Lord Clerk Register
Encyclopedia
The office of Lord Clerk Register is the oldest surviving Great Officer of State
in Scotland
, with origins in the 13th century.
The Clerk-Register was from ancient times the principal Clerk in the kingdom, from whom all other clerks, whatever their government positions, and who were essentially his deputies, derived their immediate authority. He acted also as Clerk to the parliament
and Privy Council
, where in the old registers and proceedings of parliament he is referred to as Clericus Rotulorum, because the ancient scripts were in rolls of paper, not books. These later became termed Rotuli parliamenti, the rolls of court, but were thereafter ordered to be made up into Register books and the respective clerks instructed to transmit those books to the Clerk-Register to be preserved by him in the public archives.
By the Treaty of Union in 1707 the preservation of public records was provided for, and the election, and management thereof of the sixteen Scottish peers to the House of Lords
in the new British parliament
was ordered by the Lord Clerk-register, with two Clerks of Session
commissioned by him to assist.
The office formerly had other functions also: as well as the responsibility for public registers and records, the Clerk-register was Commissioner for the Regalia and Keeper of the Signet. Only the latter two remain and the office is now largely ceremonial in nature and carries no salary or special privileges.
The Lord Clerk Register (Scotland) Act 1879 provided that the Lord Clerk Register should continue as an Officer of State, but all his rights and duties with regard to the preservation of the public registers and records were transferred to the Deputy Clerk Register (now the Keeper of the Records of Scotland). The Lord Clerk Register remained responsible for the election of representative peer
s of Scotland until these were abolished in 1963.
The role has been largely honorific since 1806, when a Deputy Clerk Register was appointed.
The Lord Clerk Register is one of the Commissioners of the Regalia, under a Royal Commission
of 1818, responsible for Scotland's Crown Jewels
. In practice this responsibility was delegated to a deputy, then to the Queen's and Lord Treasurer's Remembrancer
, and now to Historic Scotland
. In 1996 the Commissioners were given additional responsibility for the Stone of Destiny
under another Royal Warrant
.
The role of Lord Clerk Register is combined with the role of Keeper of the Signet, which was given to the Lord Clerk Register in 1817.
The Scottish Executive
announced on 27 April 2007 that the Queen had appointed Lord Mackay of Clashfern to the office, replacing the Earl of Wemyss and March.
Great Officer of State
In the United Kingdom, the Great Officers of State are traditional Crown ministers, who either inherit their positions or are appointed to exercise certain largely ceremonial functions. Separate Great Officers exist for England and Scotland, and formerly for Ireland...
in Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, with origins in the 13th century.
The Clerk-Register was from ancient times the principal Clerk in the kingdom, from whom all other clerks, whatever their government positions, and who were essentially his deputies, derived their immediate authority. He acted also as Clerk to the parliament
Parliament of Scotland
The Parliament of Scotland, officially the Estates of Parliament, was the legislature of the Kingdom of Scotland. The unicameral parliament of Scotland is first found on record during the early 13th century, with the first meeting for which a primary source survives at...
and Privy Council
Privy Council of Scotland
The Privy Council of Scotland was a body that advised the King.In the range of its functions the council was often more important than the Estates in the running the country. Its registers include a wide range of material on the political, administrative, economic and social affairs of Scotland...
, where in the old registers and proceedings of parliament he is referred to as Clericus Rotulorum, because the ancient scripts were in rolls of paper, not books. These later became termed Rotuli parliamenti, the rolls of court, but were thereafter ordered to be made up into Register books and the respective clerks instructed to transmit those books to the Clerk-Register to be preserved by him in the public archives.
