenants appointed "for the Counties, Stewartries, Cities, and Places" were given powers to raise and command county militia units.
TheLord Provosts ofEdinburgh,Glasgow,Aberdeen, andDundee are, by virtue of office, also the lord-lieutenants of their respective city.
While in their lieutenancies, lord-lieutenants are among the few individuals in Scotland officially permitted to fly the banner of theRoyal Arms of Scotland, or "The Lion Rampant" as it is more commonly known.
TheMilitia Act 1802 (42 Geo. 3. c. 90)[13] provided for the appointment of lieutenants to "Lieutenants for the Counties, Ridings, and Places" in England and Wales, and gave them command of the county militia. In the case of towns or cities which werecounties of themselves, the "chief magistrate" (meaning the mayor, chief bailiff or other head of the corporation) had the authority to appoint deputy lieutenants in the absence of an appointment of a lieutenant by the crown.
TheRegulation of the Forces Act 1871 (34 & 35 Vict. c. 86)[14] removed the lieutenant as head of the county militia,[15] as the jurisdiction, duties and command exercised by the lieutenant were revested in the crown, but the power of recommending for first appointments was reserved to the lieutenant.[3]
TheMilitia Act 1882 (45 & 46 Vict. c. 49)[16] revested the jurisdiction of the lieutenants in the crown.
The lieutenancies were reestablished on a new basis by section 29 of the Militia Act 1882 which stated that "Her Majesty shall from time to time appoint Lieutenants for the several counties in the United Kingdom". Counties for lieutenancy purposes were also redefined as "a county at large, with the exception that eachriding of thecounty ofYork shall be a separate county". The text of theletters patent appointing lieutenants under theact stated they were to be:
...Our Lieutenant of and in the County of X and of all cities boroughs liberties places incorporated and privileged and other places whatsoever within the said county and the limits and precincts of the same.[17]
This was a formal recognition of the situation that had existed since 1662 that the lieutenancies for the majority of counties corporate in England were held jointly with their associated county—for example a lieutenant was now appointed for "the County of Gloucester, and the City and County of Gloucester, and the City and County of City of Bristol".[18]
Haverfordwest was permitted to retain a lieutenant while theTower Hamlets andCinque Ports were to continue to be regarded as counties for lieutenancy purposes.
From 1889 lieutenancy counties inEngland andWales were to correspond to groupings ofadministrative counties andcounty boroughs established by theLocal Government Act 1888 (51 & 52 Vict. c. 41). The creation of a newCounty of London absorbed the formerTower Hamletslieutenancy. The act also extinguished the lieutenancy of the Cinque Ports.
Section 69 of theLocal Government (Ireland) Act 1898 (61 & 62 Vict. c. 37) realigned the lieutenancy counties with the new administrative counties created by the act. The one exception wasCounty Tipperary, which although administered by twocounty councils, was to remain united for lieutenancy. In contrast to legislation in England and Wales, eachcounty borough was to have its own lieutenant, and thosecounties corporate not made county boroughs were abolished. The effect of this was to create a lieutenant for the county boroughs ofBelfast andLondonderry, and to abolish those for thecity ofKilkenny,borough ofDrogheda andtown ofGalway.
The office of lieutenant was honorary and held during the royal pleasure, but often for life. Appointment to the office is by letters patent under thegreat seal. Usually, though not necessarily, the person appointed lieutenant was also appointedcustos rotulorum or keeper of the rolls. Appointments to the county'sbench ofmagistrates were usually made on the recommendation of the lieutenant.[3]
TheTerritorial and Reserve Forces Act 1907 (7 Edw. 7. c. 9)[19] established county territorial force associations, of which the lieutenant was to be head, styled president of the county association.[3] It restated the combination of counties and counties corporate as lieutenancy counties.
In 1921, with the establishment ofNorthern Ireland, lieutenants continued to be appointed through theGovernor of Northern Ireland to the six counties and two county boroughs. The creation of theIrish Free State in the following year saw the remaining county lieutenancies in Ireland abolished. In 1973 the counties and county boroughs were abolished as local government units inNorthern Ireland, and lord-lieutenants are now appointed directly by the sovereign to "counties and county boroughs... as defined for local government purposes immediately before 1 October 1973". In 1975 the term lord-lieutenant officially replaced that of lieutenant.[20][21]
Local government reform in England in 1965 led to the appointment of lieutenants to Greater London[22] andHuntingdon and Peterborough, and the abolition of those of the counties ofLondon,Middlesex andHuntingdon.
