The King's Remembrancer (or Queen's Remembrancer) is an ancient judicial post in the legal system of

England and Wales England and Wales () is one of the three legal jurisdictions of the United Kingdom. It covers the constituent countries England and Wales and was formed by the Laws in Wales Acts 1535 and 1542. The substantive law of the jurisdiction is Eng ...

. Since the

Lord Chancellor The lord chancellor, formally the lord high chancellor of Great Britain, is the highest-ranking traditional minister among the Great Officers of State in Scotland and England in the United Kingdom, nominally outranking the prime minister. The ...

no longer sits as a judge, the Remembrancer is the oldest judicial position in continual existence. The post was created in 1154 by King Henry II as the chief official in the Exchequer Court, whose purpose was "to put the Lord Treasurer and the Barons of Court in remembrance of such things as were to be called upon and dealt with for the benefit of the Crown", a primary duty being to keep records of the taxes, paid and unpaid. The first King's Remembrancer was

Richard of Ilchester Richard of Ilchester (died 22 December 1188) was a medieval English statesman and prelate. Life Richard was born in the diocese of Bath, where he obtained preferment. Early in the reign of Henry II, however, he is found acting as a clerk in th ...

, a senior servant of the Crown and later

Bishop of Winchester The Bishop of Winchester is the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Winchester in the Church of England. The bishop's seat (''cathedra'') is at Winchester Cathedral in Hampshire. The Bishop of Winchester has always held ''ex officio'' (except dur ...

. The King's Remembrancer continued to sit in the Court of the Exchequer until its abolition in 1882. The post of King's Remembrancer is held by the Senior Master of the King's Bench Division of the High Court.

Quit Rents ceremonies

The Exchequer Court is reconstituted every year for the three ancient ceremonies of the "Rendering of the

Quit Rents Quit rent, quit-rent, or quitrent is a tax or land tax imposed on occupants of Fee simple, freehold or leased land in lieu of services to a higher landowning authority, usually a government or its Assignment (law), assigns. Under feudal law, the ...

to the Crown" by the

City of London The City of London is a city, ceremonial county and local government district that contains the historic centre and constitutes, alongside Canary Wharf, the primary central business district (CBD) of London. It constituted most of London fr ...

at the Royal Courts of Justice. The oldest dates from 1211, where the City pays service for two pieces of land, ''The Moors'' near

Bridgnorth Bridgnorth is a town in Shropshire, England. The River Severn splits it into High Town and Low Town, the upper town on the right bank and the lower on the left bank of the River Severn. The population at the 2011 Census was 12,079. History B ...

Shropshire Shropshire (; alternatively Salop; abbreviated in print only as Shrops; demonym Salopian ) is a landlocked historic county in the West Midlands region of England. It is bordered by Wales to the west and the English counties of Cheshire to th ...

, for which the City must pay two knives, one blunt and one sharp. The second oldest has been made, entered in the Great Roll of the Exchequer, since 1235, for 'The Forge' in Tweezer's Alley, just south of

St Clement Danes St Clement Danes is an Anglican church in the City of Westminster, London. It is situated outside the Royal Courts of Justice on the Strand. Although the first church on the site was reputedly founded in the 9th century by the Danes, the current ...

, near the

Strand Strand may refer to: Topography *The flat area of land bordering a body of water, a: ** Beach ** Shoreline * Strand swamp, a type of swamp habitat in Florida Places Africa * Strand, Western Cape, a seaside town in South Africa * Strand Street ...

in London, for which the City must pay six horseshoes and 61 horseshoe nails – these are over 550 years old, since after being rendered to the King's Remembrancer they are preserved in his office, and with the permission of the Crown they are loaned to the Corporation of London to be rendered again the following year. These two quits are paid together as one ceremony, during which a black-and-white chequered cloth is spread out – it is from this that the word "

Exchequer In the civil service of the United Kingdom, His Majesty’s Exchequer, or just the Exchequer, is the accounting process of central government and the government's ''current account'' (i.e., money held from taxation and other government reven ...

