The Lord Steward or Lord Steward of the Household, in England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

, is an important official of the Royal Household

Royal Household

A Royal Household in ancient and medieval monarchies formed the basis for the general government of the country as well as providing for the needs of the sovereign and his relations....

. He is always a peer

Peerage

The Peerage is a legal system of largely hereditary titles in the United Kingdom, which constitute the ranks of British nobility and is part of the British honours system...

. Until 1924, he was always a member of the Government. Until 1782, the office was one of considerable political importance and carried Cabinet rank

Cabinet rank

A person who is of Cabinet rank holds a ministerial position in a government. They sit in Cabinet and form the highest body of leadership in a government.-United Kingdom:...

.

The Lord Steward receives his appointment from the Sovereign

Monarch

A monarch is the person who heads a monarchy. This is a form of government in which a state or polity is ruled or controlled by an individual who typically inherits the throne by birth and occasionally rules for life or until abdication...

 in person, and bears a white staff as the emblem and warrant of his authority. He is the first dignitary of the court. In an act of Henry VIII

Henry VIII of England

Henry VIII was King of England from 21 April 1509 until his death. He was Lord, and later King, of Ireland, as well as continuing the nominal claim by the English monarchs to the Kingdom of France...

 (1539) for placing of the lords, he is described as the grand master or lord steward of the king's most honourable household. He presided at the Board of Green Cloth

Board of Green Cloth

The Board of Green Cloth was a board of officials belonging to the Royal Household of England and Great Britain. It took its name from the tablecloth of green baize that covered the table at which its members sat....

, until the Board of Green Cloth disappeared in the reform of local government licensing in 2004, brought about by the Licensing Act 2003

Licensing Act 2003

The Licensing Act of 2003 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that applies only to England and Wales. The Act establishes a single integrated scheme for licensing premises which are used for the sale or supply of alcohol, to provide regulated entertainment, or to provide late night...

 (section 195). In his department are the Treasurer of the Household

Treasurer of the Household

The position of Treasurer of the Household is theoretically held by a household official of the British monarch, under control of the Lord Steward's Department, but is, in fact, a political office held by one of the government's Deputy Chief Whips in the House of Commons...

 and Comptroller of the Household

Comptroller of the Household

The Comptroller of the Household is an ancient position in the English royal household, currently the second-ranking member of the Lord Steward's department, and often a cabinet member. He was an ex officio member of the Board of Green Cloth, until that body was abolished in the reform of the local...

, who rank next to him. These officials were usually peers or the sons of peers and Privy Councillors. They also sat at the Board of Green Cloth, carry white staves, and belong to the ministry. The offices are now held by Government whips

Whip (politics)

A whip is an official in a political party whose primary purpose is to ensure party discipline in a legislature. Whips are a party's "enforcers", who typically offer inducements and threaten punishments for party members to ensure that they vote according to the official party policy...

 in the House of Commons. The duties which in theory belong to the Lord Steward, Treasurer and Comptroller of the Household are in practice performed by the Master of the Household

Master of the Household

The Master of the Household is the operational head of the "below stairs" elements of the Royal Household of the Sovereign of the United Kingdom...

, who is a permanent officer and resides in the palace. However by the Coroners Act 1988 the Lord Steward still appoints the Coroner of the Queen's Household

Coroner of the Queen's Household

The Coroner of the King's/Queen's Household is an officer of the Medical Household of the Royal Household of the Sovereign of the United Kingdom.-History:...

.

The Master of the Household

Master of the Household

The Master of the Household is the operational head of the "below stairs" elements of the Royal Household of the Sovereign of the United Kingdom...

 is a white-staff officer and was a member of the Board of Green Cloth but not of the ministry, and among other things he presided at the daily dinners of the suite in waiting on the sovereign. He is not named in the Black Book of Edward IV

Edward IV of England

Edward IV was King of England from 4 March 1461 until 3 October 1470, and again from 11 April 1471 until his death. He was the first Yorkist King of England...

 or in the Statutes of Henry VIII

Henry VIII of England

Henry VIII was King of England from 21 April 1509 until his death. He was Lord, and later King, of Ireland, as well as continuing the nominal claim by the English monarchs to the Kingdom of France...

