| Earl Marshal of England | |
|---|---|
 Arms of theDukes of Norfolk as Earl Marshal. | |
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| Style | His GraceThe Most Noble |
| Type | Great Officer of State |
| Formation | 1672 (current office granted by Letters Patent) |
| First holder | The 6th Duke of Norfolk (1672 creation) |
| Succession | Hereditary |
| Deputy | Deputy Earl Marshal Knight Marshal (until 1846) |
Earl Marshal (alternativelymarschal ormarischal) is ahereditary royal officeholder and chivalric title under thesovereign of theUnited Kingdom used inEngland (then, following theAct of Union 1800, in the United Kingdom). He is the eighth of thegreat officers of State in the United Kingdom, ranking beneath theLord High Constable of England and above theLord High Admiral. Thedukes of Norfolk have held the office since 1672.
The current earl marshal isEdward Fitzalan-Howard, 18th Duke of Norfolk, who inherited the position in June 2002. There were formerly anEarl Marshal of Ireland and anEarl Marischal ofScotland.
The earl marshal was originally responsible, along with the constable, for the monarch's horses and stables including connected military operations. As a result of the decline of chivalry and sociocultural change, the position of earl marshal has evolved and among his responsibilities today is the organisation of major ceremonial state occasions such ascoronations in Westminster Abbey,state funerals, and prescribing the order of ceremonial forstate openings of Parliament. By virtue of office, the earl marshal is the leadingofficer of arms in England, Wales, Northern Ireland, and certain Commonwealth realms and thus oversees theCollege of Arms. Likewise, he is the sole judge of theHigh Court of Chivalry.[1][2][3]
The office of the royalmarshal existed in much of Europe, involving managing horses and protecting the monarch. In England, the office became hereditary underJohn FitzGilbert the Marshal (served c.1130–1165) afterThe Anarchy, and rose in prominence under his second son,William Marshal, laterEarl of Pembroke. He served under several kings, acted as regent, and organised funerals and the regency duringHenry III's childhood. After passing through his daughter's husband to theEarls of Norfolk, the post evolved into "Earl Marshal" and the title remained unchanged, even after the earldom of Norfolk became adukedom.
In theMiddle Ages, the Earl Marshal and theLord High Constable were the officers of the king's horses and stables. Whenchivalry declined in importance, the constable's post declined and the Earl Marshal became the head of theCollege of Arms, the body concerned with all matters ofgenealogy andheraldry. In conjunction with the Lord High Constable, he had held a court, known as theCourt of Chivalry, for the administration of justice in accordance with thelaw of arms, which was concerned with many subjects relating to military matters, such as ransom, booty and soldiers' wages, and including the misuse of armorialbearings.
In 1672, the office of Marshal of England and the title of Earl Marshal of England were made hereditary in the Howard family.[4][5][6] In a declaration made on 16 June 1673 byArthur Annesley, 1st Earl of Anglesey, theLord Privy Seal, in reference to a dispute over the exercise of authority over theOfficers of Arms the powers of the Earl Marshal were stated as being "to have power to order, judge, and determine all matters touchingarms,ensigns of nobility, honour, and chivalry; to make laws, ordinances and statutes for the good government of the Officers of Arms; to nominate Officers to fill vacancies in the College of Arms; [and] to punish and correct Officers of Arms for misbehaviour in the execution of their places".[7] Additionally it was declared that nopatents of arms or any ensigns of nobility should be granted, and no augmentation, alteration, or addition should be made to arms, without the consent of the Earl Marshal.
The Earl Marshal is considered the eighth of theGreat Officers of State, with theLord High Constable above him and only theLord High Admiral beneath him. Nowadays, the Earl Marshal's role has mainly to do with the organisation of major state ceremonies such as coronations and state funerals. Annually, the Earl Marshal helps organise theState Opening of Parliament. The Earl Marshal also remains to have charge over the College of Arms and no coat of arms may be granted without his warrant. As a symbol of his office, he carries a baton of gold with black finish at either end.
In the generalorder of precedence, the Earl Marshal is currently the highest hereditary position in the United Kingdom outside theRoyal Family. Although other state and ecclesiastical officers rank above in precedence, they are not hereditary. The exception is the office ofLord Great Chamberlain, which is notionally higher than Earl Marshal and also hereditary. The holding of the Earl Marshalship secures theDuke of Norfolk's traditional position as the "first peer" of the land, above all other dukes.
TheHouse of Lords Act 1999 removed the automatic right of hereditary peers to sit in theHouse of Lords, but the Act provided that the persons holding the office of Earl Marshal and, if a peer, theLord Great Chamberlain continue for the time being to have seats so as to carry out their ceremonial functions in the House of Lords.
The position of Earl Marshal had a Deputy called theKnight Marshal from the reign of Henry VIII until the office was abolished in 1846.[11]
Deputy Earls Marshal have been named at various times, discharging the responsibilities of the office during the minority or infirmity of the Earl Marshal. Prior to an Act of Parliament in 1824, Protestant deputies were required when the Earl Marshal was a Roman Catholic, which occurred frequently due to the Catholicism of the Norfolks.
| Name | Tenure | Deputy to | Ref(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Charles Howard, 1st Earl of Carlisle | 1673–? | ||
| Charles Howard, 3rd Earl of Carlisle | 1701–1706 | ||
| Henry Howard, 6th Earl of Suffolk and 1st Earl of Bindon | 1706–1718 | ||
| Henry Bowes-Howard, 4th Earl of Berkshire | 1718–1725 | ||
| Talbot Yelverton, 1st Earl of Sussex | 1725–1731 | ||
| Francis Howard, 1st Earl of Effingham | 1731–1743 | ||
| Thomas Howard, 2nd Earl of Effingham | 1743–1763 | ||
| Henry Howard, 12th Earl of Suffolk and 5th Earl of Berkshire | 1763–1765 | ||
| Richard Lumley-Saunderson, 4th Earl of Scarbrough | 1765–1777 | ||
| Thomas Howard, 3rd Earl of Effingham | 1777–1782 | ||
| Charles Howard, Earl of Surrey | 1782–1786 | ||
| Lord Henry Howard-Molyneux-Howard | 1816–1824 | 12th Duke of Norfolk | |
| Lord Edward Fitzalan-Howard | 1861–1868 | 15th Duke of Norfolk | |
| Edmund FitzAlan-Howard, 1st Viscount FitzAlan of Derwent | 1917–1929 | 16th Duke of Norfolk | |
| Edward Howard, Earl of Arundel and Surrey | 2000–2002 | 17th Duke of Norfolk |
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