" derives – combined with the introduction to the Remembrancer of the City's newly elected

sheriffs A sheriff is a government official, with varying duties, existing in some countries with historical ties to England where the office originated. There is an analogous, although independently developed, office in Iceland that is commonly transla ...

. The

Comptroller A comptroller (pronounced either the same as ''controller'' or as ) is a management-level position responsible for supervising the quality of accounting and financial reporting of an organization. A financial comptroller is a senior-level executi ...

and

Solicitor A solicitor is a legal practitioner who traditionally deals with most of the legal matters in some jurisdictions. A person must have legally-defined qualifications, which vary from one jurisdiction to another, to be described as a solicitor and ...

of the

presents the horseshoes and nails and counts them out to the Remembrancer who then pronounces "Good number." The knives are tested by the King's Remembrancer by taking a

hazel The hazel (''Corylus'') is a genus of deciduous trees and large shrubs native to the temperate Northern Hemisphere. The genus is usually placed in the birch family Betulaceae,Germplasmgobills Information Network''Corylus''Rushforth, K. (1999). ...

stick, one

cubit The cubit is an ancient unit of length based on the distance from the elbow to the tip of the middle finger. It was primarily associated with the Sumerians, Egyptians, and Israelites. The term ''cubit'' is found in the Bible regarding No ...

in length, and bending it over the blunt knife and leaving a mark, and the stick is split in two with the sharp knife. This practice stems from the creation of

tally stick A tally stick (or simply tally) was an ancient memory aid device used to record and document numbers, quantities and messages. Tally sticks first appear as animal bones carved with notches during the Upper Palaeolithic; a notable example is the ...

s where a mark was made on a stick with a blunt knife for each payment counted. When payment was complete the stick was split down the middle, leaving each party with half of the marked stick and creating a receipt (or foil and counter-foil). After the knives are tested the Remembrancer pronounces "Good service". The third quit rent dates from 1327, and is for £11 in regard to the reserved interest of the Crown for the 'town of

Southwark Southwark ( ) is a district of Central London situated on the south bank of the River Thames, forming the north-western part of the wider modern London Borough of Southwark. The district, which is the oldest part of South London, developed ...

'. In that year the City was granted its fourth-oldest Royal Charter to acquire Southwark from

Edward III Edward III (13 November 1312 – 21 June 1377), also known as Edward of Windsor before his accession, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from January 1327 until his death in 1377. He is noted for his military success and for restoring r ...

for this annual payment. It was specifically retained by

Edward VI Edward VI (12 October 1537 – 6 July 1553) was King of England and Ireland from 28 January 1547 until his death in 1553. He was crowned on 20 February 1547 at the age of nine. Edward was the son of Henry VIII and Jane Seymour and the first E ...

in the 1550 charter to the City, which extended its jurisdiction over the outlying parts of Southwark. This quit is rendered by the Foreman of the City's

Court Leet The court leet was a historical court baron (a type of manorial court) of England and Wales and Ireland that exercised the "view of frankpledge" and its attendant police jurisdiction, which was normally restricted to the hundred courts. Etym ...

Jury of the "Town and Borough of Southwark", alias

Guildable Manor Guildable Manor is a Court Leet in Southwark under the authority of the City of London, along with the King's Manor, Southwark, and the Great Liberty. The name of 'Guildable' first recorded in 1377 refers to the collection of taxes there and w ...

, which is the area as defined in 1327. The continuation of this body is sanctioned under the Administration of Justice Act 1977. The ceremony takes place in the Cathedral library, the Glaziers' Hall or London's City Hall. This sum is rendered onto the Exchequer Cloth in the form of

Crowns A crown is a traditional form of head adornment, or hat, worn by monarchs as a symbol of their power and dignity. A crown is often, by extension, a symbol of the monarch's government or items endorsed by it. The word itself is used, partic ...