, and is entered as master of the household and clerk of the green cloth in the Household Book of Queen Elizabeth. But he has superseded the lord steward of the household, as the lord steward of the household at one time superseded the Lord High Steward

Lord High Steward

The position of Lord High Steward of England is the first of the Great Officers of State. The office has generally remained vacant since 1421, except at coronations and during the trials of peers in the House of Lords, when the Lord High Steward presides. In general, but not invariably, the Lord...

 of England.

In the Lord Steward's department were the officials of the Board of Green Cloth, the Coroner ("coroner of the verge", now abolished), and Paymaster of the Household, and the officers of the Royal Almonry

Royal Almonry

The Royal Almonry is a small office within the Royal Household of the Sovereign of the United Kingdom, headed by the Lord High Almoner, an office dating from 1103. The almoner is responsible for distributing alms to the poor....

. Other offices in the department were those of the Cofferer of the Household

Cofferer of the Household

The Cofferer of the Household was formerly an office in the English and British Royal Household.The holder had special charge over other officers of the household and was an officer of state and a member of the Privy Council and the Board of Green Cloth....

, the Treasurer of the Chamber

Treasurer of the Chamber

The Treasurer of the Chamber was a position in the British royal household, separated in 1485 from that of the Master of the Jewel Office, situated within the Privy Chamber department of the Lord Steward...

, and the Paymaster of Pensions

Paymaster of Pensions

In 18th century Britain, the Paymaster of Pensions was the official in charge of payments of Crown pensions and bounties. The first paymaster was Edward Nicholas in 1703, and the post was abolished in 1782 by the Act of Parliament 22 Geo. III, c. 82...

, but these, with six clerks of the Board of Green Cloth, were abolished in 1782.

The Lord Steward had formerly three courts besides the Board of Green Cloth under him—the Lord Steward's Court, superseded in 1541 by the Marshalsea Court

Marshalsea Court

The Marshalsea Court was a court associated with the Royal Household in England.It was a court of record held by the Steward and Marshal of the Royal Household, to administer justice between the sovereign's domestic servants "that they might not be drawn into other courts and their service lost"...

, and the Palace Court.

The Lord Steward or his deputies formerly administered the oaths to the members of the House of Commons. 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

Palace of Westminster

The Palace of Westminster, also known as the Houses of Parliament or Westminster Palace, is the meeting place of the two houses of the Parliament of the United Kingdom—the House of Lords and the House of Commons...

.

15th century

• The Lord FitzWalter 1485–aft. 1486
• The Lord Willoughby de Broke
  Robert Willoughby, 1st Baron Willoughby de Broke
  Robert Willoughby, 1st Baron Willoughby de Broke , K.G., was at the Siege of Boulogne with King Henry VII, and was one of the chief commanders against the Cornish rebels in 1497.-Early life:...
  
   1488–1502

16th century

• The Earl of Shrewsbury
  George Talbot, 4th Earl of Shrewsbury
  George Talbot, 4th Earl of Shrewsbury, 4th Earl of Waterford, 10th Baron Talbot, 9th Baron Furnivall, KG was the son of John Talbot, 3rd Earl of Shrewsbury and Lady Catherine Stafford, daughter of the 1st Duke of Buckingham....
  
   1502–1538
• The Earl of Sussex
  Robert Radcliffe, 1st Earl of Sussex
  Robert Radcliffe , 1st Earl of Sussex, KG was a prominent English courtier and soldier of the time of Henry VIII...
  