A more fundamental reform of local government throughout England andWales (outsideGreater London) created a new structure of metropolitan, non-metropolitan and Welsh counties in 1974. Section 218 of theLocal Government Act 1972 (c. 70) that established the new system stated: "Her Majesty shall appoint a lord-lieutenant for each county in England and Wales and for Greater London..." The act appears to be the first statutory use of the term "lord-lieutenant" for lieutenants to counties.
Existing lord lieutenants were assigned to one of the corresponding new counties wherever possible. Where this could not be done, the existing office-holder became a lieutenant of a county, junior to the lord-lieutenant. For example, theLord Lieutenant of Montgomeryshire was appointedLord Lieutenant of Powys, with those of Breconshire and Radnorshire each being designated as simply "Lieutenant of Powys". This measure was temporary, and no lieutenants have been appointed in this way since 1974, although the power still exists.
In 1975 counties ceased to be used for local government purposes inScotland. TheLocal Government (Scotland) Act 1973 (c. 65) replaced the counties with regions, and each region was to have one or more lord-lieutenants appointed.[23] The areas to which they were appointed approximated to the counties and were based and were defined in terms of the new local government districts.
In 1996 Scottish regions and districts were abolished on further local government reorganisation, and since that date Lord-Lieutenants have been appointed to"lieutenancy areas", in most places roughly equivalent to the historic Scottish counties.[24]
Partial reform of local government in England since 1995 has led to the creation of so-called"ceremonial counties" to which Lord-Lieutenants are now appointed. TheLieutenancies Act 1997 (c. 23) is the most recent piece of primary legislation dealing with lieutenancies in England and includes the definitive list of the current areas used. Ceremonial counties may comprise combinations of county council areas and unitary authority areas, or even parts of them.[25]
Since the local government re-organisation of 1996 inWales, Lord-Lieutenants are now appointed to"preserved counties", i.e. the counties used for administrative purposes from 1974 to 1996.[26]
TheCity of London was unaffected by changes introduced since 1882. It has a Commission of Lieutenancy rather than a Lord-Lieutenant, headed by theLord Mayor of the City of London.[27]
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Lord-Lieutenants are the monarch's representatives in their lieutenancies. Their foremost duty is to uphold the dignity ofthe Crown, and in so doing they seek to promote a spirit of co-operation and good atmosphere through the time they give to voluntary and benevolent organisations and through the interest they take in the business and social life of their counties.
The modern responsibilities of Lord-Lieutenants include:
As the Sovereign's representative in each county, a Lord-Lieutenant remains non-political and may not hold office in any political party. They are appointed for life, although the customary age of retirement is 75 and the Sovereign may remove them.
Each Lord-Lieutenant appoints a Vice-Lieutenant and a number ofdeputy lieutenants to support them. The Vice-Lieutenant assumes the Lord-Lieutenant's duties when they are abroad, ill, or otherwise incapacitated. The number of deputy lieutenants appointed, typically between thirty and forty, depends on the county's population.
They are unpaid, but receive minimal allowances for secretarial help, mileage allowance and a driver. Lord-Lieutenants receive an allowance for the ceremonial uniform, worn when receiving members of the Royal Family and on other formal occasions.
