The Lord High Constable of England is the seventh of the Great Officers of State, ranking beneath the

Lord Great Chamberlain The Lord Great Chamberlain of England is the sixth of the Great Officers of State, ranking beneath the Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal and above the Lord High Constable. The Lord Great Chamberlain has charge over the Palace of Westminster (thoug ...

and above the

Earl Marshal Earl marshal (alternatively marschal or marischal) is a hereditary royal officeholder and chivalric title under the sovereign of the United Kingdom used in England (then, following the Act of Union 1800, in the United Kingdom). He is the eigh ...

. This office is now called out of

abeyance Abeyance (from the Old French ''abeance'' meaning "gaping") is a state of expectancy in respect of property, titles or office, when the right to them is not vested in any one person, but awaits the appearance or determination of the true owner. ...

only for

coronations A coronation is the act of placement or bestowal of a crown upon a monarch's head. The term also generally refers not only to the physical crowning but to the whole ceremony wherein the act of crowning occurs, along with the presentation of ot ...

. The Lord High

Constable A constable is a person holding a particular office, most commonly in criminal law enforcement. The office of constable can vary significantly in different jurisdictions. A constable is commonly the rank of an officer within the police. Other peop ...

was originally the commander of the royal armies and the

Master of the Horse Master of the Horse is an official position in several European nations. It was more common when most countries in Europe were monarchies, and is of varying prominence today. (Ancient Rome) The original Master of the Horse ( la, Magister Equitu ...

. He was also, in conjunction with the

, president of the court of chivalry or court of honour. In feudal times, martial law was administered in the court of the Lord High Constable. The constableship was granted as a grand serjeanty with the Earldom of Hereford by the

Empress Matilda Empress Matilda ( 7 February 110210 September 1167), also known as the Empress Maude, was one of the claimants to the English throne during the civil war known as the Anarchy. The daughter of King Henry I of England, she moved to Germany as ...

to Miles of Gloucester, and was carried by his heiress to the Bohuns, earls of Hereford and

Essex Essex () is a county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the River Thames to the south, and G ...

. They had a surviving male heir, and still have heirs male, but due to the power of the monarchy the constableship was irregularly given to the Staffords, Dukes of Buckingham; and on the

attainder In English criminal law, attainder or attinctura was the metaphorical "stain" or "corruption of blood" which arose from being condemned for a serious capital crime (felony or treason). It entailed losing not only one's life, property and heredit ...

of Edward Stafford, the third Duke, in the reign of

King Henry VIII Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is best known for his six marriages, and for his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. His disagr ...

, it became merged into the Crown. Since that point it has not existed as a separate office, except as a temporary appointment for the

coronation A coronation is the act of placement or bestowal of a crown upon a monarch's head. The term also generally refers not only to the physical crowning but to the whole ceremony wherein the act of crowning occurs, along with the presentation of o ...

of a monarch; in other circumstances the

exercises the traditional duties of the office. The Lacys and Verduns were hereditary constables of Ireland from the 12th to the 14th century; and the Hays, earls of Erroll, have been hereditary Lord High Constables of Scotland from early in the 14th century.

Lord High Constables of England, 1139–1521

* 1139–1143: Miles of Gloucester, 1st Earl of Hereford * 1143–1155: Roger Fitzmiles, 2nd Earl of Hereford * 1155–1159: Walter of Hereford * 1159–1164: Henry Fitzmiles * 1164–1176: Humphrey III de Bohun * 1176–1220: Henry de Bohun, 1st Earl of Hereford * 1220–1275: Humphrey de Bohun, 2nd Earl of Hereford and 1st Earl of Essex * 1275–1298: Humphrey de Bohun, 3rd Earl of Hereford and 2nd Earl of Essex * 1298–1322: Humphrey de Bohun, 4th Earl of Hereford and 3rd Earl of Essex * 1322–1336: John de Bohun, 5th Earl of Hereford and 4th Earl of Essex * 1336–1361: Humphrey de Bohun, 6th Earl of Hereford and 5th Earl of Essex * 1361–1373: Humphrey de Bohun, 7th Earl of Hereford, 6th Earl of Essex and 2nd Earl of Northampton A cousin was alive who was not granted the titles due to him and his heirs: Gilbert de Bohun, died 1381 * 1373–1397: Thomas of Woodstock, 1st Duke of Gloucester (5th surviving son of King

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 ...

and husband of Eleanor de Bohun, elder daughter and co-heiress of Humphrey de Bohun, 7th Earl of Hereford) * 1397–1399: Humphrey, 2nd Earl of Buckingham * 1399–1403: Henry Percy, 1st Earl of Northumberland * 1403–?: John of Lancaster, 1st Duke of Bedford (died 1435) * 1445–1450:

John Beaumont, 1st Viscount Beaumont John Beaumont, 1st Viscount Beaumont (c. 1409 – 10 July 1460), was an English nobleman and magnate from Folkingham, Lincolnshire. He was a councillor to King Henry VI and was rewarded for his services, becoming a leading member of the Ea ...

(died 1460) * ?–1455: Edmund Beaufort, 2nd Duke of Somerset * 1455: Humphrey Stafford, 1st Duke of Buckingham * 1455–1456: Richard, Duke of York * 1456–1460: Humphrey Stafford, 1st Duke of Buckingham * 1461–1467: John Tiptoft, 1st Earl of Worcester * 1467–1469:

Richard Woodville, 1st Earl Rivers Richard Woodville, 1st Earl Rivers (1405 – 12 August 1469), also Wydeville, was the father of Elizabeth Woodville and father-in-law of Edward IV. Early life Born at Maidstone in Kent, Richard Woodville was the son of Richard Wydeville ...

* 1469–1470: Richard, Duke of Gloucester * 1470–1471: John de Vere, 13th Earl of Oxford * 1471–1483: Richard, Duke of Gloucester * 1483:

Henry Stafford, 2nd Duke of Buckingham Henry Stafford, 2nd Duke of Buckingham, KG (4 September 1455 – 2 November 1483) was an English nobleman known as the namesake of Buckingham's rebellion, a failed but significant collection of uprisings in England and parts of Wales again ...

* 1483–1504: Thomas Stanley, 2nd Baron Stanley * 1504–1521:

Edward Stafford, 3rd Duke of Buckingham Edward Stafford, 3rd Duke of Buckingham (3 February 1478 – 17 May 1521) was an English nobleman. He was the son of Henry Stafford, 2nd Duke of Buckingham, and Katherine Woodville, and nephew of Elizabeth Woodville and King Edward IV. Th ...

Lord High Constables of England, 1522–present

''At this point, the office merged with

the Crown The Crown is the state in all its aspects within the jurisprudence of the Commonwealth realms and their subdivisions (such as the Crown Dependencies, overseas territories, provinces, or states). Legally ill-defined, the term has differen ...

and was revived only for

. It was held at coronations by the following individuals:''

References

* {{Great Officers of State in the United Kingdom Constitution of the United Kingdom Lord High Constable Constables

Lord High Constables of England, 1139–1521

Lord High Constables of England, 1522–present

See also

References