   1538–1540?
• The Duke of Suffolk
  Charles Brandon, 1st Duke of Suffolk
  Charles Brandon, 1st Duke of Suffolk, 1st Viscount Lisle, KG was the son of Sir William Brandon and Elizabeth Bruyn. Through his third wife Mary Tudor he was brother-in-law to Henry VIII. His father was the standard-bearer of Henry Tudor, Earl of Richmond and was slain by Richard III in person at...
  
   1541–1544
• The Lord St John
  William Paulet, 1st Marquess of Winchester
  Sir William Paulet was an English Secretary of State and statesman who attained several peerages throughout his lifetime: Baron St John , Earl of Wiltshire , and Marquess of Winchester .-Family origins and early career in Hampshire:William Paulet was eldest son of Sir John Paulet of...
  
   1544–1551
• The Duke of Northumberland
  John Dudley, 1st Duke of Northumberland
  John Dudley, 1st Duke of Northumberland, KG was an English general, admiral, and politician, who led the government of the young King Edward VI from 1550 until 1553, and unsuccessfully tried to install Lady Jane Grey on the English throne after the King's death...
  
   1551–1553
• The Earl of Arundel
  Henry FitzAlan, 19th Earl of Arundel
  Henry FitzAlan, 19th Earl of Arundel was an English nobleman, who over his long life assumed a prominent place at the court of all the later Tudor sovereigns, probably the only person to do so.-Court career:...
  
   1553–1568
• The Earl of Pembroke 1568-1570
• The Earl of Leicester
  Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester
  Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester, KG was an English nobleman and the favourite and close friend of Elizabeth I from her first year on the throne until his death...
  
   1587–1588
• no Lord Steward appointed 1588–1603

17th century

• The Earl of Nottingham
  Charles Howard, 1st Earl of Nottingham
  Charles Howard, 1st Earl of Nottingham , known as Howard of Effingham, was an English statesman and Lord High Admiral under Elizabeth I and James I...
  
   1603–1618
• The Duke of Richmond 1618–1623
• The Marquess of Hamilton
  James Hamilton, 2nd Marquess of Hamilton
  James Hamilton, 2nd Marquess of Hamilton and 4th Earl of Arran KG PC , styled Lord Aven from 1599 to 1604, was a Scottish politician. He was the son of John Hamilton, 1st Marquess of Hamilton....
  
   1623–1625
• The Earl of Pembroke
  William Herbert, 3rd Earl of Pembroke
  William Herbert, 3rd Earl of Pembroke, KG, PC was the son of Henry Herbert, 2nd Earl of Pembroke and his third wife Mary Sidney. Chancellor of the University of Oxford, he founded Pembroke College, Oxford with King James. He was warden of the Forest of Dean, and constable of St Briavels from 1608...
  
   1625–1630
• none 1630–1640
• The Earl of Arundel and Surrey 1640–1644
• The Duke of Richmond 1644–1655
• none 1655–1660
• The Duke of Ormonde
  James Butler, 1st Duke of Ormonde
  James Butler, 1st Duke of Ormonde PC was an Irish statesman and soldier. He was the second of the Kilcash branch of the family to inherit the earldom. He was the friend of Thomas Wentworth, 1st Earl of Strafford, who appointeed him commander of the Cavalier forces in Ireland. From 1641 to 1647, he...
  
   1660–1688
• The Duke of Devonshire
  William Cavendish, 1st Duke of Devonshire
  William Cavendish, 1st Duke of Devonshire KG PC was a soldier and Whig statesman, the son of William Cavendish, 3rd Earl of Devonshire and Lady Elizabeth Cecil.-Life:...
  
   1689–1707

18th century

• The Duke of Devonshire
  William Cavendish, 2nd Duke of Devonshire
  William Cavendish, 2nd Duke of Devonshire KG, PC was a British nobleman and politician, the eldest son of William Cavendish, 1st Duke of Devonshire and Lady Mary Butler. A prominent Whig, he was sworn of the Privy Council in 1707, and served as Lord President of the Council from 1716 to 1717 and...
  
