| Lord High Treasurer of the United Kingdom | |
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| His Majesty's Treasury | |
| Type | Great Officer of State |
| Appointer | The Monarch |
| Term length | At His Majesty's Pleasure |
| Precursor |
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| Formation |
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| First holder | Nigel of Ely as Lord High Treasurer of England |
| Final holder | Charles Talbot, 1st Duke of Shrewsbury as Lord High Treasurer of Great Britain |
| Superseded by | |
TheLord High Treasurer was anEnglish government position and has been aBritish government position since theActs of Union of 1707. A holder of the post would be the third-highest-rankedGreat Officer of State inEngland, below theLord High Steward and theLord High Chancellor of Great Britain.
The Lord High Treasurer functions as the head ofHis Majesty's Treasury. The office has, since the resignation ofCharles Talbot, 1st Duke of Shrewsbury in 1714, been vacant.
Although theUnited Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was created in 1801, it was not until theConsolidated Fund Act 1816 that the separate offices ofLord High Treasurer of Great Britain andLord High Treasurer of Ireland were united into one office as the "Lord High Treasurer of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland" on 5 January 1817.[1]
Section 2 of the Consolidated Fund Act 1816 also provides that "whenever there shall not be [a Lord High Treasurer of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland], it shall ... be lawful for His Majesty, byletters patent under theGreat Seal of Great Britain, to appoint Commissioners for executing the Offices ofTreasurer of the Exchequer of Great Britain and Lord High Treasurer of Ireland".[1] These are theLords Commissioners of the Treasury. In modern times, by convention, the Lords Commissioners of the Treasury include thePrime Minister of the United Kingdom, usually serving as theFirst Lord of the Treasury, and theChancellor of the Exchequer, serving as theSecond Lord of the Treasury. Other members of the government, usuallywhips in theHouse of Commons, are appointed to serve as the Junior Lords Commissioners of the Treasury.[2]
The English Treasury seems to have come into existence around 1126, during the reign ofHenry I, as the financial responsibilities were separated from the rest of the job that evolved intoLord Great Chamberlain. The Treasury was originally a section of the Royal Household with custody of the King's money. In 1216, a Treasurer was appointed to take control of the Treasury inWinchester. The Treasurer was also an officer of theExchequer, and supervised the royal accounts. It was in the 16th century, the office's title ofKing's Treasurer developed intoLord High Treasurer.[2] ByTudor times, the Lord High Treasurer had achieved a place among the Great Officers of State, behind theLord Chancellor and above theMaster of the Horse. Under theTreason Act 1351 it istreason to kill him.
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The office of Lord High Treasurer is distinct from that of Treasurer of the Exchequer. The Lord High Treasurer was appointed by the delivery of a white staff to the appointee, and the Treasurer of the Exchequer was appointedat His Majesty's pleasure byletters patent under theGreat Seal of the Realm. However, when the Treasury was held by an individual, he was appointed to both offices.[2][3] It is the office of Treasurer of the Exchequer that is put into commission, not the office of Lord High Treasurer. When the office of Treasurer of the Exchequer is put into commission, the office of Lord High Treasurer is left vacant.[3]
During the sixteenth century, the Lord High Treasurer was often considered the most important official of the government, and became ade facto Prime Minister. Exemplifying the power of the Lord High Treasurer isWilliam Cecil, 1st Baron Burghley, who served in the post from 1572 to 1598. During his tenure, he dominated the administration underElizabeth I.[4]
Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Lord High Treasurer".Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.| Henry III (1216–1272) |
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| Edward I (1272–1307) |
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| Edward II (1307–1327) |
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| Edward III (1327–1377) |
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| Richard II (1377–1399) |
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| Henry IV (1399–1413) |
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| Henry V (1413–1422) |
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| Henry VI (1422–1461) (1470–1471) |
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| Edward IV (1461–1470) (1471–April 1483) |
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| Edward V (April–June 1483) |
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| Richard III (June 1483–1485) |
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| Henry VII (1485–1509) |
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| Henry VIII (1509–1547) |
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| Edward VI (1547–1553) |
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| Lady Jane Grey (July 1553) |
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| Mary I (July 1553–1558) |
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| Elizabeth I (1558–1603) |
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| James I (1603–1625) |
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| Charles I (1625–1649) |
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| Charles II (1660–1685) |
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| James II (1685–1688) |
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| William &Mary (1689–1694) |
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| William III (1694–1702) |
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| Anne (1702–1714) |
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Italics indicate service asFirst Lord of the Treasury whenHM Treasury was ruled by Commission | ||
| Direction and control Naval affairs |
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| Under the offices of Direction and control | |
| Direction of Military Units | |
| Military units | |
| Admiralty Departments Under Lord High Admiral/Board of Admiralty | |
| Civil Departments Under Council of the Marine & Navy Board |
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| Autonomous Civil Departments Arms and Ordnance | |
| Direction of Naval Finance | |
| Departments under the Treasurer | |
| Direction of Naval Administration |
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| Branches and offices under the Secretary to the Admiralty | |
| Legal Services | |
| Legal under Judicial Department |
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