By the Treaty of Union in 1707 the preservation of public records was provided for, and the election, and management thereof of the sixteen Scottish peers to the House of Lords
House of Lords
The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster....
in the new British parliament
Parliament of Great Britain
The Parliament of Great Britain was formed in 1707 following the ratification of the Acts of Union by both the Parliament of England and Parliament of Scotland...
was ordered by the Lord Clerk-register, with two Clerks of Session
Court of Session
The Court of Session is the supreme civil court of Scotland, and constitutes part of the College of Justice. It sits in Parliament House in Edinburgh and is both a court of first instance and a court of appeal....
commissioned by him to assist.
The office formerly had other functions also: as well as the responsibility for public registers and records, the Clerk-register was Commissioner for the Regalia and Keeper of the Signet. Only the latter two remain and the office is now largely ceremonial in nature and carries no salary or special privileges.
The Lord Clerk Register (Scotland) Act 1879 provided that the Lord Clerk Register should continue as an Officer of State, but all his rights and duties with regard to the preservation of the public registers and records were transferred to the Deputy Clerk Register (now the Keeper of the Records of Scotland). The Lord Clerk Register remained responsible for the election of representative peer
Representative peer
In the United Kingdom, representative peers were those peers elected by the members of the Peerage of Scotland and the Peerage of Ireland to sit in the British House of Lords...
s of Scotland until these were abolished in 1963.
The role has been largely honorific since 1806, when a Deputy Clerk Register was appointed.
The Lord Clerk Register is one of the Commissioners of the Regalia, under a Royal Commission
Royal Commission
In Commonwealth realms and other monarchies a Royal Commission is a major ad-hoc formal public inquiry into a defined issue. They have been held in various countries such as the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and Saudi Arabia...
of 1818, responsible for Scotland's Crown Jewels
Honours of Scotland
The Honours of Scotland, also known as the Scottish regalia and the Scottish Crown Jewels, dating from the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, are the oldest set of crown jewels in the British Isles. The existing set were used for the coronation of Scottish monarchs from 1543 to 1651...
. In practice this responsibility was delegated to a deputy, then to the Queen's and Lord Treasurer's Remembrancer
Queen's and Lord Treasurer's Remembrancer
The Queen's and Lord Treasurer's Remembrancer is an officer in Scotland who represents the Crown's interests in bona vacantia, ultimus haeres and treasure trove....
, and now to Historic Scotland
Historic Scotland
Historic Scotland is an executive agency of the Scottish Government, responsible for historic monuments in Scotland.-Role:As its website states:...
. In 1996 the Commissioners were given additional responsibility for the Stone of Destiny
Stone of Scone
The Stone of Scone , also known as the Stone of Destiny and often referred to in England as The Coronation Stone, is an oblong block of red sandstone, used for centuries in the coronation of the monarchs of Scotland and later the monarchs of England, Great Britain and the United Kingdom...
under another Royal Warrant
Royal Warrant
Royal warrants of appointment have been issued for centuries to those who supply goods or services to a royal court or certain royal personages. The warrant enables the supplier to advertise the fact that they supply to the royal family, so lending prestige to the supplier...
.
The role of Lord Clerk Register is combined with the role of Keeper of the Signet, which was given to the Lord Clerk Register in 1817.
The Scottish Executive
Scottish Executive
The Scottish Government is the executive arm of the devolved government of Scotland. It was established in 1999 as the Scottish Executive, from the extant Scottish Office, and the term Scottish Executive remains its legal name under the Scotland Act 1998...
announced on 27 April 2007 that the Queen had appointed Lord Mackay of Clashfern to the office, replacing the Earl of Wemyss and March.
Office Holders
incomplete list- William, Bishop of St Andrews
- Simon de Quincy
- Nicolas, Clericus to Malcolm IVMalcolm IV of ScotlandMalcolm IV , nicknamed Virgo, "the Maiden" , King of Scots, was the eldest son of Earl Henry and Ada de Warenne...
- William de Bosch, Hugo, Galfrid, and Gregory, all served Alexander IIAlexander II of ScotlandAlexander II was King of Scots from1214 to his death.-Early life:...
