The Lord High Constable of England is the seventh of the

Great Officers 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 ...

, ranking beneath the

Lord Great Chamberlain The Lord Great Chamberlain of England is the sixth of the Great Officers of State (United Kingdom), Great Officers of State, ranking beneath the Lord Privy Seal but above the Lord High Constable of England, Lord High Constable. The office of Lo ...

and above the

Earl Marshal Earl Marshal (alternatively marschal or marischal) is a hereditary royal officeholder and chivalric title under the Monarchy of the United Kingdom, sovereign of the United Kingdom used in England (then, following the Act of Union 1800, in the U ...

. This office is now called out of

abeyance Abeyance (from the Old French ' meaning "gaping") describes a state of temporary dormancy or suspension. In law, it can refer to a situation where the ownership of property, titles, or office is not currently Vesting, vested in any specific perso ...

only for

coronations A coronation ceremony marks the formal investiture of a monarch with regal power using a crown. In addition to the crowning, this ceremony may include the presentation of other items of regalia, and other rituals such as the taking of special ...

. The Lord High

Constable A constable is a person holding a particular office, most commonly in law enforcement. The office of constable can vary significantly in different jurisdictions. ''Constable'' is commonly the rank of an officer within a police service. Other peo ...

was originally the commander of the royal armies and the

Master of the Horse Master of the Horse is an official position in several European nations. It was more common when most countries in Europe were monarchies, and is of varying prominence today. (ancient Rome) The original Master of the Horse () in the Roman Rep ...

. He was also, in conjunction with the

, 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 Empress Matilda (10 September 1167), also known as Empress Maud, was one of the claimants to the English throne during the civil war known as the Anarchy. The daughter and heir of Henry I, king of England and ruler of Normandy, she went to ...

to Miles of Gloucester, and was carried by his heiress to the Bohuns, earls of Hereford and

Essex Essex ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East of England, and one of the home counties. It is bordered by Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, the North Sea to the east, Kent across the Thames Estuary to the ...

. They had a surviving male heir, and still have heirs male, but due to the power of the monarchy the constableship was irregularly given to the Staffords, Dukes of Buckingham; and on the

attainder In English criminal law, attainder was the metaphorical "stain" or "corruption of blood" which arose from being condemned for a serious capital crime (felony or treason). It entailed losing not only one's life, property and hereditary titles, but ...

Edward Stafford, 3rd Duke of Buckingham Edward Stafford, 3rd Duke of Buckingham (3 February 1478 – 17 May 1521) was an English nobleman. He was the son of Henry Stafford, 2nd Duke of Buckingham and Katherine Woodville, Duchess of Buckingham, Katherine Woodville and nephew of E ...

, in the reign 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 known for his Wives of Henry VIII, six marriages and his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. ...

, it became merged into the Crown. Since that point it has not existed as a separate office, except as a temporary appointment for the

coronation A coronation ceremony marks the formal investiture of a monarch with regal power using a crown. In addition to the crowning, this ceremony may include the presentation of other items of regalia, and other rituals such as the taking of special v ...

of a monarch; in other circumstances the Earl Marshal exercises the traditional duties of the office. The Lacys and Verduns were hereditary constables of Ireland from the 12th to the 14th century; and the Hays,

earls of Erroll Earl of Erroll () is a title in the Peerage of Scotland. It was created in 1453 for Sir William Hay. The subsidiary titles held by the Earl of Erroll are ''Lord Hay'' (created 1449) and ''Lord Slains'' (1452), both in the Peerage of Scotland. ...

, have been hereditary Lord High Constables of Scotland from early in the 14th century.

Lord High Constables of England, 1139–1521

* 1139–1143: Miles of Gloucester, 1st Earl of Hereford * 1143–1155: Roger Fitzmiles, 2nd Earl of Hereford * 1155–1159:

Walter of Hereford Walter of Hereford was a holder of the feudalism, feudal title Baron Bergavenny or Lord Abergavenny in the Welsh Marches in the mid twelfth century. Lineage Walter of Hereford was a son of Miles of Gloucester, 1st Earl of Hereford, and Sibyl of ...

* 1159–1164: Henry Fitzmiles * 1164–1176:

Humphrey III de Bohun Humphrey III de Bohun (before 1144 – ? December 1181) of Trowbridge Castle in Wiltshire and of Caldicot Castle in south-east Wales, 5th feudal baron of Trowbridge, was an Anglo-Norman nobleman and general who served King Henry II as Lord High ...

* 1176–1220:

Henry de Bohun, 1st Earl of Hereford Henry de Bohun, 1st Earl of Hereford (1176 – 1 June 1220) of Pleshey Castle in Essex, was an Anglo-Normans, Anglo-Norman Nobility, nobleman who became Hereditary Constable of England from 1199. Origins Henry was the son and heir of Hum ...

