In the

Kingdom of England The Kingdom of England (, ) was a sovereign state on the island of Great Britain from 12 July 927, when it emerged from various Anglo-Saxon kingdoms, until 1 May 1707, when it united with Scotland to form the Kingdom of Great Britain. On ...

, the title of Secretary of State came into being near the end of the reign of Queen

Elizabeth I Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was Queen of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. Elizabeth was the last of the five House of Tudor monarchs and is sometimes referred to as the "Virgin Queen". Eli ...

(1558–1603), the usual title before that having been King's Clerk, King's Secretary, or Principal Secretary. From the time of

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 disa ...

, there were usually two secretaries of state. After the

restoration of the monarchy Restoration is the act of restoring something to its original state and may refer to: * Conservation and restoration of cultural heritage ** Audio restoration ** Film restoration ** Image restoration ** Textile restoration *Restoration ecology ...

of 1660, the two posts were specifically designated as the

Secretary of State for the Northern Department The Secretary of State for the Northern Department was a position in the Cabinet of the government of Great Britain up to 1782, when the Northern Department became the Foreign Office. History Before the Act of Union, 1707, the Secretary of ...

and the

Secretary of State for the Southern Department The Secretary of State for the Southern Department was a position in the cabinet of the government of the Kingdom of Great Britain up to 1782, when the Southern Department became the Home Office. History Before 1782, the responsibilities of ...

. Both dealt with home affairs and they divided foreign affairs between them.

History

William Cecil, 1st Baron Burghley from NPG (2)

The medieval kings of England had a

clerical Clerical may refer to: * Pertaining to the clergy * Pertaining to a clerical worker * Clerical script, a style of Chinese calligraphy * Clerical People's Party See also * Cleric (disambiguation) Cleric is a member of the clergy. Cleric may al ...

servant, at first known as their ''Clerk'', later as their ''Secretary''. The primary duty of this office was carrying on the monarch's official correspondence, but in varying degrees the holder also advised

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 differ ...

, and by the early fourteenth century, the position was in effect the third most powerful office of state in England, ranking after the

Lord Chancellor The lord chancellor, formally the lord high chancellor of Great Britain, is the highest-ranking traditional minister among the Great Officers of State in Scotland and England in the United Kingdom, nominally outranking the prime minister. Th ...

. Most administrative business went through the royal household, particularly the Wardrobe. The Privy Seal's warrants increased rapidly in quantity and frequency during the late

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...

. The Signet warrant, kept by the Keeper of the Privy Seal, could be used to stamp documents on authority of chancery and on behalf of the Chancellor. During wartime, the king took his privy seal with him wherever he went. Its controller was the Secretary, who served on military and diplomatic missions; and the Wardrobe clerks assumed an even greater importance. Until 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 disa ...

(1509–1547), there was usually only one such secretary at a time, but by the end of Henry's reign there was also a second secretary. At about the end of the reign of Henry's daughter

(1558–1603), the secretaries began to be called "Secretary of State". After the Restoration of 1660, the two posts came to be known as the

and the

. Both of the secretaries dealt with internal matters, but they also divided foreign affairs between them. One dealt with northern Europe (the mostly Protestant states) and the other with southern Europe. Following the

Glorious Revolution The Glorious Revolution; gd, Rèabhlaid Ghlòrmhor; cy, Chwyldro Gogoneddus , also known as the ''Glorieuze Overtocht'' or ''Glorious Crossing'' in the Netherlands, is the sequence of events leading to the deposition of King James II and ...

of 1688, the

Cabinet Cabinet or The Cabinet may refer to: Furniture * Cabinetry, a box-shaped piece of furniture with doors and/or drawers * Display cabinet, a piece of furniture with one or more transparent glass sheets or transparent polycarbonate sheets * Filin ...

took over the practical direction of affairs previously undertaken by the

Privy Council A privy council is a body that advises the head of state of a state, typically, but not always, in the context of a monarchic government. The word "privy" means "private" or "secret"; thus, a privy council was originally a committee of the mo ...

, and the two secretaries of state gained ever more responsible powers.

List of officeholders

* John Maunsell (1253–1263?) * Francis Accursii (1277?–1282?) *

John de Benstede Sir John de Benstede KB (c.1275 –1323/4) was a prominent member of the English royal household in the late 13th and early 14th century. He was Prebendary of Sandiacre from 3 February 1297 until, presumably, 1308, when he married. He was a ...

(1299) *

William Melton William Melton (died 5 April 1340) was the 43rd Archbishop of York (1317–1340). Life Melton was the son of Nicholas of Melton, and the brother of Henry de Melton, and John Melton. He was born in Melton in the parish of Welton, about ...

(1308) *

William Trussell Sir William Trussell was an English politician and leading rebel in Queen Isabella and Roger Mortimer, 1st Earl of March's rebellion against Edward II. William acted as Speaker of the House of Commons and renounced the allegiance of England t ...

(1332) *

William of Wykeham William of Wykeham (; 1320 or 1324 – 27 September 1404) was Bishop of Winchester and Chancellor of England. He founded New College, Oxford, and New College School in 1379, and founded Winchester College in 1382. He was also the clerk of wor ...

