Master of the Rolls

The Keeper or Master of the Rolls and Records of the Chancery of England, known as the Master of the Rolls, is the President of the Civil Division of the Court of Appeal of England and Wales and Head of Civil Justice. As a judge, the Master of the Rolls is second in seniority in England and Wales only to the Lord Chief Justice. The position dates from at least 1286, although it is believed that the office probably existed earlier than that.Sainty (1993) p. 144

The Master of the Rolls was initially a clerk responsible for keeping the "Rolls" or records of the Court of Chancery, and was known as the Keeper of the Rolls of Chancery.Hanworth (1935) p. 310 The Keeper was the most senior of the dozen Chancery clerks, and as such occasionally acted as keeper of the Great Seal of the Realm.Hanworth (1935) p. 316 The post evolved into a judicial one as the Court of Chancery did; the first reference to judicial duties dates from 1520.Hanworth (1935) p. 327 With the Judicature Act 1873, which merged the Court of Chancery with the other major courts, the Master of the Rolls joined the Chancery Division of the High Court and the Court of Appeal, but left the Chancery Division by the terms of the Judicature Act 1881. The Master of the Rolls had also been warden of the little-used Domus Conversorum for housing Jewish converts, which led to the house and chapel being used to store legal documents and later becoming the location of the Public Record Office. He retained his clerical functions as the nominal head of the Public Record Office until the Public Records Act 1958 transferred responsibility for it to the Lord Chancellor.Records of the Master of the Rolls and the Rolls (Chapel) Office , National Archives One residual reminder of this role is the fact that the Master of the Rolls of the day continues to serve, ex officio, as President of the British Records Association. The Master of the Rolls was also previously responsible for registering solicitors, the officers of the Senior Courts.

One of the most prominent people to hold the position was Thomas Cromwell, a highly influential figure during the reign of Henry VIII; more recently, Lord Denning held the position for 20 years, from 1962 to 1982, and made sweeping changes in the common law. The current Master of the Rolls is Sir Geoffrey Vos, who took office in January 2021.

The Rolls Estate The substantial estate of the Domus Conversorum, between London and Westminster, became attached to the office of Master of the Rolls, and was known as the "Rolls Estate", regarded as virtually an Inn of Court.

