The office of Lord Clerk Register (

Scottish Gaelic Scottish Gaelic (, ; Endonym and exonym, endonym: ), also known as Scots Gaelic or simply Gaelic, is a Celtic language native to the Gaels of Scotland. As a member of the Goidelic language, Goidelic branch of Celtic, Scottish Gaelic, alongs ...

: ''Clàr Morair Clèireach'') is the oldest remaining

Great Officer of State Government in medieval monarchies generally comprised the king's companions, later becoming the royal household, from which the officers of state arose. These officers initially had household and governmental duties. Later some of these offic ...

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

, with origins in the 13th century. It historically had important functions in relation to the maintenance and care of the public records of Scotland. Today these duties are administered by the Keeper of the

National Records of Scotland National Records of Scotland () is a non-ministerial department of the Scottish Government. It is responsible for civil registration, the census in Scotland, demography and statistics, family history, as well as the national archives and hist ...

and the Keeper of the

Registers of Scotland Registers of Scotland (RoS) () is the non-ministerial department of the Scottish Government responsible for compiling and maintaining records relating to property and other legal documents. They currently maintain 21 public registers. The offic ...

. When established originally in the 13th century, the office of Lord Clerk Register was mostly a clerical office role, but by the 15th century, the Clerk Register had become an officer of state with a seat in the

Parliament of Scotland In modern politics and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...

. In their capacity as Keeper of the Signet, the Lord Clerk Register executes ceremonial functions as the senior officer of the

Society of Writers to His Majesty's Signet The Society of Writers to His Majesty's Signet is a private society of Scotland, Scottish solicitors, dating back to 1594 and part of the College of Justice. Writers to the Signet originally had special privileges in relation to the drawing up o ...

. Writers to the Signet historically had various privileges relating to the drawing up of documents which required to be signeted. These privileges have since become defunct, and the society is now an independent, non-regulatory association of solicitors who are mostly based in

Edinburgh Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...

, Scotland's capital city.

History of Office

Kingdom of Scotland

The first usage of the office appears in 1288, as Clerk of the Rolls of the Kings Chapel. In 1291 it was termed "Keeper of the Rolls of the Kingdom of Scotland" After the

Wars of Independence Wars of national liberation, also called wars of independence or wars of liberation, are conflicts fought by nations to gain independence. The term is used in conjunction with wars against foreign powers (or at least those perceived as foreign) ...

, a similar office appeared with the title of "Clerk of the Rolls", which was altered about 1373 to "Clerk of the Rolls and Register", the "register" being the record of charters (i.e.: grants of land or titles of nobility) made under the Great Seal. While the Clerk of Rolls and Register was originally responsible for the records of Chancery, Parliament and Exchequer, but as the central civil court developed out of the king's council in the fifteenth century, he became responsible for its records too, and from 1483 he was "Clerk of the Rolls, Register and Council"⁵. This court later became the

Court of Session The Court of Session is the highest national court of Scotland in relation to Civil law (common law), civil cases. The court was established in 1532 to take on the judicial functions of the royal council. Its jurisdiction overlapped with othe ...

. By the fifteenth century, the Clerk Register ranked as an officer of state with a seat in Parliament and the council. By the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, more honorific styles such as "Lord Register" or "Lord Clerk Register" came to be adopted when describing the Clerk of Rolls. The Clerk Register remained responsible for the records of Parliament and its committees and commissions, the Exchequer, and the Court of Session (representing the judicial side of the old council). From the later sixteenth century statutory additions were made to his functions as new legal registers were put under his control, the most important being the Register of Sasines in 1617 with the passage of th
Registration Act 1617
By the time of the Union with the Kingdom of England in 1707, the office was known as the "Clerk of the Registers and Rolls of the council, Session and Exchequer, and of all Commissions, Parliaments and Conventions of Estates". Since 1488 appointments to the office have been made by the Sovereign by commission under the Great Seal.

Treaty of Union (1707) and preservation

The Treaty of Union in 1707 provided for the preservation of public records; and the office was also entrusted the election and management of the sixteen Scottish peers to the

House of Lords The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the lower house, the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster in London, England. One of the oldest ext ...

in the new

British parliament The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body of the United Kingdom, and may also legislate for the Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories. It meets at the Palace of ...

, with two Clerks of Session commissioned by him to assist. However without the sitting of a Scottish Parliament or Scottish Privy Council, the Lord Clerk Register's duties fell greatly, remaining only entrusted with the court and other legal records.