- 1253: William Capellanus and Alexander de Carrick
- 1323: Robert de Dunbar
- John Gray, appointed by Robert IIRobert II of ScotlandRobert II became King of Scots in 1371 as the first monarch of the House of Stewart. He was the son of Walter Stewart, hereditary High Steward of Scotland and of Marjorie Bruce, daughter of Robert I and of his first wife Isabella of Mar...
- 1426: John Schives, decretorum director
- 1440: Richard Craig, Vicar of DundeeDundeeDundee is the fourth-largest city in Scotland and the 39th most populous settlement in the United Kingdom. It lies within the eastern central Lowlands on the north bank of the Firth of Tay, which feeds into the North Sea...
- 1442: George Shoriswood, Rector of Culter
- 1449: Sir John Methven
- 1450: John Arouse, Archdeacon of GlasgowArchdeacon of GlasgowThe Archdeacon of Glasgow was the head of the Archdeaconry of Glasgow, a sub-division of the Diocese of Glasgow. He was one of two archdeacons serving the Bishop of Glasgow, the other one being the Archdeacon of Teviotdale. This archdeacon was responsible for region of the Diocese of Glasgow...
- 1455: Nicol Otterburn
- 1466: Fergus McDowall
- 1471: David Guthrie of that Ilk
- 1473: John Lang, Rector of Newlands, GlasgowNewlands, GlasgowNewlands is an upmarket district in the Southside of the Scottish city of Glasgow.The area is mainly residential in character. House prices in the area are consistently above the national average, with the average house price for 2006 being around £185 000....
- 1477: Alexander Inglis, afterwards Deacon of DunkeldDunkeldDunkeld is a small town in Strathtay, Perth and Kinross, Scotland. It is about 15 miles north of Perth on the eastern side of the A9 road into the Scottish Highlands and on the opposite side of the Tay from the Victorian village of Birnam. Dunkeld and Birnam share a railway station, on the...
- 1482: Patrick Leith, Canon of GlasgowGlasgowGlasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
- 1482: Alexander Scot, Rector of WigtonWigtonWigton is a small market town and civil parish outside the Lake District, in the administrative county of Cumbria in England, and traditionally in Cumberland. It is the bustling and thriving centre of the Solway Plain, situated between the Caldbeck Fells and the Solway coast...
- 1488: William Hepburn, Vicar of LinlithgowLinlithgowLinlithgow is a Royal Burgh in West Lothian, Scotland. An ancient town, it lies south of its two most prominent landmarks: Linlithgow Palace and Linlithgow Loch, and north of the Union Canal....
- 1489: Richard Murehead, Deacon of GlasgowGlasgowGlasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
- 1492: John Fraser, Rector of RestalrigRestalrigRestalrig is a suburb of Edinburgh, Scotland. It is located east of the city centre, west of the A199 road, and to the east of Lochend, with which it overlaps. Restalrig Road is the main route through the area, running from London Road at Jock's Lodge, to Leith Links at the south edge of...
- 1497: Walter Drummond, Deacon of DunblaneDunblaneDunblane is a small cathedral city and former burgh north of Stirling in the Stirling council area of Scotland. The town is situated off the A9 road, on the way north to Perth. Its main landmark is Dunblane Cathedral and the Allan Water runs through the town centre, with the Cathedral and the High...
- 1500: Gavin Dunbar, Archdeacon of St AndrewsSt AndrewsSt Andrews is a university town and former royal burgh on the east coast of Fife in Scotland. The town is named after Saint Andrew the Apostle.St Andrews has a population of 16,680, making this the fifth largest settlement in Fife....
, afterwards Bishop of AberdeenAberdeenAberdeen is Scotland's third most populous city, one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas and the United Kingdom's 25th most populous city, with an official population estimate of .... - Sir Stephen Lockhart, appointed by James IVJames IV of ScotlandJames IV was King of Scots from 11 June 1488 to his death. He is generally regarded as the most successful of the Stewart monarchs of Scotland, but his reign ended with the disastrous defeat at the Battle of Flodden Field, where he became the last monarch from not only Scotland, but also from all...
