Lord Steward facts for kids

Lord Dalhousie (centre left) carrying his wand of office as Lord Steward in the Procession to the Lying-in-State of Queen Elizabeth II (2022).

The Lord Steward or Lord Steward of the Household is one of the three Great Officers of the Household of the British monarch. Traditionally he takes precedence over the other officers of the household. Holders of the office are always peers; until 1924 they were always members of the Government, and until 1782 the office was one of considerable political importance and carried Cabinet rank. Lord Stewards presided at the Board of Green Cloth, until the Board of Green Cloth disappeared in the reform of local government licensing in 2004 (brought about by the Licensing Act 2003 (section 195)).

In the Royal Household reforms of the 1920s, Lord Steward became a largely titular office; most of his one-time executive responsibilities are now carried out by the Master of the Household, who is a permanent officer and resides in the palace. The Lord Steward continues to be in regular attendance on State and other occasions (including State visits, State banquets, the State Opening of Parliament, State Funerals and Coronations).

Lord Stewards receive their appointments from the Sovereign in person and bear a white staff as the emblem and warrant of their authority. The incumbent Lord Steward (appointed in 2023) is the Earl of Rosslyn.

History

Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester, Lord Steward 1587–1588, holding the white staff of his office

The Lord Steward's Department (Board of Green Cloth)

Historically the Lord Steward presided over the Household Below Stairs. In the House of Lords Precedence Act 1539, an Act of Parliament for placing of the lords, the lord steward is described as the "grand master or lord steward of the King's most honourable household."

In practice, administration of the department was for the most part delegated to the Board of Green Cloth. The Board consisted of the Treasurer of the Household, the Comptroller of the Household and the Master of the Household (all of which were sinecure positions in the 17th and 18th centuries), the Cofferer of the Household (who had executive financial and accounting responsibilities), and a number of clerks and clerk comptrollers (who managed the day-to-day running of the household below stairs, in consultation with the Lord Steward). The office of Cofferer was replaced by that of Paymaster of the Household in 1782.

The sub-departments below stairs were mostly concerned with catering, including the royal kitchens and cellars, and various provisioning departments such as the buttery, spicery, confectionery, bakehouse, scalding house and so forth. Each was managed by its own staff of yeomen and grooms, and headed by a gentleman or sergeant. Over time (particularly in the late 18th and early 19th centuries) the number of sub-departments was significantly reduced as items began to be sourced from outside vendors.

Judicial functions

The Lord Steward acted as principal judge for all offences committed within the Verge of the Royal Court, having both civil and (in earlier years) criminal jurisdiction. As such he sat in the Marshalsea Court and the Palace Court, while the Board of Green Cloth itself functioned as a lower court of law for the Verge. In this regard he was assisted by the Knight Marshal and his men, and by the Coroner of the Verge. (By the Coroners Act 1988 ^[d] the lord steward continued to appoint the Coroner of the Queen's Household, until the office was abolished in 2013 by the Coroners and Justice Act 2009.

Parliamentary functions

The Lord Steward or his deputies formerly administered the oaths to the members of the House of Commons. In the Tudor period he was responsible for taking the roll call of all the Knights and Burgesses who had been elected to represent the Commons in Parliament, prior to each State Opening. In certain cases (messages from the sovereign under the sign-manual) the lords with white staves are the proper persons to bear communications between the Sovereign and the Houses of Parliament.

Lord Stewards

15th century

• Sir Thomas Rempston 1399–1401
• Thomas Percy, 1st Earl of Worcester 1401–1402
• William Heron, Lord Say 1402–1404
• Sir Thomas Erpingham 1404
• Sir John Stanley 1405–1412
• Sir Thomas Erpingham 1413–1417
• Sir Walter Hungerford 1413–1421
• Robert Babthorp 1421–1424
• Sir Walter Hungerford 1424–1426
• Sir John Tiptoft 1426–1432
• Robert Babthorp 1432–1433
• William de la Pole, 1st Marquess of Suffolk 1433–1446
• Ralph Boteler, 1st Baron Sudeley 1447–1457
• John Beauchamp, 1st Baron Beauchamp 1457–1461
• William Neville, 1st Earl of Kent 1461–1463
• John Tiptoft, 1st Earl of Worcester 1463–1467
• Henry Bourchier, 1st Earl of Essex 1467–1471
• Thomas Stanley, 2nd Baron Stanley 1471–1483
• Thomas Howard, Earl of Surrey 1483–1485
• John Radcliffe, Baron FitzWalter 1486–1496
• Robert Willoughby, 1st Baron Willoughby de Broke 1496–1502