* 1220–1275:

Humphrey de Bohun, 2nd Earl of Hereford Humphrey IV de Bohun, 2nd Earl of Hereford, 1st Earl of Essex (1204 – 24 September 1275) was an Anglo-Norman nobleman and soldier who served as hereditary Constable of England. Origins He was the eldest son and heir of Henry de Bohun, 1st Ear ...

and 1st Earl of Essex * 1275–1298:

Humphrey de Bohun, 3rd Earl of Hereford Humphrey (VI) de Bohun (c. 1249 – 31 December 1298), 3rd Earl of Hereford and 2nd Earl of Essex, was an English nobleman known primarily for his opposition to King Edward I over the ''Confirmatio Cartarum.''Fritze and Robison, (2002). He ...

* 1298–1322: Humphrey de Bohun, 4th Earl of Hereford * 1322–1336:

John de Bohun, 5th Earl of Hereford John de Bohun, 5th Earl of Hereford (23 November 1306 – 20 January 1336) was born in St Clement's, Oxford to Humphrey de Bohun, 4th Earl of Hereford and Elizabeth of Rhuddlan, a daughter of Edward I of England. After his father's deat ...

* 1336–1361: Humphrey de Bohun, 6th Earl of Hereford * 1361–1373:

Humphrey de Bohun, 7th Earl of Hereford Humphrey de Bohun, 7th Earl of Hereford, 6th Earl of Essex, 2nd Earl of Northampton, Order of the Garter, KG (25 March 1342 – 16 January 1373) was the son of William de Bohun, 1st Earl of Northampton, and Elizabeth de Badlesmere, and grandson o ...

, 6th Earl of Essex and 2nd Earl of Northampton A cousin was alive who was not granted the titles due to him and his heirs: Gilbert de Bohun, died 1381 * 1373–1397: Thomas of Woodstock, 1st Duke of Gloucester (5th surviving son of King

Edward III Edward III (13 November 1312 – 21 June 1377), also known as Edward of Windsor before his accession, was King of England from January 1327 until his death in 1377. He is noted for his military success and for restoring royal authority after t ...

and husband of Eleanor de Bohun, elder daughter and co-heiress of Humphrey de Bohun, 7th Earl of Hereford) * 1397–1399: Humphrey, 2nd Earl of Buckingham * 1399–1403:

Henry Percy, 1st Earl of Northumberland Henry Percy, 1st Earl of Northumberland, 4th Baron Percy, titular King of Mann, KG, Lord Marshal (10 November 134120 February 1408) was the son of Henry de Percy, 3rd Baron Percy, and a descendant of Henry III of England. His mother was M ...

* 1403–?:

John of Lancaster, 1st Duke of Bedford John of Lancaster, Duke of Bedford (20 June 1389 – 14 September 1435) was a medieval English prince, general, and statesman who commanded England's armies in France during a critical phase of the Hundred Years' War. Bedford was the third son ...

(died 1435) * 1445–1450:

John Beaumont, 1st Viscount Beaumont John Beaumont, 1st Viscount Beaumont (c. 1409 – 10 July 1460), was an English nobleman and magnate from Folkingham, Lincolnshire. He was a councillor to King Henry VI of England, Henry VI and was rewarded for his services, becoming a leading ...

(died 1460) * ?–1455:

Edmund Beaufort, 2nd Duke of Somerset Edmund Beaufort, 2nd Duke of Somerset, 4th Earl of Somerset, 1st Earl of Dorset, 1st Marquess of Dorset styled 1st Count of Mortain, (140622 May 1455), was an English nobleman and an important figure during the Hundred Years' War. His rivalry ...

* 1455: Humphrey Stafford, 1st Duke of Buckingham * 1455–1456: Richard, Duke of York * 1456–1460: Humphrey Stafford, 1st Duke of Buckingham * 1461–1467: John Tiptoft, 1st Earl of Worcester * 1467–1469:

Richard Woodville, 1st Earl Rivers Richard Woodville, 1st Earl Rivers (1405 – 12 August 1469), also Wydeville, was the father of Elizabeth Woodville and father-in-law of Edward IV. Early life Born at Maidstone in Kent, Richard Woodville was the son of Richard Wydeville ...

* 1469–1470: Richard, Duke of Gloucester * 1470–1471: John de Vere, 13th Earl of Oxford * 1471–1483: Richard, Duke of Gloucester * 1483:

Henry Stafford, 2nd Duke of Buckingham Henry Stafford, 2nd Duke of Buckingham (4 September 1455 – 2 November 1483), was an English nobleman known as the namesake of Buckingham's rebellion, a failed but significant collection of uprisings in England and parts of Wales against ...

* 1483–1504: Thomas Stanley, 2nd Baron Stanley * 1504–1521:

Lord High Constables of England, 1522–present

''At this point, the office merged with

the Crown The Crown is a political concept used in Commonwealth realms. Depending on the context used, it generally refers to the entirety of the State (polity), state (or in federal realms, the relevant level of government in that state), the executive ...

and was revived only for

. It was held at coronations by the following individuals:''

References

* {{Great Officers of State in the United Kingdom Constitution of the United Kingdom Lord High Constable Constables

Lord High Constables of England, 1139–1521

Lord High Constables of England, 1522–present

See also

References