Appendix I: Principal officeholders 1603-29
Available from Cambridge University Press
Principal Officeholders 1603-29
The following lists have been compiled largely from published sources and are more accurate than those to be found in the Handbook of British Chronology. Where it has proved necessary to consult manuscript material, references are provided. A list of the lord wardens of the Cinque Ports will be found in our article on the Cinque Ports.
Lord High Admiral | |
8 July 1585 | Charles Howard†, Lord Howard of Effingham, later 1st earl of Nottingham |
28 Jan. 1619 | George Villiers, marquess (later 1st duke) of Buckingham; died in office 23 Aug. 1628 |
20 Sept. 1628 | office placed in commission (Sir Richard Weston*, Lord Weston, later 1st earl of Portland; Robert Bertie, 1st earl of Lindsey; William Herbert, 3rd earl of Pembroke; Edward Sackville*, 4th earl of Dorset; Dudley Carleton*, 1st Viscount Dorchester; (Sir) John Coke*) |
Earl Marshal |
|
26 Dec. 1601 | office placed in commission (Thomas Sackville†, 1st Lord Buckhurst; Charles Howard†, 1st of Nottingham; Edward Somerset, 4th earl of Worcester)1 |
20 – 28 July 16032 | Edward Somerset, 4th earl of Worcester |
4 Feb. 1604 | office placed in commission (Lodovic Stuart, 2nd duke of Lennox [S]; Thomas Sackville†, 1st Lord Buckhurst; Charles Howard†, 1st earl of Nottingham; Thomas Howard, 1st earl of Suffolk; Edward Somerset, 4th earl of Worcester; Lord Henry Howard) |
15 Mar. 16043 | Edward Somerset, 4th earl of Worcester |
5 Feb. 1605 | office placed in commission (Lodovic Stuart, 2nd duke of Lennox [S]; Charles Howard†, 1st earl of Nottingham; Thomas Howard, 1st earl of Suffolk; Edward Somerset, 4th earl of Worcester; Thomas Sackville†, 1st earl of Dorset; Charles Blount†, 1st earl of Devonshire; Henry Howard, 1st earl of Northampton) |
3 – 6 May 16054 | Edward Somerset, 4th earl of Worcester |
1 – 8 June 16105 | Edward Somerset, 4th earl of Worcester |
16 Jan. 1616 | office placed in commission (Thomas Howard, 1st earl of Suffolk; Edward Somerset, 4th earl of Worcester; Lodovic Stuart, 2nd duke of Lennox [S]; Charles Howard, 1st earl of Nottingham; William Herbert, 3rd earl of Pembroke; Gilbert Talbot†, 7th earl of Shrewsbury) |
25 Sept. 1616 | office placed in commission (Thomas Howard, 1st earl of Suffolk; Edward Somerset, 4th earl of Worcester; Charles Howard†, 1st earl of Nottingham; William Herbert, 3rd earl of Pembroke; Thomas Howard, 21st earl of Arundel; Lodovic Stuart, 2nd duke of Lennox [S]) |
5 Apr. 1617 | office placed in commission (Thomas Howard, 1st earl of Suffolk; Edward Somerset, 4th earl of Worcester; Lodovic Stuart, 2nd duke of Lennox [S]; Charles Howard†, 1st earl of Nottingham; William Herbert, 3rd earl of Pembroke; Thomas Howard, 21st earl of Arundel; George Villiers, 1st earl of Buckingham) |
7 Feb. 1618 | office placed in commission (Thomas Howard, 1st earl of Suffolk; Edward Somerset, 4th earl of Worcester; Lodovic Stuart, 2nd duke of Lennox [S];) George Villiers, 1st marquess of Buckingham; William Herbert, 3rd earl of Pembroke; Thomas Howard, 21st earl of Arundel) |
15 July 16216 | Thomas Howard, 21st earl of Arundel; appointed for life; died Oct.1646 |
| Lord Chamberlain
17 Apr. 1597 |
George Carey†, 2nd Lord Hunsdon |
6 Apr. 1603 | Thomas Howard, Lord Howard de Walden (later 1st earl of Suffolk) |
