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6 unusual facts about Lord Keeper of the Great Seal


Elizabethan Religious Settlement

Elizabeth relied primarily on her chief advisors, Sir William Cecil, as her Secretary of State, and Sir Nicholas Bacon, as Lord Keeper of the Great Seal, for direction on the matter.

Henry Deane

On 13 October 1500, after the death of the Chancellor, Archbishop John Morton, Deane was appointed Lord Keeper of the Great Seal, which held until 27 July 1502.

John Bramston, the elder

On 16 April 1640, during the indisposition of the lord keeper Finch, Bramston presided in the House of Lords.

On 21 December of the same year proceedings were commenced in the House of Commons to impeach the lord keeper Finch, Bramston, and five other of the judges who had subscribed the opinion on Ship money.

The message was communicated to the peers the same day, and the judges being present (except the lord keeper) were forthwith severally bound in recognisances of £10,000 to attend parliament from day to day until such time as trial might be had.

Lord Keeper Act 1562

It made the Lord Keeper of the Great Seal "entitled to like place, pre-eminence, jurisdiction, execution of laws, and all other customs, commodities, and advantages as the Lord Chancellor."


Bridgeman baronets

The Bridgeman Baronetcy, of Great Lever Park in the County of Lancaster, was created on 7 June 1660 for, Orlando Bridgeman, Lord Keeper of the Great Seal.

Great Seal of the Realm

The Great Seal of the Realm is in the custody of and administered by the Lord Keeper of the Great Seal.

Phyllis Court

In the mid 17th century Phillis Court was the home of Sir Bulstrode Whitelocke (1605–1675), parliamentarian and Lord Keeper of the Great Seal, who before his death gave it up to his son William Whitelock, later Tory member of parliament for the University of Oxford.

Sir Thomas Cookes, 2nd Baronet

It was initially decided that Magdalen Hall should be the recipient, but on 31 October 1712 the Lord Keeper, Simon Harcourt, 1st Viscount Harcourt, decreed in the Court of Chancery that Cookes's wishes were that the money, now totalling £15,000, should go to Gloucester Hall.

Thomas Audley, 1st Baron Audley of Walden

In 1531 he had been made a serjeant-at-law and king's serjeant; and on 20 May 1532 he was knighted, and succeeded Sir Thomas More as Lord Keeper of the Great Seal, being appointed Lord Chancellor on 26 January 1533.

Thomas Fowle

On 22 July 1563, he was installed as second prebendary of Norwich Cathedral, when it was noted that he lived at Redgrave in Suffolk, where he was both rector of the parish and chaplain to Lord Keeper Sir Nicholas Bacon.


see also