Ceremonial Great Officer of State

In 1806, a Royal Warrant established the office of Deputy Clerk Register, effectively reducing the duties of the Lord Clerk Registers to an honorary title. In 1817, the Public Offices (Scotland) Act 1817 (c 64) incorporated the offices of Lord Clerk Register with HM Keeper of the Signet. In 1818, a Royal Commission entrusted the officers of state, including the Lord Clerk Register for the time being, with the custody of the

Honours of Scotland The Honours of Scotland (, ), informally known as the Scottish Crown Jewels, are the regalia that were worn by List of Scottish monarchs, Scottish monarchs at their Coronation_of_the_British_monarch#Scottish_coronations, coronation. Kept in the ...

. In 1854, the Deputy Clerk Register's duties were also extended to the care of the records of births, deaths and marriages under th
Registration of Births, Deaths and Marriages (Scotland) Act 1854
which established the General Registry Office of Births, Deaths and Marriages. The Lord Clerk Register (Scotland) Act 1879 provided that the office of Lord Clerk Register would remain as a ceremonial Great Officer of State, with all duties passing to the Deputy Clerk Register. However, the Lord Clerk Register did retain an important function, responsibility for organising the election of peers of Scotland to the House of Lords, until the passage of the

Peerage Act 1963 The Peerage Act 1963 (c. 48) is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that permits female hereditary peers and all Scottish hereditary peers to sit in the House of Lords and allows newly inherited hereditary peerages to be disclaimed. ...

. In 1928, the office of Deputy Clerk Register was abolished by the Reorganisation of Offices (Scotland) Act 1928, becoming the Keeper of the Registers and Records of Scotland. However, it came to be recognised that the keeping of records and the keeping of registers was too cumbersome a task to be entrusted to a single official. In 1948, the Public Registers and Records (Scotland) Act 1948 provided that the Registers of Scotland and Records of Scotland were to be split into two separate government organisations with two separate officials: (1) the Keeper of the Registers of Scotland and (2) the Keeper of the Records of Scotland. These individuals now run (1) the

and (2) the

Present

In 1996, the Commissioners of the Regalia were given additional responsibility for the Stone of Destiny, or the

Stone of Scone The Stone of Scone (; , meaning Stone of Destiny, also called clach-na-cinneamhuinn; ) is an oblong block of red sandstone that was used in the coronation of Scottish monarchs until the 13th century, and thereafter in the coronation of Englis ...

, under another Royal Warrant, when the Stone was moved to

. Prior to devolution, the Lord Clerk Register was appointed by the Monarch on the advice of a Minister of the Crown. On the creation of the

Scottish Parliament The Scottish Parliament ( ; ) is the Devolution in the United Kingdom, devolved, unicameral legislature of Scotland. It is located in the Holyrood, Edinburgh, Holyrood area of Edinburgh, and is frequently referred to by the metonym 'Holyrood'. ...

and

Scottish Executive The Scottish Government (, ) is the executive arm of the devolved government of Scotland. It was formed in 1999 as the Scottish Executive following the 1997 referendum on Scottish devolution, and is headquartered at St Andrew's House in t ...

in 1999, the Prime Minister announced that the function of advising the Monarch on the making of certain appointments and the use of the Royal prerogative would be transferred to the

First Minister A first minister is any of a variety of leaders of government cabinets. The term literally has the same meaning as "prime minister" but is typically chosen to distinguish the office-holder from a superior prime minister. Currently the title of ' ...

. Those functions included advice on appointment of the Lord Clerk Register. The Scottish Executive announced on 27 April 2007 that

Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 19268 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. ...

had appointed

Lord Mackay of Clashfern James Peter Hymers Mackay, Baron Mackay of Clashfern (born 2 July 1927) is a British lawyer. He served as Dean of the Faculty of Advocates, Lord Advocate, and Lord Chancellor (1987–1997). He was formerly an active member of the House of Lords, ...

to the office of Lord Clerk Register, replacing

David Charteris, 12th Earl of Wemyss Francis David Charteris, 12th Earl of Wemyss and 8th Earl of March (19 January 1912 – 12 December 2008), styled Lord Elcho from 1916 to 1937, was a Scottish peer, landowner and conservationist. From 1946 to 1991, he served as chairman an ...

. The Lord Clerk Register remains a Commissioner for the Regalia and the

Keeper of the Signet The office of Lord Clerk Register (Scottish Gaelic: ''Clàr Morair Clèireach'') is the oldest remaining Great Officer of State in Scotland, with origins in the 13th century. It historically had important functions in relation to the maintenanc ...

by virtue of the 1879 Act. As such the office is largely ceremonial. The Lord Clerk Register ranks in the

order of precedence in Scotland The order of precedence in Scotland was fixed by Royal Warrant in 1905. Amendments were made by further Warrants in 1912, 1952, 1958, 1999 (to coincide with the establishment of the Scottish Parliament and Scottish Government) and most recently ...

after the

(as Keeper of the Great Seal) and the

Lord Justice General Lord is an appellation for a person or deity who has authority, control, or power over others, acting as a master, chief, or ruler. The appellation can also denote certain persons who hold a title of the peerage in the United Kingdom, or are ...