10 July 1614 | Robert Carr, 1st earl of Somerset; dismissed c.17 Oct. 1615 |
23 Dec. 1615 | William Herbert, 3rd earl of Pembroke |
3 Aug. 16267 | Sir Philip Herbert*, 1st earl of Montgomery (later also 4th earl Pembroke); dismissed July 1641 |
Vice-Chamberlain | |
29 June 1601 | Sir John Stanhope* (later 1st Lord Stanhope) |
3 Apr. 1616 | Sir John Digby* (later 1st Lord Digby and 1st earl of Bristol) |
Apr. 1625 | (Sir) Dudley Carleton* (later 1st Lord Carleton and 1st Viscount Dorchester) |
By 20 April 1629 | Sir Humphrey May*; died in office 9 June 1630 |
Lord Steward8 |
|
1588-1615 | office vacant |
1 Nov. 1615 | Lodovic Stuart, 2nd duke of Lennox [S] (later 1st duke of Richmond); died in office 16 Feb. 1624 |
17 Feb. 1624 | James Hamilton, 2nd marquess of Hamilton [S]; died in office 2 Mar. 1625 |
1625-6 | office vacant |
3 Aug. 1626 | William Herbert, 3rd earl of Pembroke; died in office 10 Apr. 1630 |
Treasurer of the Household | |
22 Dec. 1602 | Sir William Knollys† (later Lord Knollys and 1st Viscount Wallingford) |
21 Dec. 1616 | Edward Wotton†, 1st Lord Wotton |
1 Feb. 1618 | Sir Thomas Edmondes*; died in office bet. 20 and 28 Sept. 1639 |
Comptroller of the Household | |
22 Dec. 1602 | Sir Edward Wotton† (later 1st Lord Wotton) |
21 Dec. 1616 | Sir Thomas Edmondes* |
1 Feb. 1618 | Sir Henry Carey I* (later 1st Viscount Falkland [S]) |
15 Aug. 1622 | Sir John Suckling*; died in office 27 Mar. 1627 |
4 Dec. 1627 | Sir John Savile* (later 1st Lord Savile); resigned by 31 May 1630 |
Cofferer of the Household | |
c.19 Mar. 1597 | Sir Henry Cocke†; died in office 24 Mar. 1610 |
1 Apr. 1610 | Sir Robert Vernon |
25 Feb. 1615 | (Sir) Arthur Ingram* (suspended from office March 1615) |
17 July 1615 | Sir Marmaduke Darrell |
31 Mar. 1625 | Sir Marmaduke Darrell (died in office 22 Mar. 1632) and Sir Henry Vane* (resigned 31 May 1632) |
Lord Treasurer |
|
15 May 1599 | Thomas Sackville†, Lord Buckhurst (later 1st earl of Dorset); died in office 19 Apr. 1608 |
4 May 1608 | Robert Cecil†, 1st earl of Salisbury; died in office 24 May |
16 June 16129 | office placed in commission (Henry Howard, 1st earl of Northampton; Thomas Howard, 1st earl of Suffolk; Edward Somerset, 4th earl of Worcester; Edward Zouche, 11th Lord Zouche; Edward Wotton†, 1st Lord Wotton; Sir Julius Caesar*); Thomas Egerton†, 1st Lord Ellesmere, added 24 Jan. 161410 |
11 July 1614 | Thomas Howard, 1st earl of Suffolk; dismissed 19 July 1618 |
21 July 161811 | office placed in commission (George Abbot, archbishop of Canterbury; (Sir) Francis Bacon, Lord Verulam; Lancelot Andrewes, bishop of Ely; Sir Robert Naunton*; Sir Fulke Greville*; Sir Julius Caesar*; Sir Edward Coke*); Sir Lionel Cranfield* added Jan. 1620 |
14 Dec. 1620 | Sir Henry Montagu* (later 1st Viscount Mandeville); resigned 28 Sept. 1621 |
29 Sept. 162112 | (Sir) Lionel Cranfield*, Lord Cranfield (later 1st earl of Middlesex); removed from office 13 May 1624 |
13 May 1624 | office vacant, the duties being performed by the chancellor of the Exchequer by authority of letters patent dated 25 May 162413 |
11 Dec. 162414 | Sir James Ley* (later 1st earl of Marlborough); resigned July 1628 |
15 July 1628 | (Sir) Richard Weston*, 1st Lord Weston (later 1st earl of Portland); died in office 13 Mar. 1635 |
Chancellor of the Exchequer | |
21 Jan. 1592 | Sir John Fortescue* |
24 May 1603 | Sir George Home (later Lord Hume [S] and earl of Dunbar [S]) |
