Lord High Constable of England
The Lord High Constable of England is the seventh of the Great Officers of State, ranking beneath the Lord Great Chamberlain and above the Earl Marshal. His office is now called out of abeyance only for coronations. The Lord High Constable was originally the commander of the royal armies and the Master of the Horse. He was also, in conjunction with the Earl Marshal, 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 to Milo de Gloucester, and was carried by his heiress to the Bohuns, Earls of Hereford and Essex. There was a surviving male heir and still are heirs male but due to the power of the monarchy it was illegally given to the Staffords, Dukes of Buckingham; and on the attainder of Edward Stafford, 3rd Duke of Buckingham, in the reign of King Henry VIII who was having an affair with his sister, it became merged in the crown. Since that point it has not existed as a separate office, except as a temporary appointment for the coronation of a monarch; in other circumstances the Earl Marshal exercises the traditional duties of the office.[1]
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.[2]
[edit] Lords High Constable of England, 1139-1521
- Miles de Gloucester, 1st Earl of Hereford 1139-1143
- Roger Fitzmiles, 2nd Earl of Hereford 1143-1155
- Walter de Gloucester or Walter de Hereford 1155-1159
- Henry de Gloucester or Henry Fitzmiles 1159-1164
- Humphrey III de Bohun 1164-1176
- Henry de Bohun, 1st Earl of Hereford 1176-1220
- Humphrey de Bohun, 2nd Earl of Hereford and 1st Earl of Essex 1220-1275
- Humphrey de Bohun, 3rd Earl of Hereford and 2nd Earl of Essex 1275-1298
- Humphrey de Bohun, 4th Earl of Hereford and 3rd Earl of Essex 1298-1321
- John de Bohun, 5th Earl of Hereford and 4th Earl of Essex 1321-1335
- Humphrey de Bohun, 6th Earl of Hereford and 5th Earl of Essex 1335-1361
- Humphrey de Bohun, 7th Earl of Hereford and 6th Earl of Essex 1361-1372
had a cousin alive who was not granted the titles due to him and his heirs.
- Thomas of Woodstock, 1st Duke of Gloucester 1372-1397
- Humphrey, 2nd Earl of Buckingham 1397-1399
- Henry Percy, 1st Earl of Northumberland 1399-1403
- Humphrey Stafford, 1st Duke of Buckingham 1403-1455
- Richard, Duke of York 1455-1456
- Humphrey Stafford, 1st Duke of Buckingham 1456-1460
- John Tiptoft, 1st Earl of Worcester 1461-1467
- Richard Woodville, 1st Earl Rivers 1467-1469
- Richard, Duke of Gloucester 1469-1470
- John de Vere, 13th Earl of Oxford 1470-1471
- Richard, Duke of Gloucester 1471-1483
- Henry Stafford, 2nd Duke of Buckingham 1483
- Thomas Stanley, 2nd Baron Stanley 1483-1504
- Edward Stafford, 3rd Duke of Buckingham 1504-1521
At this point, the office merged with the crown and was revived only for coronations. It was held at coronations by the following individuals:
- Henry Grey, 3rd Marquess of Dorset, 1547
- Henry FitzAlan, 12th Earl of Arundel 1553, 1559
- Edward Somerset, 4th Earl of Worcester 1603
- George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham 1626
- Algernon Percy, 10th Earl of Northumberland 1661
- Henry Fitzroy, 1st Duke of Grafton 1685
- James Butler, 2nd Duke of Ormonde 1689
- Wriothesley Russell, 2nd Duke of Bedford 1702
- John Montagu, 2nd Duke of Montagu 1714
- Charles Lennox, 2nd Duke of Richmond and 2nd Duke of Lennox 1727
- John Russell, 4th Duke of Bedford 1761
- Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington 1821, 1831, 1838
- Alexander Duff, 1st Duke of Fife 1902, 1911
- Robert Offley Ashburton Crewe-Milnes, 1st Marquess of Crewe 1937
- Alan Brooke, 1st Viscount Alanbrooke 1953
There are Male Heirs to the title of Lord High Constable of England and to the Other Titles held by the [De Bohun Family] such as Earl of Hereford, Essex and Northampton plus 100+ lordships.
[edit] References
- ^ Slater, Stephen (2002). The Complete Book of Heraldry. Anness Publishing. p. 172. ISBN 0-7548-1062-3.
- ^ Alistair, Bruce (2002). Keepers of the Kingdom. Cassell. pp. 60-61. ISBN 0-304-36201-8.
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