, and before the

Lord Advocate His Majesty's Advocate, known as the Lord Advocate (), is the principal legal adviser of both the Scottish Government and the Crown in Scotland for civil and criminal matters that fall within the devolution, devolved powers of the Scottish P ...

and

Lord Justice Clerk The Lord Justice Clerk is the second most senior judge in Scotland, after the Lord President of the Court of Session. The current Lord Justice Clerk is Lord Beckett, who was appointed to the position on 4 February 2025, succeeding Lady Dorr ...

Office holders

''incomplete list'' * William,

Bishop of St Andrews The Bishop of St. Andrews (, ) was the ecclesiastical head of the Diocese of St Andrews in the Catholic Church and then, from 14 August 1472, as Archbishop of St Andrews (), the Archdiocese of St Andrews. The name St Andrews is not the town or ...

* Simon de Quincy * Nicolas, ''Clericus'' to

Malcolm IV Malcolm IV (; ), nicknamed Virgo, "the Maiden" (between 23 April and 24 May 1141 – 9 December 1165) was King of Scotland from 1153 until his death. He was the eldest son of Henry of Scotland, 3rd Earl of Huntingdon, Henry, Earl of Huntingdon ...

* William de Bosch, Hugo, Galfrid, and Gregory, all served Alexander II * 1253: William Capellanus and Alexander de Carrick * 1323: Robert de Dunbar * John Gray, appointed by Robert II * 1426: John Schives, ''decretorum director'' * 1440: Richard Craig, Vicar of

Dundee Dundee (; ; or , ) is the List of towns and cities in Scotland by population, fourth-largest city in Scotland. The mid-year population estimate for the locality was . It lies within the eastern central Lowlands on the north bank of the Firt ...

* 1442: George Shoriswood, Rector of Culter * 1449: Sir John Methven * 1450: John Arouse, Archdeacon of Glasgow * 1455: Nicol Otterburn * 1466: Fergus McDowall * 1471: David Guthrie of that Ilk * 1473: John Layng, Rector of

Newlands, Glasgow Newlands is a suburb in the south side of Glasgow, Scotland. The area is mainly residential in character. Shawlands and Langside lie to the north of the district (the White Cart Water forming the boundary), Pollokshaws and Auldhouse to the west ...

* 1477: Alexander Inglis, afterwards Deacon of

Dunkeld Dunkeld (, , from , "fort of the Caledonians") is a town in Perth and Kinross, Scotland. The location of a historic cathedral, it lies on the north bank of the River Tay, opposite Birnam. Dunkeld lies close to the geological Highland Boundar ...

* 1482: Patrick Leith, Canon of

Glasgow Glasgow is the Cities of Scotland, most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in Strathclyde, west central Scotland. It is the List of cities in the United Kingdom, third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom ...

* 1482: Alexander Scot, Rector of

Wigton Wigton is a market town in the Cumberland district of Cumbria, England. It lies just outside the Lake District. Wigton is at the centre of the Solway Plain, between the Caldbeck Fells and the Solway coast. It is served by Wigton railway st ...

* 1488: William Hepburn, Vicar of

Linlithgow Linlithgow ( ; ; ) is a town in West Lothian, Scotland. It was historically West Lothian's county town, reflected in the county's historical name of Linlithgowshire. An ancient town, it lies in the Central Belt on a historic route between Edi ...

* 1489: Richard Murehead, Deacon of

* 1492: John Fraser, Rector of

Restalrig Restalrig ( ) is a small residential suburb of Edinburgh, Scotland (historically, an estate and independent parish). It is located east of the city centre, west of Craigentinny and to the east of Lochend, Edinburgh, Lochend, both of which it ...

* 1497: Walter Drummond, Deacon of

Dunblane Dunblane (, ) is a town in the council area of Stirling in central Scotland, and inside the historic boundaries of the county of Perthshire. It is a commuter town, with many residents making use of good transport links to much of the Central Be ...

* 1500: Gavin Dunbar, Archdeacon of

St Andrews St Andrews (; ; , pronounced ʰʲɪʎˈrˠiː.ɪɲ is a town on the east coast of Fife in Scotland, southeast of Dundee and northeast of Edinburgh. St Andrews had a recorded population of 16,800 , making it Fife's fourth-largest settleme ...