11 Apr. 1606 | Sir Julius Caesar* |
15 Oct. 1614 | Sir Fulke Greville* |
13 Nov. 1621 | Sir Richard Weston*; left office on appointment as lord treasurer 15 July 1628 |
14 Aug. 1628 | (Sir) Edward Barrett*, Lord Barrett of Newburgh [S] |
18 Apr. 1629 | Sir Francis Cottington (later 1st Lord Cottington); replaced 6 Jan. 1642 |
Lord Chancellor/Keeper | |
6 May 1596 | Sir Thomas Egerton† (lord keeper; later Lord Ellesmere and 1st Viscount Brackley); appointed lord chancellor 24 July 1603; surrendered office 3 Mar. 1617 |
7 Mar. 1617 | Sir Francis Bacon* (lord keeper), later Lord Verulam and Viscount St. Alban; appointed lord chancellor 7 Jan. 1618; dismissed 1 May 1621 |
1 May 1621 | office placed in commission (Sir Henry Montagu*, 1st Viscount Mandeville; William Herbert, 3rd earl of Pembroke; Lodovic Stuart, 2nd duke of Lennox [S]; Thomas Howard, 21st earl of Arundel; Sir James Ley*) |
16 July 1621 | John Williams, bishop of Lincoln (lord keeper) |
1 Nov. 1625 | Sir Thomas Coventry* (lord keeper); died in office 14 Jan. 1640 |
Master of the Rolls | |
10 Apr. 1594 | Sir Thomas Egerton† (later Lord Ellesmere) |
18 May 1603 | Edward Bruce (later 1st Lord Bruce of Kinloss [S]) |
14 Jan. 1611 | Sir Edward Phelips*; died in office 14 Sept. 1614 |
1 Oct. 161415 | Sir Julius Caesar*; died in office 10 Apr. 1636 |
Master of the Horse | |
4 Apr. 160116 | Edward Somerset, 4th earl of Worcester; grant renewed 15 Jan. 1604; surrendered Jan. 1616 |
4 Jan. 1616 | Sir George Villiers, later 1st duke of Buckingham; died in office 23 Aug. 1628 |
7 Nov. 1628 | James Hamilton, 3rd marquess of Hamilton [S]; dismissed Dec. 1643 |
Lord President of the Council | |
c.1553-1621 | office vacant |
28 Sept. 1621 | Sir Henry Montagu*, 1st Viscount Mandeville (later 1st earl of Manchester); resigned c.30 June 1628 |
15 July 1628 | Sir James Ley*, 1st earl of Marlborough; resigned 14 Dec. 1628 |
14 Dec. 1628 | Sir Edward Conway I*, 1st Viscount Conway; died in office 3 Jan. 1631 |
Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal | |
1573-1608 | office vacant |
28 Apr. 1608 | Henry Howard, 1st earl of Northampton; died in office 16 June 1614 |
1614-16 | office vacant |
2 Jan. 1616 | Edward Somerset, 4th earl of Worcester; died in office 3 Mar. 1628 |
30 June 1628 | Sir Henry Montagu*, 1st earl of Manchester; died in office 7 Nov. 1642 |
Attorney-General | |
10 Apr. 1594 | Sir Edward Coke*; resigned on appointment as lord chief justice of Common Pleas 30 June 1606 |
4 July 1606 | Sir Henry Hobart*; resigned on appointment as lord chief justice of Common Pleas 26 Oct. 1613 |
27 Oct. 1613 | Sir Francis Bacon*; resigned on appointment as lord keeper 7 Mar. 1617 |
12 Mar. 1617 | (Sir) Henry Yelverton*; suspended 27 June 1620, dismissed 10 Nov. 1620 |
11 Jan. 1621 | Sir Thomas Coventry*; resigned on appointment as lord keeper 1 Nov. 1625 |
31 Oct. 1625 | (Sir) Robert Heath*; resigned on appointment as lord chief justice of Common Pleas 26 Oct. 1631 |
Solicitor General | |
5 Nov. 1595 | Sir Thomas Fleming I* |
28 Oct. 1604 | Sir John Doddridge* |
25 June 1607 | Sir Francis Bacon* |
29 Oct. 1613 | Henry Yelverton* |
14 Mar. 1617 | (Sir) Thomas Coventry* |
22 Jan. 1621 | Robert Heath* |
1 Nov. 1625 | Sir Richard Shilton*; resigned 6 Oct. 1634 |
Principal Secretaries of State | |
5 July 1596 | Sir Robert Cecil† (later Lord Cecil, 1st Viscount Cranborne and 1st earl of Salisbury); died in office 24 May 1612 |
