The office of Ranger of Windsor Great Park was established to oversee the protection and maintenance of the
Great Park at
Windsor in the
English county of
Berkshire
Berkshire ( ; in the 17th century sometimes spelt phonetically as Barkeshire; abbreviated Berks.) is a historic county in South East England. One of the home counties, Berkshire was recognised by Queen Elizabeth II as the Royal County of Ber ...
. The ranger has always been somebody close to the
monarch.
Apart from a single 15th century reference to the office, it appears to have been created in 1601. From the time of appointment of
Baptist May
Baptist May (1628–1698) was a Royal courtier during the reign of Charles II of England. He is said to have been Charles's closest and most trusted servant, largely as a result of his knowledge that the king did not like to be approached on mat ...
- often claimed to be the most trusted friend of
King Charles II - the ranger has been given the use of the Great Lodge (now called
Cumberland Lodge
Cumberland Lodge is a 17th-century Grade II listed country house in Windsor Great Park 3.5 miles south of Windsor Castle. Since 1947 it has been occupied by the charitable foundation known as Cumberland Lodge, which holds residential conferences ...
) as a residence. One of the most famous rangers was
Sarah, Duchess of Marlborough, who was given the position by her friend,
Queen Anne, in 1702. Officially, at least, she shared the office with other family members. After her death, the rangership was given to successive trusted friends and family members of the
British royal family. The office is currently held by
King Charles III
Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. He was the longest-serving heir apparent and Prince of Wales and, at age 73, became the oldest person to a ...
.
Cumberland Lodge
Cumberland Lodge is a 17th-century Grade II listed country house in Windsor Great Park 3.5 miles south of Windsor Castle. Since 1947 it has been occupied by the charitable foundation known as Cumberland Lodge, which holds residential conferences ...
within
the Park ceased to be the official residence for the rangers in 1917. In 1947,
King George VI gave the house to the ''King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Foundation of St Katharine's'', who continue to have the use of the building.
List of Rangers
*Sir
Charles Howard, later
Earl of Nottingham (1601–1616)
*Sir
Edward Nicholas
Sir Edward Nicholas (4 April 15931669) was an English officeholder and politician who served as Secretary of State to Charles I and Charles II. He also sat in the House of Commons at various times between 1621 and 1629. He served as secretary ...
(1644–1662)
*
Philip Herbert, 4th Earl of Pembroke
Philip Herbert, 4th Earl of Pembroke and 1st Earl of Montgomery, (10 October 158423 January 1650) was an English courtier, nobleman, and politician active during the reigns of James I and Charles I. Philip and his older brother William were ...
(1648–1650)
*
Baptist May
Baptist May (1628–1698) was a Royal courtier during the reign of Charles II of England. He is said to have been Charles's closest and most trusted servant, largely as a result of his knowledge that the king did not like to be approached on mat ...
, trusted friend of
Charles II (1671–1697)
*
William Bentinck, 1st Earl of Portland
Hans William Bentinck, 1st Earl of Portland, (20 July 164923 November 1709) was a Dutch and English nobleman who became in an early stage the favourite of William, Prince of Orange, Stadtholder in the Netherlands, and future King of England. He ...
, boyhood friend of
William III (1697–1702)
*
Sarah Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough, closest friend of
Queen Anne (1702–1744)
*
Hon. John Spencer, grandson of the above (1744–1746)
*
Prince William, Duke of Cumberland, favourite son of
George II George II or 2 may refer to:
People
* George II of Antioch (seventh century AD)
* George II of Armenia (late ninth century)
* George II of Abkhazia (916–960)
* Patriarch George II of Alexandria (1021–1051)
* George II of Georgia (1072–1089) ...
(1746–1765)
*
Prince Henry, Duke of Cumberland and Strathearn, brother of
George III
George III (George William Frederick; 4 June 173829 January 1820) was King of Great Britain and of Ireland from 25 October 1760 until the union of the two kingdoms on 1 January 1801, after which he was King of the United Kingdom of Great Br ...
(1765–1790). When Prince Henry died, his wife continued to live at
Cumberland Lodge
Cumberland Lodge is a 17th-century Grade II listed country house in Windsor Great Park 3.5 miles south of Windsor Castle. Since 1947 it has been occupied by the charitable foundation known as Cumberland Lodge, which holds residential conferences ...
until her death in 1803.
*
Prince Albert, husband of
Queen Victoria (1840–1861)
*
Prince Christian of Schleswig-Holstein, son-in-law of
Queen Victoria (1867–1917)
*
George V
George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until his death in 1936.
Born during the reign of his grandmother Quee ...
(1917–1936)
*
George VI (1937–1952)
*
Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, husband of
Elizabeth II (1952–2021)
*
Charles III
Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. He was the longest-serving heir apparent and Prince of Wales and, at age 73, became the oldest person to a ...
(since 2022)
Role
The Ranger's role is to guide the direction and overall operations of the Park. The former ranger (Prince Philip) has tried to make it more open to the public, more sustainable, and to keep it going for future generations. In an interview for the BBC TV programme "The Queen's Castle" he gave a tour of the Park, explained his thoughts and actions in making decisions to open the Farm Shop, cut down trees, move various facilities, and to open up the park to deer as well as people.
[{{cite web, title=The Queen's Castle, "The Ranger", url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00792v0, website=BBC One]
References
*Barclay, Andrew (2004). 'May, Baptist (bap. 1628, d. 1697)' in ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography''. Oxford University Press
accessed 22 April 2007*Official Website of the British Royal Family, Insight, Focus, Windsor Great Par
*Roberts, J. (1997). ''Royal Landscape: The Gardens and Parks of Windsor''. Yale.
External links
Royal Berkshire History:Rangers of Windsor Great Park
Ceremonial officers in the United Kingdom
Windsor Great Park