   1707–1710
• The Duke of Buckingham and Normanby
  John Sheffield, 1st Duke of Buckingham and Normanby
  John Sheffield, 1st Duke of Buckingham and Normanby, KG, PC , was a poet and notable Tory politician of the late Stuart period, who served as Lord Privy Seal and Lord President of the Council.-Career:...
  
   1710–1711
• The Earl Poulett
  John Poulett, 1st Earl Poulett
  John Poulett, 1st Earl Poulett KG was the son of John Poulett, 3rd Baron Poulett and his wife Susan Herbert, daughter of Philip Herbert, 5th Earl of Pembroke....
  
   1711–1714
• The Duke of Devonshire
  William Cavendish, 2nd Duke of Devonshire
  William Cavendish, 2nd Duke of Devonshire KG, PC was a British nobleman and politician, the eldest son of William Cavendish, 1st Duke of Devonshire and Lady Mary Butler. A prominent Whig, he was sworn of the Privy Council in 1707, and served as Lord President of the Council from 1716 to 1717 and...
  
   1714–1716
• The Duke of Kent
  Henry Grey, 1st Duke of Kent
  Henry Grey, 1st Duke of Kent KG PC was a British politician and courtier.-Family:He was a son of Anthony Grey, 11th Earl of Kent and Mary Grey, 1st Baroness Lucas of Crudwell...
  
   1716–1718
• The Duke of Argyll
  John Campbell, 2nd Duke of Argyll
  Field Marshal John Campbell, 2nd Duke of Argyll, 1st Duke of Greenwich KG , known as Iain Ruaidh nan Cath or Red John of the Battles, was a Scottish soldier and nobleman.-Early Life:...
  
   1718–1725
• The Duke of Dorset
  Lionel Sackville, 1st Duke of Dorset
  Lionel Cranfield Sackville, 1st Duke of Dorset, PC was an English political leader and Lord Lieutenant of Ireland. He was the son of the 6th Earl of Dorset and 1st Earl of Middlesex and the former Lady Mary Compton, younger daughter of the 3rd Earl of Northampton...
  
   1725–1730
• The Earl of Chesterfield
  Philip Stanhope, 4th Earl of Chesterfield
  Philip Dormer Stanhope, 4th Earl of Chesterfield PC KG was a British statesman and man of letters.A Whig, Lord Stanhope, as he was known until his father's death in 1726, was born in London. After being educated at Trinity Hall, Cambridge, he went on the Grand Tour of the continent...
  
   1730–1733
• The Duke of Devonshire
  William Cavendish, 3rd Duke of Devonshire
  William Cavendish, 3rd Duke of Devonshire, KG, PC was a British nobleman and Whig politician, the son of William Cavendish, 2nd Duke of Devonshire and Hon. Rachel Russell....
  
   1733–1737
• The Duke of Dorset
  Lionel Sackville, 1st Duke of Dorset
  Lionel Cranfield Sackville, 1st Duke of Dorset, PC was an English political leader and Lord Lieutenant of Ireland. He was the son of the 6th Earl of Dorset and 1st Earl of Middlesex and the former Lady Mary Compton, younger daughter of the 3rd Earl of Northampton...
  
   1737–1744
• The Duke of Devonshire
  William Cavendish, 3rd Duke of Devonshire
  William Cavendish, 3rd Duke of Devonshire, KG, PC was a British nobleman and Whig politician, the son of William Cavendish, 2nd Duke of Devonshire and Hon. Rachel Russell....
  
   1744–1749
• The Duke of Marlborough
  Charles Spencer, 3rd Duke of Marlborough
  Charles Spencer, 3rd Duke of Marlborough KG, PC , known as The Earl of Sunderland between 1729 and 1733, was a British soldier and politician. He briefly served as Lord Privy Seal in 1755...
  
   1749–1755
• The Duke of Rutland
  John Manners, 3rd Duke of Rutland
  John Manners, 3rd Duke of Rutland KG PC was an English nobleman, the eldest son of John Manners, 2nd Duke of Rutland and Catherine Russell...
  