10 May 1600 | Sir John Herbert* (appointed second secretary only); ceased to serve May 1612 |
1612-14 | office vacant (duties executed by Robert Carr, Viscount Rochester and later 1st earl of Somerset) |
29 Mar. 1614 | Sir Ralph Winwood*; died in office 28 Oct. 1617 |
3 Jan. 1616 | Sir Thomas Lake I*; dismissed 13 Feb. 1619 |
9 Jan. 1618 | Sir Robert Naunton*; suspended 17 Jan. 1621, resigned.14 Jan. 1623 |
16 Feb 1619 | (Sir) George Calvert* (sold office February 1625) |
19 Jan. 1623 | Sir Edward Conway I* (later 1st Viscount Conway); resigned on appointment as lord president of the Council 14 Dec. 1628 |
9 Feb. 1625 | Sir Albertus Morton*; died in office 6 Sept. 1625 |
By 8 Sept. 1625 | (Sir) John Coke*; resigned 30 Jan. 1640 |
14 Dec. 1628 | Dudley Carleton*, 1st Viscount Dorchester; died in office 15 Feb. 1632 |
Lord Chief Justice of King’s Bench | |
June 1592 | Sir John Popham†; died in office 10 June 1607 |
25 June 1607 | Sir Thomas Fleming I*; died in office 7 Aug. 1613 |
25 Oct. 1613 | Sir Edward Coke*; dismissed 15 Nov. 1616 |
16 Nov. 1616 | Sir Henry Montagu*; discharged 28 Jan. 1621 following appointment as lord treasurer 14 Dec. 1620 |
29 Jan. 1621 | Sir James Ley*; discharged 25 Jan. 1625 following appointment as lord treasurer, 11 Dec. 1624 |
26 Jan. 1625 | Sir Ranulphe Crewe*; dismissed 9 Nov. 1626 |
5 Feb. 1627 | (Sir) Nicholas Hyde*; died in office 25 Aug. 1631 |
Lord Chief Justice of Common Pleas | |
2 May 1582 | Sir Edmund Anderson; died in office 1 Aug. 1605 |
26 Aug. 1605 | Sir Francis Gawdy†; died in office 15 Dec. 1605 |
30 June 1606 | Sir Edward Coke; removed to King’s Bench 25 Oct. 1613 |
26 Oct. 1613 | Sir Henry Hobart*; died in office 26 Dec. 1625 |
28 Nov. 1626 | (Sir) Thomas Richardson*; removed to King’s Bench 24 Oct. 1631 |
Lord Chief Baron of the Exchequer | |
7 Feb. 1593 | Sir William Peryam†; died in office 9 Oct. 1604 |
27 Oct. 1604 | Sir Thomas Fleming I*; removed to King’s Bench 25 June 1607 |
25 June 1607 | Sir Lawrence Tanfield*; died in office 30 Apr. 1625 |
10 May 1625 | Sir John Walter*; died in office 18 Nov. 1630 |
Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster | |
4 Nov. 1601 | Sir John Fortescue*; died in office 23 Dec. 1607 |
23 Dec. 1607 | Sir Thomas Parry*; died in office 31 May 1616 |
5 June 1616 | Sir John Dackombe*; died in office 27 Jan. 1618 |
23 Mar. 1618 | Sir Humphrey May*; surrendered office 11 Apr. 1629 |
16 Apr. 1629 | Edward Barrett*, Lord Newburgh; died in office Dec. 1644 |
Master of the Wards | |
21 May 1599 | Sir Robert Cecil† (later Lord Cecil, 1st Viscount Cranborne and 1st earl of Salisbury); died in office 24 May 1612 |
14 June 1612 | Sir George Carew II*; died in office 13 Nov. 1612 |
21 Nov. 1612 | Sir Walter Cope*; died in office 31 July 1614 |
10 Oct. 1614 | William Knollys†, 1st Lord Knollys (later 1st Viscount Wallingford) |
15 Jan. 1619 | (Sir) Lionel Cranfield* (later Lord Cranfield and 1st earl of Middlesex) |
2 Oct. 1624 | Sir Robert Naunton*; resigned 8 Mar. 1635 |
Heads of the Irish administration | |
21 Jan. 1600 | Charles Blount†, Lord Mountjoy and later 1st earl of Devonshire (lord deputy); reappointed 12 Apr. 1603; appointed lord lieutenant 21 Apr. 1603; died in office 3 Apr. 1606 |
30 May 1603 | Sir George Carey (lord deputy) |