List of Masters of the Rolls Gallery

Portrait Name Term of office Other positions Notes2 September 1286 1 October 1295Lord Chancellor 1292–1302, 1307–1310Sainty (1993) p. 1451 October 1295 19 August 131619 August 1316 26 May 132426 May 1324 4 July 13254 July 1325 20 January 133420 January 1334 28 April 133728 April 1337 10 January 1341Archbishop of Dublin 1349–1362, Lord Chancellor of Ireland 1350–1356Sainty (1993) p. 14610 January 1341 21 February 134121 February 1341 2 July 13462 July 1346 28 March 137128 March 1371 8 September 13818 September 1381 24 October 1386Lord Privy Seal 1386–1389, Lord Chancellor 1349–135624 October 1386 22 July 139422 July 1394 11 September 1397Lord Chancellor 1399–140111 September 1397 24 September 1402 2 March 1405Lord Privy Seal 1405–1406, Lord High Treasurer 1407–1408Sainty (1993) p. 1472 March 1405 3 June 1415Lord Privy Seal 1415–14163 June 1415 28 October 142328 October 1423 13 November 143813 November 1438 29 March 144729 March 1447 23 December 146123 December 1461 12 February 147112 February 1471 29 April 147129 April 1471 16 March 1472Lord Chancellor 1475, 1485–148716 March 1472 9 January 1479Lord Chancellor 1487–1500, Archbishop of Canterbury 1486–15009 January 1479 Sainty (1993) p. 14822 September 1483 22 August 1485 jointly with William Eliot22 August 1485 26 February 1487Jointly from 13 November 148526 February 1487 5 May 14925 May 1492 13 February 149413 February 1494 1 February 1502Keeper of the Great Seal 1502–1504, Lord Chancellor 1504–1515, Archbishop of Canterbury 1503–15321 February 1502 13 November 150413 November 1504 22 January 1508Archbishop of York 1508–151422 January 1508 12 May 1516Sainty (1993) p. 14912 May 1516 20 October 1522Lord Privy Seal 1523–153020 October 1522 9 October 15239 October 1523 26 June 152726 June 1527 8 October 1534Archdeacon of Derby 1516–1533, Archdeacon of Buckingham 1516–15348 October 1534 10 July 1536Secretary of State 1533–1536, Lord Privy Seal 1536–154010 July 1536 1 July 1541Solicitor General 1525–1529, Attorney General 1529–15361 July 1541 13 December 155013 December 1550 18 June 155218 June 1552 18 September 155318 September 1553 5 November 1557Speaker of the House of Commons 1539–1540Sainty (1993) p. 1505 November 1557 30 May 1581Solicitor General 1553–1557, Speaker of the House of Commons 155830 May 1581 10 April 1594Attorney General 1559–158110 April 1594 18 May 1603Solicitor General 1581–1592, Attorney General 1592–1594, Lord Chancellor 1596–1617, First Lord of the Treasury 1613–161418 May 1603 14 January 161114 January 1611 1 September 1614Speaker of the House of Commons 1603–16111 September 1614 18 April 1636 Chancellor of the Exchequer 1606–161418 April 1636 30 March 163930 March 1639 28 January 1643 (royalist)28 January 1643 3 November 1660Chancellor of the Exchequer 1642–1643 (parliamentary)10 November 1643 14 May 1659Speaker of the House of Commons 1640–1647, 1647–1653, 1654–1655, 1659–1660Sainty (1993) p. 1513 November 1660 12 January 1685Speaker of the House of Commons 166012 January 1685 20 October 1685 Attorney-General 1673–8520 October 1685 13 March 168913 March 1689 13 January 1693Speaker of the House of Commons 168913 January 1693 20 May 1717Speaker of the House of Commons 1685–1689, 1693–171713 July 1717 19 August 17389 October 1738 5 August 17415 November 1741 16 December 174911 January 1750 18 May 1754Solicitor General 1737–174229 May 1754 13 November 1764Sainty (1993) p. 1524 December 1764 6 March 178430 March 1784 7 June 1788Attorney General 1782–1783, 1783–1784, Lord Chief Justice 1788–180214 June 1788 23 May 1801Solicitor General 1782–1783, 1783–1784, Attorney General 1784–1788, Chief Justice of the Common Pleas 1801–180427 May 1801 31 December 1817Solicitor General 1799–18016 January 1818 24 March 1824Solicitor General 1807–1812, Attorney General 1812–18135 April 1824 4 September 1826Solicitor General 1817–1819, Attorney General 1819–1824, Chief Justice of the Common Pleas 182414 September 1826 1 May 1827Solicitor General 1819–1824, Attorney General 1824–1826, Lord Chancellor 1827–1830, 1834–1835, 1841–18463 May 1827 14 September 1834Vice Chancellor of England 1818–182729 September 1834 19 January 1836Solicitor General 1834, Lord Chancellor 1836–1841, 1846–185019 January 1836 28 March 1851Sainty (1993) p. 15328 March 1851 29 August 1873Solicitor General 1848, Attorney General 185030 August 1873 21 March 1883Solicitor General 1871–18733 April 1883 18 October 1897Solicitor General 186825 October 1897 10 May 190010 May 1900 22 October 1900Lord Chief Justice 1900–191323 October 1900 19 October 190119 October 1901 6 March 1907 (The Lord Cozens-Hardy from 1914)6 March 1907 30 April 19182 May 1918 20 October 191931 October 1919 17 August 1923President of the Probate, Divorce and Admiralty Division 1918–1919Sainty (1993) p. 154 (The Lord Hanworth from 1926)12 October 1923 7 October 1935Solicitor General 1919–1922, Attorney General 1922.7 October 1935 27 April 193727 April 1937 1 June 1949 (The Lord Evershed from 1956)1 June 1949 19 April 1962 19 April 1962 29 September 1982 (The Lord Donaldson of Lymington from 1988)30 September 1982 1 October 19921 October 1992 4 June 1996Lord Chief Justice 1996–2000; Senior Lord of Appeal in Ordinary 2000–20084 June 1996 6 June 2000Lord Chief Justice 2000–20056 June 2000 3 October 2005Lord Chief Justice 2005–2008, President of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom 2009–2012 (The Lord Clarke of Stone-cum-Ebony from May 2009) 3 October 2005 30 September 2009Justice of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom, 2009–20171 October 2009 30 September 2012President of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom, 2012–20171 October 2012 2 October 2016Justice of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom, 2010–2012Sir Terence Etherton (The Lord Etherton from December 2020)3 October 201611 January 2021Chancellor of the High Court, 2013–2016Sir Geoffrey Vos11 January 2021IncumbentChancellor of the High Court, 2016–2021