(5 shilling pieces, equivalent to 25 new pence), which remain legal tender. The Remembrancer pronounces "Good service" and this is witnessed by the Clerk of the City's Chamberlain's Court and the manor

juror A jury is a sworn body of people (jurors) convened to hear evidence and render an impartiality, impartial verdict (a Question of fact, finding of fact on a question) officially submitted to them by a court, or to set a sentence (law), penalty o ...

s to note that the payment has been made.

Trial of the Pyx

The ''Trial of the Pyx'' is a ceremony dating from 1249, formerly held in the Exchequer Court, now in

Goldsmiths' Hall Goldsmiths' Hall is a Grade I listed building at the junction of Foster Lane and Gresham Street in the City of London. It has served as an assay office and the headquarters of London's goldsmith guild, the Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths, o ...

. The King's Remembrancer swears in a jury of 26

Goldsmith A goldsmith is a Metalworking, metalworker who specializes in working with gold and other precious metals. Nowadays they mainly specialize in jewelry-making but historically, goldsmiths have also made cutlery, silverware, platter (dishware), pl ...

s who then count, weigh and otherwise measure a sample of 88,000 gold coins produced by the

Royal Mint The Royal Mint is the United Kingdom's oldest company and the official maker of British coins. Operating under the legal name The Royal Mint Limited, it is a limited company that is wholly owned by His Majesty's Treasury and is under an exclus ...

. The term "Pyx" refers to the name of the box in which the coins are kept.

Forest of Dean

In 1688,

King James II James VII and II (14 October 1633 16 September 1701) was King of England and King of Ireland as James II, and King of Scotland as James VII from the death of his elder brother, Charles II, on 6 February 1685. He was deposed in the Glorious Re ...

directed the King's Remembrancer to appoint Commissioners to supervise the planting of trees in the

Forest of Dean The Forest of Dean is a geographical, historical and cultural region in the western part of the county of Gloucestershire, England. It forms a roughly triangular plateau bounded by the River Wye to the west and northwest, Herefordshire to the n ...

. The Forest was an important source of iron, coal and timber to the Monarch, but had been neglected during the

Commonwealth A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. Historically, it has been synonymous with "republic". The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the ...

Other responsibilities

The King's Remembrancer is responsible for nomination of the high sheriffs to each

county A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesChambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...

of England and Wales, except

Cornwall Cornwall (; kw, Kernow ) is a historic county and ceremonial county in South West England. It is recognised as one of the Celtic nations, and is the homeland of the Cornish people. Cornwall is bordered to the north and west by the Atlantic ...

Greater Manchester Greater Manchester is a metropolitan county and combined authority, combined authority area in North West England, with a population of 2.8 million; comprising ten metropolitan boroughs: City of Manchester, Manchester, City of Salford, Salford ...

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly. The non-metropolitan county of Lancashi ...

and

Merseyside Merseyside ( ) is a metropolitan county, metropolitan and ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in North West England, with a population of List of ceremonial counties of England, 1.38 million. It encompasses both banks of the Merse ...

, who are selected by the

Duke of Lancaster The Dukedom of Lancaster is an English peerage merged into the crown. It was created three times in the Middle Ages, but finally merged in the Crown when Henry V succeeded to the throne in 1413. Despite the extinction of the dukedom the title h ...

(i.e. the

sovereign ''Sovereign'' is a title which can be applied to the highest leader in various categories. The word is borrowed from Old French , which is ultimately derived from the Latin , meaning 'above'. The roles of a sovereign vary from monarch, ruler or ...