   1755–1761
• The Earl Talbot
  William Talbot, 1st Earl Talbot
  William Talbot, 1st Earl Talbot PC , known as the Lord Talbot from 1737 to 1761, was a British politician....
  
   1761–1782
• The Earl of Carlisle
  Frederick Howard, 5th Earl of Carlisle
  Frederick Howard, 5th Earl of Carlisle, KG, KT, PC was a British diplomat and the son of Henry Howard, 4th Earl of Carlisle and his second wife Isabella Byron....
  
   1782–1783
• The Duke of Rutland
  Charles Manners, 4th Duke of Rutland
  Charles Manners, 4th Duke of Rutland KG, PC was a British politician and nobleman, the eldest legitimate son of John Manners, Marquess of Granby...
  
   1783
• The Earl of Dartmouth
  William Legge, 2nd Earl of Dartmouth
  William Legge 2nd Earl of Dartmouth PC, FRS , styled as Viscount Lewisham from 1732 to 1750, was a British statesman who is most remembered for his part in the government before and during the American Revolution....
  
   1783
• The Duke of Chandos
  James Brydges, 3rd Duke of Chandos
  James Brydges, 3rd Duke of Chandos PC , styled Marquess of Carnarvon from 1744 to 1771, was a British peer and politician.-Background:...
  
   1783–1789
• The Duke of Dorset
  John Sackville, 3rd Duke of Dorset
  John Frederick Sackville, 3rd Duke of Dorset was the only son of Lord John Philip Sackville, second son of Lionel Sackville, 1st Duke of Dorset. He succeeded to the dukedom in 1769 on the death of his uncle, Charles Sackville, 2nd Duke of Dorset...
  
   1789–1799
• The Earl of Leicester
  George Townshend, 2nd Marquess Townshend
  George Townshend, 2nd Marquess Townshend, PC, FRS , known as The Lord Ferrers of Chartley from 1770 to 1784 and as The Earl of Leicester from 1784 to 1807, was a British peer and politician....
  
   1799–1802

19th century

• The Earl of Dartmouth
  George Legge, 3rd Earl of Dartmouth
  George Legge, 3rd Earl of Dartmouth KG, PC, FRS , styled Viscount Lewisham until 1801, was a British politician.-Background:...
  
   1802–1804
• The Earl of Aylesford
  Heneage Finch, 4th Earl of Aylesford
  Heneage Finch, 4th Earl of Aylesford PC, FRS, FSA , styled Lord Guernsey between 1757 and 1777, was a British peer, politician and artist.-Background and education:...
  
   1804–1812
• The Marquess of Cholmondeley
  George Cholmondeley, 1st Marquess of Cholmondeley
  George James Cholmondeley, 1st Marquess of Cholmondeley KG, GCH, PC , styled Viscount Malpas between 1764 and 1770 and known as The Earl of Cholmondeley between 1770 and 1815, was a British peer and politician.-Background and education:...
  
   1812–1821
• The Marquess Conyngham
  Henry Conyngham, 1st Marquess Conyngham
  Henry Conyngham, 1st Marquess Conyngham KP, GCH, PC, FSA , known as The Lord Conyngham between 1787 and 1789, as The Viscount Conyngham between 1789 and 1797 and as The Earl Conyngham between 1797 and 1815, was an Anglo-Irish courtier and politician of the Regency period...
  
   1821–1830
• The Duke of Buckingham and Chandos
  Richard Temple-Nugent-Brydges-Chandos-Grenville, 1st Duke of Buckingham and Chandos
  Richard Temple-Nugent-Brydges-Chandos-Grenville, 1st Duke of Buckingham and Chandos KG, PC , styled Earl Temple from 1784 to 1813 and known as The Marquess of Buckingham from 1813 to 1822, was a British landowner and politician.-Background:Born Richard Temple-Nugent-Grenville, he was the eldest son...
  