16th century

• George Talbot, 4th Earl of Shrewsbury 1502–1538
• Robert Radcliffe, 1st Earl of Sussex 1538–1540

Office of Lord Steward discontinued and replaced by the Lord Great Master

• Charles Brandon, 1st Duke of Suffolk 1540–1545
• William Paulet, Lord St John 1545–1550
• John Dudley, 1st Earl of Warwick 1550–1553

Office of Lord Steward restored

• Henry Fitzalan, 12th Earl of Arundel 1553–1564
• Vacant 1564–1567
• William Herbert, 1st Earl of Pembroke 1567–1570
• Vacant 1570–1572
• Edward Fiennes, Earl of Lincoln 1572–1584
• Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester 1584–1588
• Henry Stanley, Earl of Derby 1588–1593
• Vacant 1593–1597

17th century

• The Earl of Nottingham 1603–1618
• The Duke of Richmond 1618–1623
• The Marquess of Hamilton 1623–1625
• The Earl of Pembroke 1625–1630
• Vacant 1630–1640
• The Earl of Arundel and Surrey 1640–1644
• The Duke of Richmond 1644–1655
• Vacant 1655–1660
• The Duke of Ormonde 1660–1688
• The Duke of Devonshire 1689–1707

18th century

• The Duke of Devonshire 1707–1710
• The Duke of Buckingham and Normanby 1710–1711
• The Earl Poulett 1711–1714
• The Duke of Devonshire 1714–1716
• The Duke of Kent 1716–1718
• The Duke of Argyll 1718–1725
• The Duke of Dorset 1725–1730
• The Earl of Chesterfield 1730–1733
• The Duke of Devonshire 1733–1737
• The Duke of Dorset 1737–1744
• The Duke of Devonshire 1744–1749
• The Duke of Marlborough 1749–1755
• The Duke of Rutland 1755–1761
• The Earl Talbot 1761–1782
• The Earl of Carlisle 1782–1783
• The Duke of Rutland 1783
• The Earl of Dartmouth 1783
• The Duke of Chandos 1783–1789
• The Duke of Dorset 1789–1799
• The Earl of Leicester 1799–1802

19th century

• The Earl of Dartmouth 1802–1804
• The Earl of Aylesford 1804–1812
• The Marquess of Cholmondeley 1812–1821
• The Marquess Conyngham 1821–1830
• The Duke of Buckingham and Chandos 1830
• The Marquess Wellesley 1830–1833
• The Duke of Argyll 1833–1834
• The Earl of Wilton 1835
• The Duke of Argyll 1835–1839
• The Earl of Erroll 1839–1841
• The Earl of Liverpool 1841–1846
• The Earl Fortescue 1846–1850
• The Marquess of Westminster 1850–1852
• The Duke of Montrose 1852–1853
• The Duke of Norfolk 1853–1854
• The Earl Spencer 1854–1857
• The Earl of St Germans 1857–1858
• The Marquess of Exeter 1858–1859
• The Earl of St Germans 1859–1866
• The Earl of Bessborough 1866
• The Duke of Marlborough 1866–1867
• The Earl of Tankerville 1867–1868
• The Earl of Bessborough 1868–1874
• The Earl Beauchamp 1874–1880
• The Earl Sydney 1880–1885
• The Earl of Mount Edgcumbe 1885–1886
• The Earl Sydney 1886
• The Earl of Mount Edgcumbe 1886–1892
• The Marquess of Breadalbane 1892–1895
• The Earl of Pembroke 1895–1905

20th century

• The Earl of Liverpool 1905–1907
• The Earl Beauchamp 1907–1910
• The Earl of Chesterfield 1910–1915
• The Viscount Farquhar 1915–1922
• The Earl of Shaftesbury 1922–1936
• The Duke of Sutherland 1936–1937
• The Duke of Buccleuch 1937–1940
• The Duke of Hamilton 1940–1964
• The Duke of Westminster 1964–1967
• The Viscount Cobham 1967–1972
• The Duke of Northumberland 1973–1988
• The Viscount Ridley 1989–2001

21st century

• The Duke of Abercorn 2001–2009
• The Earl of Dalhousie 2009–2023
• The Earl of Rosslyn 2023–present