) via the

Pricking During the height of the witch trials of the 16th and 17th centuries, common belief held that a witch could be discovered through the process of pricking their skin with needles, pins and bodkins – daggerlike instruments for drawing rib ...

ceremony. The Remembrancer presents the

Lord Mayor of the City of London Lord is an appellation for a person or deity who has authority, control, or power over others, acting as a master, chief, or ruler. The appellation can also denote certain persons who hold a title of the peerage in the United Kingdom, or are ...

to the

Lord Chief Justice Lord is an appellation for a person or deity who has authority, control, or power over others, acting as a master, chief, or ruler. The appellation can also denote certain persons who hold a title of the peerage in the United Kingdom, or are ...

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 Court of Appeal (England and Wales)#Civil Division, Civil Division of the Court of Appeal of England and Wales a ...

and other High Court judges at the

Royal Courts of Justice The Royal Courts of Justice, commonly called the Law Courts, is a court building in Westminster which houses the High Court and Court of Appeal of England and Wales. The High Court also sits on circuit and in other major cities. Designed by Ge ...

on Lord Mayor's Day. The King's Remembrancer presents newly appointed

Sheriff A sheriff is a government official, with varying duties, existing in some countries with historical ties to England where the office originated. There is an analogous, although independently developed, office in Iceland that is commonly transla ...

s of the City with a

Writ In common law, a writ (Anglo-Saxon ''gewrit'', Latin ''breve'') is a formal written order issued by a body with administrative or judicial jurisdiction; in modern usage, this body is generally a court. Warrants, prerogative writs, subpoenas, a ...

Approbation Approbation may refer to: * Approbation (Catholic canon law), an act in the Catholic Church by which a bishop or other legitimate superior grants to an ecclesiastic the actual exercise of his ministry * The process of granting a medical license ...

from the

monarch A monarch is a head of stateWebster's II New College DictionarMonarch Houghton Mifflin. Boston. 2001. p. 707. Life tenure, for life or until abdication, and therefore the head of state of a monarchy. A monarch may exercise the highest authority ...

, sealed with the Great Silver

Seal Seal may refer to any of the following: Common uses * Pinniped, a diverse group of semi-aquatic marine mammals, many of which are commonly called seals, particularly: ** Earless seal, or "true seal" ** Fur seal * Seal (emblem), a device to impr ...

of the

. This takes place at the same time as the

List of Remembrancers

John Troutbeck Reverend Doctor John Troutbeck (November 12, 1832, Blencowe–October 11, 1899, London) was an English clergyman, translator and musicologist, a Canon (priest), Canon Precentor of Westminster Abbey and Chaplain-in-Ordinary to Queen Victoria, whos ...

and Thomas Daniel of Frodsham (appointed 1447) *John FitzHerbert (d. 1502), father-in-law of John Port,

Justice of the King's Bench Justice of the King's Bench, or Justice of the Queen's Bench during the reign of a female monarch, was a puisne judicial position within the Court of King's Bench, under the Chief Justice. The King's Bench was a court of common law which modern ...

*John Jessop, 22 April 1513 - 21 April 1514 *William Forman, 22 April 1538 - 21 April 1540 * Sir Christopher More, 1542–1549 * Thomas Saunders, 1549–1565 * Henry Fanshawe, 1565–1568 *

Thomas Fanshawe Sir Thomas Fanshawe KB (1580 – 17 December 1631) was an English government official and politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1601 and 1629. Fanshawe was the second son of Thomas Fanshawe and first son by his second wife Jo ...

, 1568–1601 *Sir Henry Fanshawe, 1601–1616 *

Christopher Hatton Sir Christopher Hatton KG (1540 – 20 November 1591) was an English politician, Lord Chancellor of England and a favourite of Elizabeth I of England. He was one of the judges who found Mary, Queen of Scots guilty of treason. Early years Sir ...

, 1616–1619 * Sir Thomas Fanshawe 1619–1641 * Richard Fanshawe 1641 – c. 1642 (deprived of office by Parliament as a Royalist) *

Humphrey Salwey Humphrey Salwey (1575–1652) was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1640 to 1652. He supported the Parliamentary side in the English Civil War. Salwey was the son of Arthur Salwey of Stanford Court at Stanford-on-Teme, ...