   1830
• The Marquess Wellesley
  Richard Wellesley, 1st Marquess Wellesley
  Richard Colley Wesley, later Wellesley, 1st Marquess Wellesley, KG, PC, PC , styled Viscount Wellesley from birth until 1781, was an Anglo-Irish politician and colonial administrator....
  
   1830–1833
• The Duke of Argyll
  George Campbell, 6th Duke of Argyll
  George William Campbell, 6th Duke of Argyll GCH, PC , styled Earl of Campbell from 1768 to 1770 and Marquess of Lorne from 1770 to 1806, was a Scottish Whig politician and nobleman.-Background:...
  
   1833–1834
• The Earl of Wilton
  Thomas Egerton, 2nd Earl of Wilton
  Thomas Egerton, 2nd Earl of Wilton GCH, PC , known as Thomas Grosvenor until 1814, was a British nobleman and Tory politician...
  
   1835
• The Duke of Argyll
  George Campbell, 6th Duke of Argyll
  George William Campbell, 6th Duke of Argyll GCH, PC , styled Earl of Campbell from 1768 to 1770 and Marquess of Lorne from 1770 to 1806, was a Scottish Whig politician and nobleman.-Background:...
  
   1835–1839
• The Earl of Erroll
  William Hay, 18th Earl of Erroll
  William George Hay, 18th Earl of Erroll KT, GCH, PC , styled Lord Hay between 1815 and 1819, was a Scottish peer and politician.-Background and education:...
  
   1839–1841
• The Earl of Liverpool
  Charles Jenkinson, 3rd Earl of Liverpool
  Charles Cecil Cope Jenkinson, 3rd Earl of Liverpool GCB, PC , styled The Honourable Charles Jenkinson between 1786 and 1828, was a British politician.-Background:...
  
   1841–1846
• The Earl Fortescue 1846–1850
• The Marquess of Westminster
  Richard Grosvenor, 2nd Marquess of Westminster
  Richard Grosvenor, 2nd Marquess of Westminster KG, PC , styled Viscount Belgrave from 1802 to 1831 and Earl Belgrave from 1831 to 1845, was an English politician, landowner, property developer and benefactor....
  
   1850–1852
• The Duke of Montrose
  James Graham, 4th Duke of Montrose
  James Graham, 4th Duke of Montrose KT, PC , styled Marquess of Graham until 1836, was a British Conservative politician.-Background and education:...
  
   1852–1853
• The Duke of Norfolk
  Henry Howard, 13th Duke of Norfolk
  Henry Charles Howard, 13th Duke of Norfolk, KG, PC , styled Earl of Surrey between 1815 and 1842, was a British Whig politician.-Background:...
  
   1853–1854
• The Earl Spencer
  Frederick Spencer, 4th Earl Spencer
  Vice-Admiral Frederick Spencer, 4th Earl Spencer KG, CB, PC , styled The Honourable Frederick Spencer until 1845, was a British naval commander, courtier and Whig politician. He initially served in the Royal Navy and fought in the Napoleonic Wars and the Greek War of Independence, eventually rising...
  
   1854–1857
• The Earl of St Germans
  Edward Eliot, 3rd Earl of St Germans
  Edward Granville Eliot, 3rd Earl of St Germans GCB , DL, LL.D, PC , styled Lord Elliot from 1823 to 1845, was a British politician and diplomat.-Background and education:...
  
   1857–1858
• The Marquess of Exeter
  Brownlow Cecil, 2nd Marquess of Exeter
  Brownlow Cecil, 2nd Marquess of Exeter KG, PC , styled Lord Burghley until 1804, was a British peer, courtier and Tory politician...
  
   1858–1859
• The Earl of St Germans
  Edward Eliot, 3rd Earl of St Germans
  Edward Granville Eliot, 3rd Earl of St Germans GCB , DL, LL.D, PC , styled Lord Elliot from 1823 to 1845, was a British politician and diplomat.-Background and education:...
  