- 1531: Sir James Foulis of Colinton
- 1548: Sir Thomas Marjoribanks of Ratho
- 1554: James MacGill of Nether RankeillourJames MacGill of Nether RankeillourSir James MacGill of Nether Rankeillour was a Scottish politician. In 1561, he was on the Privy Council of Mary, Queen of Scots and was her Lord Clerk Register in charge of archives...
, Parson of Flisk - 1565: James Balfour of Pittendreich
- 1567: James MacGill of Nether Rankeillour
- 1577: Alexander Hay, Lord Easter Kennet (d 1594)
- 1594-1612: Sir John Skene of Curriehill
- 1598: James Skeen, conjunct with his father
- 1612: Sir Thomas HamiltonThomas Hamilton, 1st Earl of HaddingtonThomas Hamilton, 1st Earl of Haddington , designated before his peerage as 'of Drumcarny, Monkland, and Binning', was a Scottish administrator, Lord Advocate, judge, and Lord Lieutenant of Haddingtonshire.-Family:...
, afterwards 1st Earl of HaddingtonEarl of HaddingtonEarl of Haddington is a title in the Peerage of Scotland. It was created in 1627 for the noted Scottish lawyer and judge Thomas Hamilton, 1st Earl of Melrose. He was Lord President of the Court of Session from 1616 to 1625... - 1612: Sir Alexander Hay of Whitburgh, Lord Newton
- 1616: Sir George Hay of Netherleiffe
- 1622: Sir John Hamilton of Magdalens, brother to the Earl of Haddington
- 1632: Sir John Hay, Lord Barra
- 1641: Sir Alexander Gibson, Lord Durie, younger of Durie
- 1649: Archibald Johnston, Lord WarristonArchibald Johnston, Lord WarristonArchibald Johnston, Lord Warriston was a Scottish judge and statesman.He assisted Alexander Henderson in framing the Scots National Covenant in 1638. Appointed a Procurator of the Kirk in the same year. In 1639 he assisted in negotiating pacification of Berwick, and the treaty of Ripon in 1640. He...
- 1660: Archibald Primrose, Lord CarringtonArchibald Primrose, Lord CarringtonSir Archibald Primrose, 1st Baronet, Lord Carrington was a notable Scottish lawyer, judge, and Cavalier.The son of James Primrose Sir Archibald Primrose, 1st Baronet, Lord Carrington (May 16, 1616 – November 27, 1679) was a notable Scottish lawyer, judge, and Cavalier.The son of James Primrose Sir...
, of Chester (until 1676) - c1690: Sir Thomas Burnett, 3rd BaronetSir Thomas Burnett, 3rd BaronetSir Thomas Burnett of Leys, 3rd Baronet, , Lord Clerk Register, PC, MP. He was, at Stonehaven, 21 April 1664, retoured as heir to his father, Sir Alexander Burnett, 2nd Baronet who had died the previous year...
of Leys - 1696-1702: Charles Douglas, 2nd Earl of Selkirk
- 1702: James Murray, Lord Philiphaugh (until 1708)
- 1714: Archibald Campbell, Earl of Ilay, 3rd Duke of ArgyllArchibald Campbell, 3rd Duke of ArgyllArchibald Campbell, 3rd Duke of Argyll, 1st Earl of Ilay was a Scottish nobleman, politician, lawyer, businessman and soldier...
- 1716: James Graham, 1st Duke of MontroseJames Graham, 1st Duke of MontroseJames Graham, 1st Duke and 4th Marquess of Montrose was a Scottish aristocratic statesman in the early eighteenth century....