15 Oct. 1604 | Sir Arthur Chichester (lord deputy);17 granted discharge 28 Nov. 1615; surrendered office 10 Feb. 1616 |
10 Feb. 1616 | Thomas Jones, archbishop of Dublin and lord chancellor [I], and Sir John Denham, chief justice of King’s Bench [I] (lords justices) |
2 July 1616 | Sir Oliver St. John* (lord deputy; later 1st Viscount Grandison [I] and 1st Lord Tregoz); discharged 18 Apr. 1622 |
2 May 1622 | Sir Adam Loftus, lord chancellor [I] and Richard Wingfield, 1st Viscount Powerscourt [I], marshal of the army (lords justices) |
8 Sept. 1622 | Sir Henry Carey I*, 1st Viscount Falkland [S] (lord deputy); discharged 10 Aug. 1629 |
Lord President of the Council in the North | |
10 Aug. 1599 | Thomas Cecil†, 2nd Lord Burghley |
22 July 1603 | Edmund Sheffield, 1st Lord Sheffield |
11 July 1619 | Emmanuel Scrope, 10th Lord Scrope (later earl of Sunderland) |
15 Dec. 1628 | Sir Thomas Wentworth*, 1st Viscount Wentworth (later 1st earl of Strafford); removed 10 May 1641 |
Lord President of the Council in the Marches | |
7 July 1602 | Edward Zouche, 11th Lord Zouche |
By 30 Jan. 1606 | Ralph Eure†, 3rd Lord Eure |
By 7 Mar.1617 | Thomas Gerard, 1st Lord Gerard;died in office 15 Jan. 1618 |
By 13 May 1618 | William Compton, 1st earl of Northampton; died in office 24 June 1630 |
Lieutenant of the Tower of London | |
1597 | Sir John Peyton† |
30 July 1603 | Sir George Hervey*; died in office 10 Aug. 1605 |
15 Aug. 1605 | Sir William Waad* |
6 May 1613 | Sir Gervase Elwes; dismissed 26 Oct. 1615 |
Late Oct. 1615 | Sir George More* |
3 Mar. 1617 | Sir Allan Apsley; died in office 24 May 1630 |
Recorder of London | |
1595 | John Croke† |
26 May 1603 | (Sir) Henry Montagu* |
16 Nov. 1616 | (Sir) Thomas Coventry* |
17 Mar. 1617 | Anthony Benn; died in office 29 Sept. 1618 |
1 Oct. 1618 | Richard Martin*; died in office 31 Oct. 1618 |
10 Nov. 1618 | Robert Heath* |
20 Jan. 1621 | Robert Shute*; died in office c. 6 Feb. 1621 |
15 Feb. 1621 | Heneage Finch*; died in office 5 Dec. 1631 |
Ref Volumes: 1604-1629
Author: Andrew Thrush
End Notes
- 1. C231/1, p. 246. I am grateful to Sir John Sainty for this reference.
- 2. For the king’s Coronation.
- 3. For the opening of Parliament.
- 4. For the christening of Princess Mary.
- 5. For the creation of Prince Henry as prince of Wales.
- 6. The date on which he received his staff of office. His patent, dated 29 Aug. 1621, did not pass the great seal until 29 Sept. 1621.
- 7. LC3/31 (reversed), p. 1. I am grateful for this reference to Sir John Sainty.
- 8. This list does not include the lord stewards appointed solely for the purposes of Parliament.
- 9. E403/2694, no. 15. I am grateful to Sir John Sainty for this and the ensuing two references.
- 10. For the 1614 commission, see E403/2695, no. 76.
- 11. E403/1725.
- 12. CSP Dom. 1619-23, p. 293. His patent was dated 13 Oct. 1621: C66/2251/11. I am grateful to Sir John Sainty for this and the following two references.
- 13. C66/2340/6.
- 14. The patent is dated 20 Dec. 1624: C66/2327/21.
- 15. Caesar had a reversion dated 26 Jan. 1611 so in effect he must have succeeded to office immediately on Phelips’s death.
- 16. The date he took the oath of office: LS13/168, f. 24. For his patent, dated 21 Apr. 1601, see C66/1559. I am grateful to Sir John Sainty for both of these references.
- 17. Though this is the formal date of his appointment, Chichester did not actually succeed Carey until c.8 Jan. 1605.