, 28 September 1644 – 6 December 1652 * John Dodington, 29 July 1658 – c. 1659 *

Thomas Fanshawe, 1st Viscount Fanshawe Thomas Fanshawe, 1st Viscount Fanshawe KB (1596 – 30 March 1665) was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons at various times between 1621 and 1661. He supported the Royalist cause in the English Civil War. Following the Res ...

, 7 August 1660 – 26 March 1665 *

Thomas Fanshawe, 2nd Viscount Fanshawe Thomas Fanshawe, 2nd Viscount Fanshawe (1632–1674) of Ware Park, Hertfordshire was an Irish peer and Member of Parliament. He was born to Thomas Fanshawe, 1st Viscount Fanshawe by his second wife Elizabeth Cockayne, the daughter of Sir Willi ...

, 26 March 1665 – 19 May 1674 *

Vere Bertie Vere Bertie (died 1680) was an English barrister and judge. Life and career He was of a Cavalier family, the fourth son to Montagu Bertie, 2nd Earl of Lindsey, Lord Great Chamberlain to Charles I, and his first wife Martha, daughter of Sir Willia ...

, 19 May 1674 – 4 June 1675 * Henry Ayloffe, 4 June 1674 – 13 September 1708 *Henry Stevens, 23 October 1708 – 25 June 1709. Temporarily appointed by the Barons of Exchequer while the rights of Charles Fanshawe, 4th Viscount Fanshawe and

Simon Fanshawe Simon Hew Dalrymple Fanshawe OBE (born 26 December 1956, in Devizes, England) is a writer and broadcaster. He contributes frequently to British newspapers, television and radio. He is also now a consultant and non-executive director of public a ...

to the office were settled; Charles, who had the next reversion, was a Jacobite and would not subscribe to the oaths required *

Simon Fanshawe, 5th Viscount Fanshawe Simon may refer to: People * Simon (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the given name Simon * Simon (surname), including a list of people with the surname Simon * Eugène Simon, French naturalist and the genu ...

, 13 September 1708 – 23 October 1716 (appointment retroactive) *

Samuel Masham, 1st Baron Masham Brigadier-General Samuel Masham, 1st Baron Masham (1678/79 – 1758), was a British courtier in the court of Queen Anne, and the husband of her favourite, Abigail, Lady Masham. Biography Masham was born 1678/79, the eighth son of Sir Francis ...

, 23 October 1716 – 16 October 1758 *

Samuel Masham, 2nd Baron Masham Samuel ''Šəmūʾēl'', Tiberian: ''Šămūʾēl''; ar, شموئيل or صموئيل '; el, Σαμουήλ ''Samouḗl''; la, Samūēl is a figure who, in the narratives of the Hebrew Bible, plays a key role in the transition from the bi ...

, 16 October 1758 – 14 June 1776 * Felton Hervey and his son Felton Lionel Hervey, 14 June 1776 – 9 September 1785 *

Edward James Eliot Edward James Eliot (24 August 1758 – 20 September 1797) was an English Member of Parliament. Life Eliot was born in Cornwall, the son of Catherine (''c''.1735–1804), daughter and heir of Edward Elliston of Gestingthorpe, Essex, an East India ...

, 4 October 1785 – 20 September 1797 * Thomas Steele, 2 November 1797 – 8 December 1823 *

Henry William Vincent Henry may refer to: People * Henry (given name) * Henry (surname) * Henry Lau, Canadian singer and musician who performs under the mononym Henry Royalty * Portuguese royalty ** King-Cardinal Henry, King of Portugal ** Henry, Count of Portuga ...