, afterwards

Bishop of Aberdeen The Bishop of Aberdeen (originally Bishop of Mortlach, in Latin Murthlacum) was the ecclesiastical head of the Diocese of Aberdeen, one of Scotland's 13 medieval bishoprics, whose first recorded bishop is an early 12th-century cleric named Nech ...

* Sir Stephen Lockhart, appointed by

James IV James IV (17 March 1473 – 9 September 1513) was King of Scotland from 11 June 1488 until his death at the Battle of Flodden in 1513. He inherited the throne at the age of fifteen on the death of his father, James III, at the Battle of Sauch ...

* 1531: Sir James Foulis of Colinton * 1548: Sir Thomas Marjoribanks of Ratho * 1554:

James MacGill of Nether Rankeillour James may refer to: People * James (given name) * James (surname) * James (musician), aka Faruq Mahfuz Anam James, (born 1964), Bollywood musician * James, brother of Jesus * King James (disambiguation), various kings named James * Prince Ja ...

, Parson of

Flisk Flisk ( meaning "Stalk" or "Rod") was a parish in Fife, Scotland. Description According to the 1853 Gazetteer, in part: "Flisk parish is bounded on the north by the Tay, on the south by Creich and Abdie, on the east by Balmerino and on the ...

* 1565: James Balfour of Pittendreich * 1567:

James MacGill Sir James MacGill, Lord Rankeillor of Nether Rankeillour (died 1579), was a Scottish courtier and Senator of the College of Justice. Sworn of the Privy Council by Mary, Queen of Scots in 1561, he became her Lord Clerk Register (Keeper of the ...

of Nether Rankeillour * 1577: Alexander of Easter Kennet (d 1594) * 1594-1612: Sir John Skene of Curriehill * 1598: James Skeen, conjunct with his father * 1612: Sir Thomas Hamilton, afterwards 1st

Earl of Haddington Earl of Haddington is a title in the Peerage of Scotland. It was created in 1627 for the noted Scottish lawyer and judge Thomas Hamilton, 1st Earl of Melrose. He was Lord President of the Court of Session from 1616 to 1625. Hamilton had alread ...

* 1612: Sir Alexander Hay, Lord Newton of Whitburgh, Lord Newton * 1616: Sir George Hay of Netherleiffe * 1622: Sir John Hamilton of Magdalens, brother to the Earl of Haddington * 1632: Sir John Hay, Lord Barra * 1641: Sir Alexander Gibson, Lord Durie, younger of Durie * 1649:

Archibald Johnston, Lord Warriston Archibald Johnston, Lord Wariston (1611 – 1663) was a Scottish judge and statesman. He assisted Alexander Henderson in writing the Scottish National Covenant in 1638, and was appointed Procurator of the Kirk in the same year. He was said ...

* 1660:

Archibald Primrose, Lord Carrington Sir Archibald Primrose, 1st Baronet, Lord Carrington (16 May 1616 – 27 November 1679) was a notable Scotland, Scottish lawyer, judge, and Cavalier. Early life The eldest son of James Primrose (Clerk of the Privy Council of Scotland), James Pri ...

, of Chester (until 1676) * c1690:

Sir Thomas Burnett, 3rd Baronet Sir Thomas Burnett of Leys, 3rd Baronet, (ca. 1658 – January 1714), Lord Clerk Register, PC, MP. He was, at Stonehaven, 21 April 1664, retoured as heir to his father, Sir Alexander Burnett, 2nd Baronet who had died the previous year. The 3rd ...

of Leys * 1696-1702:

Charles Douglas, 2nd Earl of Selkirk Charles Douglas, 2nd Earl of Selkirk, (born Lord Charles Hamilton; 3 February 1663 – 13 March 1739) was a Scottish aristocrat and courtier. Early life Hamilton was born 3 February 1663. He was the third, but second surviving, son of William ...

* November 1702 - June 1704: Sir James Murray, Lord PhiliphaughA. J. Mann, ‘Murray, Sir James, Lord Philiphaugh (1655–1708)’, ''

Oxford Dictionary of National Biography The ''Dictionary of National Biography'' (''DNB'') is a standard work of reference on notable figures from History of the British Isles, British history, published since 1885. The updated ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' (''ODNB'') ...

'', Oxford University Press, 200
accessed 22 April 2012
/ref> * 1704-1705: James Johnston * April 1705 - July 1708: James Murray, Lord Philiphaugh *1708-14:

David Boyle, 1st Earl of Glasgow David Boyle, 1st Earl of Glasgow (c. 1666 – 31 October 1733) was a Scottish politician and peer. He was the last Treasurer-depute before the Union with England. Early life David Boyle was born circa 1666 at Kelburn Castle, Fairlie, in No ...

