Privy Seal of England facts for kids
The Privy Seal of England was like a special stamp used by the King of England. It helped show that a message or document truly came from the king himself. This important seal started being used a very long time ago, around the early 1200s, during the time of King John.
There was another very important stamp called the Great Seal. This Great Seal had to stay in a special office called the Chancery. But the Privy Seal was different! It was small enough to travel with the king wherever he went. This meant the king could always use it for his personal messages.
Later, around the mid-1300s, during the reign of King Edward III, the Privy Seal started to be used for more than just private messages. It began to handle many different official government tasks. Because the Privy Seal became so busy with government work, a new, even more private seal was created. This new seal was first called the "secret" seal. It took over the job of handling the king's personal letters and messages. By the end of King Edward III's time, this "secret" seal was known as the Signet. It was looked after by the King's Secretary. Today, the seals used by important government officials, like the Secretaries of State, are similar to this old Signet seal.
The use of the Privy Seal mostly ended in 1884. A law called the Great Seal Act 1884 was passed. This law said that documents no longer needed the Privy Seal to be official.
Who Looked After the Privy Seal?
At first, the Privy Seal was looked after by clerks who worked in the king's private rooms. Soon after, it was kept by the person in charge of the king's household, called the controller of the wardrobe.
However, by the year 1323, a new and separate job was created just for the Privy Seal. This new job was called the Keeper of the Privy Seal. The first person to hold this specific job, who wasn't also a controller, was appointed in 1307. Today, the person who holds this historic office is known as the Lord Privy Seal. This title was first used in 1539.