- 1716: Alexander Hume-Campbell, 2nd Earl of MarchmontAlexander Hume-Campbell, 2nd Earl of MarchmontAlexander Hume-Campbell, 2nd Earl of Marchmont PC , was a Scottish nobleman, politician and judge.Third but eldest surviving son of Patrick Hume, 1st Earl of Marchmont, by his spouse Grisel , daughter of Sir Thomas Ker of Cavers, he assumed the additional surname of Campbell upon his marriage in...
, 2nd Lord Polwarth - 1733: Charles Douglas, 2nd Earl of Selkirk
- 1739: William Kerr, 3rd Marquess of LothianWilliam Kerr, 3rd Marquess of LothianWilliam Kerr, 3rd Marquess of Lothian KT was a Scottish nobleman, styled Master of Jedburgh from 1692 to 1703 and Lord Jedburgh from 1703 to 1722...
- 1756: Alexander Hume CampbellAlexander Hume CampbellThe Honourable Alexander Hume-Campbell KC , was a Scottish nobleman and politician.The son of Alexander Hume-Campbell, 2nd Earl of Marchmont, he entered parliament in 1734 for Berwickshire at the same time as his twin brother Lord Polwarth was elected for Berwick-upon-Tweed...
- 1760: James Douglas, 14th Earl of MortonJames Douglas, 14th Earl of MortonJames Douglas, 14th Earl of Morton KT FRS was a Scottish astronomer and representative peer who was President of the Philosophical Society of Edinburgh from its foundation in 1737 until his death...
- 1768: Lord Frederick Campbell
- 1816: Archibald Campbell ColquhounArchibald ColquhounArchibald Campbell Colquhoun was a Scottish politician and lawyer.The son of John Campbell of Clathick, he took the surname Colquhoun in 1804 on inheriting the estate of Killermont, Dunbartonshire. He married, in 1786, Mary-Anne Erskine . He became an advocate in 1768, was a Member of Parliament...
- 1821: William DundasWilliam DundasWilliam Dundas was a Scottish politician.The son of Robert Dundas, Lord Arniston, the younger, he became a barrister at Lincoln's Inn in 1788...
- 1841: James Andrew Broun-Ramsay, 1st Marquess of Dalhousie
- 1862: Sir William Gibson CraigWilliam Gibson CraigSir William Gibson Craig, 2nd Baronet , was a Scottish Advocate and politician.The eldest son of Sir James Gibson-Craig, 1st Baronet, William became an advocate in 1820. He was Lord Clerk Register and Keeper of the Signet from 1862 until his death...
of Riccarton - 1879: George Frederick Boyle, 6th Earl of Glasgow
- 1890: Douglas Beresford Malise Ronald Graham, 5th Duke of Montrose
- 1926: John Charles Montagu-Douglas-Scott, 7th Duke of Buccleuch, 9th Duke of Queensberry
- 1935: Walter John Francis Erskine, 12th Earl of MarWalter John Francis Erskine, 12th Earl of MarWalter John Francis Erskine, 12th Earl of Mar and 14th Earl of Kellie KT JP was a Scottish nobleman.The eldest son of Walter Erskine, 11th Earl of Mar and Mary Anne Forbes, he was educated at Eton and served as a Lieutenant in the Scots Guards from 1887 until 1892.He succeeded his father in 1888,...
, 14th Earl of Kellie - 1944: Sidney Herbert Elphinstone, 16th Baron Elphinstone
- 1956: Walter John Montagu-Douglas-Scott, 8th Duke of Buccleuch, 10th Duke of Queensberry
- 1974: Francis David Charteris, 12th Earl of Wemyss and March
- 2007: James Mackay, Baron Mackay of Clashfern
See also
- Registrar General for Scotland
- Lord Justice ClerkLord Justice ClerkThe Lord Justice Clerk is the second most senior judge in Scotland, after the Lord President of the Court of Session.The holder has the title in both the Court of Session and the High Court of Justiciary and is in charge of the Second Division of Judges in the Court of Session...