   1859–1866
• The Earl of Bessborough
  John Ponsonby, 5th Earl of Bessborough
  John George Brabazon Ponsonby, 5th Earl of Bessborough PC , styled Viscount Duncannon from 1844 until 1847, was a British cricketer, courtier and Liberal politician.-Background:...
  
   1866
• The Duke of Marlborough
  John Spencer-Churchill, 7th Duke of Marlborough
  John Winston Spencer-Churchill, 7th Duke of Marlborough, KG, PC , styled Earl of Sunderland from 1822 to 1840 and Marquess of Blandford from 1840 to 1857, was a British statesman and nobleman...
  
   1866–1867
• The Earl of Tankerville
  Charles Bennet, 6th Earl of Tankerville
  Charles Augustus Bennet, 6th Earl of Tankerville PC , styled Lord Ossulston between 1822 and 1859, was a British peer and Conservative politician...
  
   1867–1868
• The Earl of Bessborough
  John Ponsonby, 5th Earl of Bessborough
  John George Brabazon Ponsonby, 5th Earl of Bessborough PC , styled Viscount Duncannon from 1844 until 1847, was a British cricketer, courtier and Liberal politician.-Background:...
  
   1868–1874
• The Earl Beauchamp
  Frederick Lygon, 6th Earl Beauchamp
  Frederick Lygon, 6th Earl Beauchamp PC , styled The Honourable Frederick Lygon between 1853 and 1866, was a British Conservative politician.-Background and education:...
  
   1874–1880
• The Earl Sydney
  John Townshend, 1st Earl Sydney
  John Robert Townshend, 1st Earl Sydney GCB, PC , known as The Viscount Sydney between 1831 and 1874, was a British Liberal politician...
  
   1880-1885
• The Earl of Mount Edgcumbe
  William Edgcumbe, 4th Earl of Mount Edgcumbe
  William Henry Edgcumbe, 4th Earl of Mount Edgcumbe GCVO, PC , styled Viscount Valletort between 1839 and 1861, was a British courtier and Conservative politician.-Background:...
  
   1885-1886
• The Earl Sydney
  John Townshend, 1st Earl Sydney
  John Robert Townshend, 1st Earl Sydney GCB, PC , known as The Viscount Sydney between 1831 and 1874, was a British Liberal politician...
  
   1886
• The Earl of Mount Edgcumbe
  William Edgcumbe, 4th Earl of Mount Edgcumbe
  William Henry Edgcumbe, 4th Earl of Mount Edgcumbe GCVO, PC , styled Viscount Valletort between 1839 and 1861, was a British courtier and Conservative politician.-Background:...
  
   1886-1892
• The Marquess of Breadalbane
  Gavin Campbell, 1st Marquess of Breadalbane
  Gavin Campbell, 1st Marquess of Breadalbane KG, PC, JP, DL , styled Lord Glenorchy between 1862 and 1871 and known as The Earl of Breadalbane and Holland between 1871 and 1885, was a Scottish nobleman and Liberal politician.-Background and education:Campbell was born at Fermoy, County Cork, the...
  
   1892-1895
• The Earl of Pembroke
  Sidney Herbert, 14th Earl of Pembroke
  Sidney Herbert, 14th Earl of Pembroke, 11th Earl of Montgomery GCVO, PC , styled The Honourable Sidney Herbert between 1861 and 1895, was a British politician and peer.-Background and education:...
  
   1895-1905

20th century

• The Earl of Liverpool
  Cecil Foljambe, 1st Earl of Liverpool
  Cecil George Saville Foljambe, 1st Earl of Liverpool PC , known as The Lord Hawkesbury between 1893 and 1905, was a British Liberal politician...
  