* 1714:

Archibald Campbell, 3rd Duke of Argyll Archibald Campbell, 3rd Duke of Argyll, 1st Earl of Ilay, (June 1682 – 15 April 1761) was a Scottish nobleman, politician, lawyer, businessman, and soldier. He was known as Lord Archibald Campbell from 1703 to 1706, and as the Earl of Ilay fr ...

* 1716:

James Graham, 1st Duke of Montrose James Graham, 1st Duke and 4th Marquess of Montrose (April 16827 January 1742) was a Scottish aristocratic statesman in the early eighteenth century. Life He was the only son of James Graham, 3rd Marquess of Montrose and Lady Christian Lesli ...

* 1716: Alexander Hume-Campbell, 2nd Earl of Marchmont, 2nd Lord Polwarth * 1733:

* 1739:

William Kerr, 3rd Marquess of Lothian William Kerr, 3rd Marquess of Lothian, ( – 28 July 1767) was a Scottish nobleman, styled Master of Jedburgh from 1692 to 1703 and Lord Jedburgh from 1703 to 1722. Early life He was the son of William Kerr, 2nd Marquess of Lothian and Lady Jea ...

* 1756: Alexander Hume Campbell * 1760:

James Douglas, 14th Earl of Morton James Douglas, 14th Earl of Morton, KT, FRS (1702 – 12 October 1768) was a Scottish peer and astronomer who was president of the Philosophical Society of Edinburgh from its foundation in 1737 until his death in 1768. He also became preside ...

* 1761

Sir Gilbert Elliot, 2nd Baronet, of Minto Sir Gilbert Elliot, 2nd Baronet, (of Minto) (16 April 1766) was a Scottish lawyer, politician and judge from Minto in the Scottish Borders. From 1763 until his death 3 years later, he was Lord Justice Clerk, the second most senior judge in Sco ...

* 1768:

Lord Frederick Campbell Lord Frederick Campbell (20 June 1729 – 8 June 1816) was a British politician. He was Lord Clerk Register of Scotland, 1768–1816; Member of Parliament (MP) for Glasgow Burghs (1761–1780) and for Argyllshire (1780–1799). Biography ...

* 1816: Archibald Campbell Colquhoun * 1821:

William Dundas William Dundas (1762 – 14 November 1845) was a Scottish politician. The son of Robert Dundas, of Arniston, the younger, he became a barrister at Lincoln's Inn in 1788. He was a member of parliament (MP) for the Anstruther Burghs from 1794 ...

* 1841:

James Andrew Broun-Ramsay, 1st Marquess of Dalhousie James Andrew Broun-Ramsay, 1st Marquess of Dalhousie (22 April 1812 – 19 December 1860), known as the Earl of Dalhousie between 1838 and 1849, was a Scottish statesman and colonial administrator in British India. He served as Governor-Gen ...

* 1862: Sir William Gibson Craig of Riccarton * 1879: George Frederick Boyle, 6th Earl of Glasgow * 1890: Douglas Beresford Malise Ronald Graham, 5th Duke of Montrose * 1926: John Charles Montagu-Douglas-Scott, 7th Duke of Buccleuch, 9th Duke of Queensberry * 1935: Walter John Francis Erskine, 12th Earl of Mar, 14th Earl of Kellie * 1944: Sidney Herbert Elphinstone, 16th Baron Elphinstone * 1956: Walter John Montagu-Douglas-Scott, 8th Duke of Buccleuch, 10th Duke of Queensberry * 1974: Francis David Charteris, 12th Earl of Wemyss, 8th Earl of March * 2007:

James Mackay, Baron Mackay of Clashfern James Peter Hymers Mackay, Baron Mackay of Clashfern (born 2 July 1927) is a British lawyer. He served as Dean of the Faculty of Advocates, Lord Advocate, and Lord Chancellor (1987–1997). He was formerly an active member of the House of Lords ...

* 2023: Lady

Elish Angiolini Lady Elish Frances Angiolini (; born 24 June 1960"Angiolini, Elish Frances" in ''Who's Who (UK), Who's Who'', A & C Black.) is a Scottish lawyer currently serving as Lord Clerk Register, the first woman to hold the role since its creation in th ...

References

{{Great Officers of State in the United Kingdom Great Officers of State of Scotland Positions within the British Royal Household Scots law formal titles Political office-holders in Scotland Lists of office-holders in Scotland