Peerages created for the Master of the Rolls + Since the Act of Union 1707 Master of the Rolls Title Created Current status Other Judicial Roles Sir Lloyd Kenyon Baron Kenyon 3 June 1788 Extinct 4 April 1802 Lord Chief Justice of the King's Bench Sir Richard Arden Baron Alvanley 22 May 1801 Extinct 24 June 1857 Lord Chief Justice of the Common Pleas Sir Robert Gifford Baron Gifford 30 January 1824 Extinct 4 September 1826 Lord Chief Justice of the Common PleasSir John CopleyBaron Lyndhurst25 April 1827Extinct 12 October 1863 Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain Lord Chief Baron of the ExchequerSir Charles Pepys Earl of Cottenham 11 June 1850 Extinct 29 April 1851Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain Baron Cottenham 20 January 1836 Sir Henry Bickersteth Baron Langdale 23 January 1836 Extinct 18 April 1851 None Sir John Romilly Baron Romilly 3 January 1866 Extinct 29 June 1983 NoneSir William Brett Viscount Esher 11 November 1897 Extinct 24 May 1899None Baron Esher 24 July 1895 Sir Nathaniel Lindley Baron Lindley as Law Lord 10 May 1900 Extinct 9 December 1921 NoneSir Richard Webster Viscount Alverstone 24 November 1913Extinct 15 December 1915Lord Chief Justice of England Baron Alverstone 18 June 1900 Sir Richard Collins Baron Collins as Law Lord 6 March 1907 Extinct 3 January 1911 None Sir Herbert Cozens-Hardy Baron Cozens-Hardy 1 July 1914 Extinct 11 September 1975 None Sir Charles Swinfen Eady Baron Swinfen 1 November 1919 Extinct 15 November 1919 None Sir William Pickford Baron Sterndale 14 November 1918 Extinct 17 August 1923 NoneSir Ernest Pollock Viscount Hanworth 17 January 1936Extinct 22 October 1936None Baron Hanworth 28 January 1926 Sir Robert Wright Baron Wright as Law Lord 11 April 1932 Extinct 27 June 1964 None Sir Wilfrid Greene Baron Greene 16 July 1941 Extinct 16 April 1952 None Sir Raymond Evershed Baron Evershed 20 January 1956 Extinct 3 October 1966 None Sir Tom Denning Baron Denning as Law Lord 24 April 1957 Extinct 5 March 1999 None Sir John Donaldson Baron Donaldson of Lymington as Life Peer 15 February 1988 Extinct 31 August 2005 None Sir Tom Bingham Baron Bingham of Cornhill as Law Lord 4 June 1996 Extinct 11 September 2010 Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales Sir Harry Woolf Baron Woolf as Law Lord 1 October 1992 Extant Lord Chief Justice of England and WalesSir Nick PhillipsBaron Phillips of Worth Matravers as Law Lord12 January 1999Extant President of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales Sir Tony Clarke Baron Clarke of Stone-cum-Ebony as Life Peer 29 May 2009 Extinct 16 April 2026 None Sir David Neuberger Baron Neuberger of Abbotsbury as Law Lord 11 January 2007 Extant President of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom Sir Terence Etherton Baron Etherton as Life Peer 23 December 2020 Extinct 6 May 2025 Chancellor of the High Court

See also :Category:Masters of the Rolls

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