(1360) * Robert Braybrooke (1379)

Lancaster and York

* John Profit (1402–1412) * John Stone (1415 – c. 1420) * John Castell (1420) * William Alnwick (c. 1420 – c. 1422) * William Hayton (?–1432) ** James Lunayn (1434–1443) (King's Secretary to the Kingdom of France) ** Jean de Rinel (1434–1442) (King's Secretary in his Realm of France) *

Thomas Beckington Thomas Beckington (also spelt Beckynton; c. 139014 January 1465) was the Bishop of Bath and Wells and King's Secretary in medieval England under Henry VI. Life Beckington was born at Beckington in Somerset, and was educated at Winchester a ...

(1439–1443) ** Gervais de Vulre (1442–1451) ** Michael de Parys * Thomas Mannyng (1460–1464) ** Gylet de Ferrers * William Hatteclyffe (c. 1464 – 1480) *

Oliver King Oliver King (29 August 1503) was a Bishop of Exeter and Bishop of Bath and Wells who restored Bath Abbey after 1500. Early life King was educated at Eton, where he was a king's scholar, and King's College, Cambridge, where he graduated Mast ...

(1480–1483) * John Kendal (1483–1485)

Tudor

Richard Foxe Richard Foxe (sometimes Richard Fox) ( 1448 – 5 October 1528) was an English churchman, the founder of Corpus Christi College, Oxford. He was successively Bishop of Exeter, Bath and Wells, Durham, and Winchester, and became also Lo ...

(1485–1487) *

(1487–1492) (probably) * Thomas Routhall (1500–1516) *

Richard Pace Richard Pace (c. 148228 June 1536) was an English clergyman and diplomat of the Tudor period. Life He was born in Hampshire and educated at Winchester College under Thomas Langton. He attended the universities of Padua and Oxford. In 1509, he ...

(1516–1526) *

William Knight William, Bill, or Billy Knight may refer to: Arts and entertainment * William Frederick Knight (1933–2022), voice actor * William Henry Knight (1823–1863), British painter Politics * William Knight (died 1622), Member of Parliament (MP) for H ...

(1526 – August 1529) *

Stephen Gardiner Stephen Gardiner (27 July 1483 – 12 November 1555) was an English Catholic bishop and politician during the English Reformation period who served as Lord Chancellor during the reign of Queen Mary I and King Philip. Early life Gardiner was ...

(5 August 1529 – April 1534) *

Thomas Cromwell Thomas Cromwell (; 1485 – 28 July 1540), briefly Earl of Essex, was an English lawyer and statesman who served as chief minister to King Henry VIII from 1534 to 1540, when he was beheaded on orders of the king, who later blamed false char ...

(April 1534 – April 1540) *

Sir Robert Cecil Robert Cecil, 1st Earl of Salisbury, (1 June 156324 May 1612), was an English statesman noted for his direction of the government during the Union of the Crowns, as Tudor England gave way to Stuart rule (1603). Lord Salisbury served as the ...

(July 1596 – 24 May 1612)

Stuart

:* John Herbert (10 May 1600 – 9 July 1617) * Robert Carr, Lord Rochester (May 1612 – March 1614) *

Sir Ralph Winwood Sir Ralph Winwood (c. 1563 – 27 October 1617) was an English diplomat and statesman to the Jacobean court. Early life Ralph Winwood was born the son of Richard Winwood at Aynhoe in Northamptonshire, and was educated at St John's College, O ...

(29 March 1614 – 27 October 1617) ** Sir Thomas Lake (3 January 1616 – 16 February 1619) *

Sir Robert Naunton Sir Robert Naunton (1563 – 27 March 1635) was an English writer and politician who sat in the House of Commons at various times between 1606 and 1626. Family Robert Naunton was the son of Henry Naunton of Alderton, Suffolk, and Elizabeth As ...

(8 January 1618 – 14 January 1623) ** Sir George Calvert (16 February 1619 – January 1625) * Sir Edward Conway (14 January 1623 – 14 December 1628) * Sir Albertus Morton (9 February 1625 – 6 September 1625) **

Sir John Coke Sir John Coke (5 March 1563 – 8 September 1644) was an English civil servant and naval administrator, described by one commentator as "the Samuel Pepys of his day". He was MP for various constituencies in the House of Commons between 1621 and ...

(9 September 1625 – 3 February 1640) * Dudley Carleton, 1st Viscount Dorchester (14 December 1628 – 15 February 1632) *

Sir Francis Windebank Sir Francis Windebank (1582 – 1 September 1646) was an English politician who was Secretary of State under Charles I. Biography Francis was the only son of Sir Thomas Windebank of Hougham, Lincolnshire, who owed his advancement to the Cec ...

(15 June 1632 – December 1640) ** Sir Henry Vane (3 February 1640 – December 1641) * Sir Edward Nicholas (27 November 1641 – 1646 when he left England; he was reappointed by King Charles II September 1654 – 2 October 1662) ** Lucius Cary, 2nd Viscount Falkland (8 January 1642 – 20 September 1643) ** George Digby, 2nd Earl of Bristol (28 September 1643 – 1645)

Commonwealth and Protectorate

Thomas Scot Thomas Scot (or Scott; died 17 October 1660) was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons at various times between 1645 and 1660. He was executed as one of the regicides of King Charles I. Early life Scot was educated at Westmi ...

(July 1649 – April 1652) * John Thurloe (April 1652 – May 1660) For the subsequent period see: *

History

List of officeholders

Lancaster and York

Tudor

Stuart

Commonwealth and Protectorate

References

Citations

Sources

Further reading