, 18 December 1823 – 1 February 1858 * William Henry Walton, 1858–1874 *

Sir William Frederick Pollock, 2nd Baronet Sir William Frederick Pollock, 2nd Baronet (13 April 1815 – 24 December 1888) was a British barrister and author. He was Queen's Remembrancer from 1874 to 1886. Biography The eldest son of Sir Frederick Pollock, 1st Baronet, Sir Jonathan Frede ...

, 1874–1886 * George Frederick Pollock, 1886 – December 1901 *

Robert St John Fitzwalter Butler, 16th Baron Dunboyne The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of '' Hruod'' ( non, Hróðr) "fame, glory, hono ...

, December 1901 – 1905 * James Robert Mellor, 1905–1912 *Sir John Macdonell, 1912–1920 *

Thomas Willes Chitty Sir Thomas Willes Chitty, 1st Baronet (24 June 1855 – 15 February 1930) was a British judge, barrister, and legal scholar. From 1901 to 1920, he was a Master of the King's Bench Division, High Court of Justice. From 1920 to 1926, he served as t ...

, 1920–1927 *Sir George A. Bonner, 1927–1937 * Ernest Arthur Jelf, 1937–1943 * W. Valentine Ball, 1943–1947 *

Sir Percy Reginald Simner ''Sir'' is a formal honorific address in English for men, derived from Sire in the High Middle Ages. Both are derived from the old French "Sieur" (Lord), brought to England by the French-speaking Normans, and which now exist in French only as ...

, 1947–1950 *

Sir Frederick Arnold-Baker Sir Frederick Spencer Arnold-Baker (1 April 1885 – 9 December 1963) was a British lawyer. He was the third son of Frederick Arnold-Baker (born 30 December 1845) and Helen Catherine Nairne (born 1 September 1843), and grandson of the New Zealand ...

, 1951–1957 *Sir Richard Frank Burnand, 1958–1960? *Sir Anthony Highmore King, 1960–1962 *Claude Herbert Grundy, 1962–1965 *B.A. Harwood, 1965–1970 *

Sir (William) Russell Lawrence ''Sir'' is a formal honorific address in English language, English for men, derived from Sire in the High Middle Ages. Both are derived from the old French "Sieur" (Lord), brought to England by the French-speaking Normans, and which now exist i ...

, 1970–1975 * Sir Jack Jacob, 1975–1980 *John Ritchie, 1980–1982 *John Bullen Elton, 1982–1983 *J. R. Bickford-Smith, 1983–1987 * Ian Warren, 1988–1990± * Keith Topley, 1990–1996 * Robert Lockley Turner, 1996 – 1 October 2007 * Steven Dixon Whitaker, 2 October 2007 – February 2014 (resigned from office after misconduct was proven in his work diary scheduling) *John Leslie, February 2014 – 19 October 2014 (Acting Queen's Remembrancer pending appointment of a permanent Remembrancer) *

Barbara Fontaine Barbara Janet Fontaine (born 29 December 1953) is a British judge and solicitor. She has served as Senior Master of the King's Bench Division and King's Remembrancer since 2014: she is the first woman and first solicitor to hold this ancient pos ...

, 20 October 2014 – present (first female holder of the post)

Citations

FANSHAWE, Henry I (c.1506-68), of London. HENRY FANSHAWE, QUEEN'S REMEMBRANCER HATTON, Christopher II (c.1581-1619), of Clay Hall, Barking, Essex and Kirby Hall, Northants.

References

* J. C. Sainty (comp.), ''Officers of the Exchequer'' (List and Index Society, Special Series 18, 1983), 40.

External links

King's RemembrancerKing`s Remembrancer: Memoranda Rolls and Enrolment Books
online records of

The National Archives National archives are central archives maintained by countries. This article contains a list of national archives. Among its more important tasks are to ensure the accessibility and preservation of the information produced by governments, both ...

The Trial of the Pyx
{{English Exchequer Judiciary of England and Wales Ceremonial officers in the United Kingdom Exchequer offices 1154 establishments in England Forest of Dean