Since at least the 18th century, a military-style uniform has been worn by lord-lieutenants (appropriate to the military origins of the post). Since 1831 this has been analogous to the uniform worn by a general staff officer, but with silver lace in place of the gold worn by regular officers.[28] Over time, the design of the uniform changed in line with changes made to army uniform.[29]
At present, it is a dark blue uniform in the style of a General Officer'sArmy No. 1 dress (but with shoulder cords, sash, collar patch cord, buttons etc. in silver rather than gold). A cap with two rows of silver oak leaf embroidery around the peak is worn, as well as a sword with a steel scabbard. The badge used on the uniform varies depending on where the lieutenant's county is situated – a rose is worn in England, shamrocks in Northern Ireland, a thistle in Scotland and Prince-of-Wales feathers in Wales. On the whole, the lord-lieutenant's insignia resemble aLieutenant-General of the British Army.[30][31]
The uniform for a vice lord-lieutenant and fordeputy lieutenants is of a similar style, but with features to distinguish it from that of a lord-lieutenant – on shoulder boards, no crown above the national symbol (rose, shamrocks, or thistle); blue cord instead of silver on the red gorget tabs aka collar patches; and only a single row of gold braid around the peak of the cap. In addition, deputy lieutenants wear narrower shoulder boards than their superiors and a crimson sash rather than the lord-lieutenant's silver sash. The vice lord-lieutenant's dress resembles that of a formerBrigadier-General of the British Army, while a deputy lieutenant's dress resembles that of a field officer.[30]
The uniform is optional for female lord-lieutenants, vice lord-lieutenants, and deputy lieutenants. If not in uniform, female appointees wear a Badge of Office featuring their national symbol (rose, shamrocks, or thistle) on a bow of white and magenta – the Lieutenancy colours.[30]
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In 1975 a badge was provided for female lord-lieutenants to wear as an optional alternative to the uniform. It consists of an enamel version of the uniform cap badge topped by a jewelled crown, suspended from a ribbon of the same colour as the uniform sash.[30][32]
TheLord Lieutenant of Ireland was the head of the British administration in Ireland until the foundation of theIrish Free State in 1922.
In theEnglish colonies, and subsequently the British Empire, the duties of a Lord-Lieutenant were generally performed by theCommander-in-Chief or theGovernor. Both offices may have been occupied by the same person.
By way of an example, this is still the case in Britain's second, and oldest remaining, colony,Bermuda, where theRoyal Navy's headquarters, main base, and dockyard for the North America and West Indies Station was established following independence of the United States of America. Thecolony had raised militia and volunteer forces since official settlement in 1612 (with a troop-of-horse added later), and a small force of regular infantry from 1701 to 1783. Bermuda became anImperial fortress (along withHalifax in Nova Scotia,Gibraltar, andMalta), a large regular army garrison was built up after 1794, and the reserve forces faded away following the conclusion of theAmerican War of 1812 as the local government lost interest in paying for their upkeep. From this point until the 1960s, governors were almost exclusively senior British Army officers (particularly from the Royal Artillery or Royal Engineers) who were also military Commanders-in-Chief (and initially also Vice-Admirals) of the regular military forces stationed in the colony and not simply the reserves. Attempts to rekindle the militia without a Militia Act or funds from the colonial government were made throughout the century under the authorisation of the Governor and Commander-in-Chief, but none proved lasting. The colonial government was finally compelled to raise militia and volunteer forces (theBermuda Militia Artillery and theBermuda Volunteer Rifle Corps) by Act in the 1890s (theBermuda Cadet Corps,Bermuda Volunteer Engineers, andBermuda Militia Infantry were added at later dates), and these fell under the Governor and Commander-in-Chief, as well as under operational control of his junior, thebrigadier in charge of the Bermuda Command (orBermuda Garrison), which included the regular as well as the part-time military (as opposed to naval) forces in the colony. Although the Royal Naval and the regular army establishments have been withdrawn from Bermuda, theGovernor of Bermuda remains the Commander-in-Chief (though most recent office holders have not been career army officers) of theRoyal Bermuda Regiment (a 1965 amalgam of the BMA and BVRC, which had both been reorganised in line with theTerritorial Army after theFirst World War).[34][35]
InFrance andItaly, the role of Prefect (préfet in French,prefetto in Italian) is different from that of lord-lieutenant, as the regional and departmental prefects of France are responsible for delivering as well as controlling functions of public services. Similarly to a lord-lieutenant, inPortugal, a representative of the Republic (representante da República in Portuguese) is the personal representative of theHead of State in each of the twoautonomous regions of the country, having a limited political role, besides the ceremonial one. InSweden (aslandshövding) andNorway (asfylkesmann), the regional governor is responsible for administrative control functions of services delivered and decisions made by local and county municipalities, as well as representing the king in the region. In theNetherlands,King's commissioners (Commissaris van de Koning in Dutch) are appointed by the monarch, but unlike a lord-lieutenant, belong to a political party.The Lord-lieutenant (UK) andGovernor (Indian states) are ceremonial representatives appointed by central authorities. They engage in community initiatives and act as intermediaries between higher authorities and local/state governments.
One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Lieutenant".Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 16 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 599.