lord chamberlain

The Lord Chamberlain or Lord Chamberlain of the Household is one of the chief officers of the royal household in the United Kingdom, and is to be distinguished from the Lord Great Chamberlain, one of the great offices of state. The Lord Chamberlain is always a peer and a privy councillor, and before 1782 was of cabinet rank. Until 1924 the position was a political one. The Lord Chamberlain is the chief functionary of the court, and is generally responsible for organizing all court functions. Until recently, the Lord Chamberlain also had the role of licenser of plays in the City of London, Westminster, and certain other areas.

Lord Chamberlains, 1485-present

Sir William Stanley 1485-1508
Charles Somerset, 1st Earl of Worcester 1508-1526
William Fitzalan, 17th Earl of Arundel 1526-1530
William Sandys, Lord Sandys 1530-1535
William Paulet, 1st Lord St John of Basing 1535-1550
Thomas Wentworth, Lord Wentworth 1550-1551
Thomas d'Arcy, Lord d'Arcy 1551-1553
John Williams, Lord Williams 1553-1557
William Howard, 1st Lord Howard of Effingham 1557-1572
Thomas Radclyffe, 3rd Earl of Sussex 1572-1585
Henry Carey, 1st Baron Hunsdon 1585-1596
William Brooke, 10th Baron Cobham 1596-1597
George Carey, 2nd Baron Hunsdon 1597-1603
Thomas Howard, 1st Earl of Suffolk 1603-1613
Robert Carr, 1st Earl of Somerset 1613-1615
William Herbert, 3rd Earl of Pembroke 1615-1625
Philip Herbert, 1st Earl of Montgomery 1625-1641
Robert Devereux, 3rd Earl of Essex 1641-1642
Edward Sackville, 4th Earl of Dorset 1642-1649

Commonwealth and Protectorate 1649-1660

Edward Montagu, 2nd Earl of Manchester 1660-1671
Henry Jermyn, 1st Earl of Saint Albans 1671-1674
Henry Bennet, 1st Earl of Arlington 1674-1681
John Sheffield, 3rd Earl of Mulgrave 1681-1685
Robert Bruce, 1st Earl of Ailesbury 1685
Thomas Bruce, 2nd Earl of Ailesbury 1685-1686
John Sheffield, 3rd Earl of Mulgrave 1686-1688
Charles Sackville, 6th Earl of Dorset 1689-1695
Robert Spencer, 2nd Earl of Sunderland 1695-1699
Charles Talbot, 1st Duke of Shrewsbury 1699-1700
Edward Villiers, 1st Earl of Jersey 1700-1704
Henry Grey, 1st Marquess of Kent 1704-1714
Charles Talbot, 1st Duke of Shrewsbury 1714-1715
Charles Paulet, 2nd Duke of Bolton 1715-1717
Thomas Pelham-Holles, 1st Duke of Newcastle 1717-1724
Charles Fitzroy, 2nd Duke of Grafton 1724-1757
William Cavendish, 4th Duke of Devonshire 1757-1762
George Spencer, 4th Duke of Marlborough 1762-1763
Granville Leveson-Gower, 2nd Earl Gower 1763-1765
William Henry Cavendish-Bentinck, 3rd Duke of Portland 1765-1766
Francis Seymour-Conway, 1st Earl of Hertford 1766-1782
George Montagu, 4th Duke of Manchester 1782-1783
Francis Seymour-Conway, 1st Earl of Hertford 1783
James Cecil, 1st Marquess of Salisbury 1783-1804
George Legge, 3rd Earl of Dartmouth 1804-1812
Francis Seymour-Conway, 2nd Marquess of Hertford 1812-1821
James Graham, 3rd Duke of Montrose 1821-1827
William Spencer Cavendish, 6th Duke of Devonshire 1827-1828
James Graham, 3rd Duke of Montrose 1828-1830
George Child Villiers, 5th Earl of Jersey 1830
William Spencer Cavendish, 6th Duke of Devonshire 1830-1834
George Child Villiers, 5th Earl of Jersey 1834-1835
Richard Wellesley, 1st Marquess Wellesley 1835
Francis Nathaniel Conyngham, 2nd Marquess Conyngham 1835-1839
Henry Paget, Earl of Uxbridge 1839-1841
George John Sackville-West, 5th Earl De La Warr 1841-1846
Frederick Spencer, 4th Earl Spencer 1846-1848
John Campbell, 2nd Marquess of Breadalbane 1848-1852
Brownlow Cecil, 2nd Marquess of Exeter 1852
John Campbell, 2nd Marquess of Breadalbane 1853-1858
George John Sackville-West, 5th Earl De La Warr 1858-1859
John Robert Townshend, 3rd Viscount Sydney 1859-1866
Orlando George Charles Bridgeman, 3rd Earl of Bradford 1866-1868
John Robert Townshend, 3rd Viscount Sydney 1868-1874
Francis Hugh George Seymour-Conway, 5th Marquess of Hertford 1874-1879
William Henry Edgcumbe, 4th Earl of Mount Edgcumbe 1879-1880
Valentine Augustus Browne, 4th Earl of Kenmare 1880-1885
Edward Bootle-Wilbraham, 1st Earl of Lathom 1885-1886
Valentine Augustus Browne, 4th Earl of Kenmare 1886
Edward Bootle-Wilbraham, 1st Earl of Lathom 1886-1892
Charles Robert Wynn-Carington, 3rd Baron Carrington 1892-1895
Edward Bootle-Wilbraham, 1st Earl of Lathom 1895-1898
John Hope, 7th Earl of Hopetoun 1898-1900
Edward Hyde Villiers, 5th Earl of Clarendon 1900-1905
Charles Robert Spencer, Viscount Althorp 1905-1912 (from 1910, 6th Earl Spencer)
William Mansfield, 2nd Baron Sandhurst 1912-1921 (from 1917, 1st Viscount Sandhurst)
John George Stewart-Murray, 8th Duke of Atholl 1921-1922
Rowland Thomas Baring, 2nd Earl of Cromer 1922-1938
George Herbert Hyde Villiers, 6th Earl of Clarendon 1938-1952
Lawrence Roger Lumley, 11th Earl of Scarbrough 1952-1963
Cameron Fromanteel Cobbold, 1st Baron Cobbold 1963-1971
Charles Hector Fitzroy Maclean of Duart, Baron Maclean 1971-1984
David George Patrick Coke Ogilvy, 13th Earl of Airlie 1984-1997(December 31)
Ralph Thomas Campion George Sherman Stonor, 7th Baron Camoys 1998-2000
Richard Luce, Baron Luce 2000-present

Lord Chamberlain

Lord Chamberlains, 1485-present

Further reading