   1905-1907
• The Earl Beauchamp
  William Lygon, 7th Earl Beauchamp
  William Lygon, 7th Earl Beauchamp KG, KCMG, PC , styled Viscount Elmley until 1891, was a British Liberal politician. He was Governor of New South Wales between 1899 and 1901, a member of the Liberal administrations of Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman and H. H...
  
   1907-1910
• The Earl of Chesterfield
  Edwyn Scudamore-Stanhope, 10th Earl of Chesterfield
  Edwyn Francis Scudamore-Stanhope, 10th Earl of Chesterfield KG, GCVO, PC , styled Lord Stanhope between 1883 and 1887, was a British peer and courtier.-Background and education:...
  
   1910-1915
• The Viscount Farquhar
  Horace Farquhar, 1st Earl Farquhar
  Horace Brand Farquhar, 1st Earl Farquhar GCB, GCVO, PC , was a British financier, courtier and Conservative politician.-Background:...
  
   1915-1922
• The Earl of Shaftesbury
  Anthony Ashley-Cooper, 9th Earl of Shaftesbury
  Anthony Ashley-Cooper, 9th Earl of Shaftesbury, KP, PC, GCVO, CBE, was the son of Anthony Ashley-Cooper, 8th Earl of Shaftesbury and Lady Harriet Augusta Anna Seymourina Chichester , the daughter of George Chichester, 3rd Marquess of Donegall and Lady Harriet Anne Butler.-Family life:On 15 July...
  
   1922-1936
• The Duke of Sutherland
  George Sutherland-Leveson-Gower, 5th Duke of Sutherland
  George Granville Sutherland-Leveson-Gower, 5th Duke of Sutherland PC, KT , styled Earl Gower until 1892 and Marquess of Stafford between 1892 and 1913, was a British courtier, patron of the film industry and Conservative politician...
  
   1936-1937
• The Duke of Buccleuch
  Walter Montagu-Douglas-Scott, 8th Duke of Buccleuch
  Walter John Montagu Douglas Scott, 8th Duke of Buccleuch, 10th Duke of Queensberry KT GCVO TD PC was a politician and Conservative peer. He was the son of John Montagu Douglas Scott, 7th Duke of Buccleuch...
  
   1937-1940
• The Duke of Hamilton
  Douglas Douglas-Hamilton, 14th Duke of Hamilton
  Air Commodore Douglas Douglas-Hamilton, 14th Duke of Hamilton and 11th Duke of Brandon, KT, GCVO, AFC, PC, DL, FRCSE, FRGS, was a Scottish nobleman and pioneering aviator....
  
   1940-1964
• The Duke of Westminster
  Gerald Grosvenor, 4th Duke of Westminster
  Colonel Gerald Hugh Grosvenor, 4th Duke of Westminster DSO PC was the son of Captain Lord Hugh William Grosvenor and Lady Mabel Crichton and a grandson of Hugh Grosvenor, 1st Duke of Westminster....
  
   1964-1967
• The Viscount Cobham
  Charles Lyttelton, 10th Viscount Cobham
  Charles John Lyttelton, 10th Viscount Cobham, KG, GCMG, GCVO, TD, PC was the ninth Governor-General of New Zealand and an English cricketer.-Early life and family:...
  
   1967-1972
• The Duke of Northumberland
  Hugh Percy, 10th Duke of Northumberland
  Hugh Algernon Percy, 10th Duke of Northumberland KG, GCVO, KStJ, PC, TD, FRS was the son of Alan Percy, 8th Duke of Northumberland and Lady Helen Gordon-Lennox.-Career:...
  
   1973-1988
• The Viscount Ridley 1989-2001

21st century

• The Duke of Abercorn
  James Hamilton, 5th Duke of Abercorn
  James Hamilton, 5th Duke of Abercorn, KG , is the current Duke of Abercorn in the Peerage of Ireland, having succeeded his father in June 1979. The son of James Edward Hamilton, 4th Duke of Abercorn, and Lady Mary Crichton...
  
   2001-2009
• The Earl of Dalhousie 2009-present