Tory Whig Conservative Liberal Labour National Labour National Liberal
High Chancellor and Lord Keeper
Term of office
Party
Ministry
Other peerage(s)
Monarch(Reign)
William Cowper 1st Baron Cowper
4 May 1707
23 September 1710[3]
—
Godolphin–Marlborough
see below
Anne (1702–1714)
Oxford–Bolingbroke
In commission:
26 September 1710
19 October 1710
—
—
Simon Harcourt 1st Baron Harcourt [d]
19 October 1710
21 September 1714
Tory
Viscount Harcourt in 1721
William Cowper 1st Baron Cowper
21 September 1714
15 April 1718
—
Townshend
Earl Cowper in 1718
George I (1714–1727)
Stanhope–Sunderland I
In commission:
18 April 1718
12 May 1718
—
Stanhope–Sunderland II
—
Thomas Parker 1st Baron Parker
12 May 1718
7 January 1725
Whig
Earl of Macclesfield in 1721
Walpole–Townshend
In commission:
7 January 1725
1 June 1725
—
—
Peter King 1st Baron King
1 June 1725
29 November 1733
—
—
George II (1727–1760)
Walpole
Charles Talbot 1st Baron Talbot
29 November 1733
14 February 1737†
—
—
Philip Yorke 1st Baron Hardwicke
21 February 1737
19 November 1756
Whig
Earl of Hardwicke in 1754
Carteret
Broad Bottom(I & II)
Newcastle I
In commission:
19 November 1756
30 June 1757
—
Pitt–Devonshire
—
1757 Caretaker
Robert Henley 1st Baron Henley [e]
30 June 1757
30 July 1766
Whig
Pitt–Newcastle
Earl of Northington in 1764
George III (1760–1820 ) [f]
Bute
Grenville (Whig –Tory )
Rockingham I
Charles Pratt 1st Baron Camden
30 July 1766
17 January 1770
Whig
Chatham (Whig –Tory )
Earl Camden in 1786
Grafton (Whig –Tory )
Charles Yorke MP for Cambridge University
17 January 1770
20 January 1770†
Whig
[g]
In commission:
21 January 1770
23 January 1771
—
North
—
Henry Bathurst 1st Baron Apsley
23 January 1771
3 June 1778
Tory
Succeeded as Earl Bathurst in 1775
Edward Thurlow 1st Baron Thurlow
3 June 1778
7 April 1783
Tory
Rockingham II
see below
Shelburne (Whig –Tory )
In commission:
9 April 1783
23 December 1783
—
Fox–North (Whig –Tory )
—
Edward Thurlow 1st Baron Thurlow
23 December 1783
15 June 1792
Tory
Pitt I
Baron Thurlow in 1792
In commission:
15 June 1792
28 January 1793
—
—
Alexander Wedderburn 1st Baron Loughborough
28 January 1793
14 April 1801
—
Earl of Rosslyn in 1801
John Scott 1st Baron Eldon
14 April 1801
7 February 1806
Tory
Addington
see below
Pitt II
Thomas Erskine 1st Baron Erskine
7 February 1806
1 April 1807
Whig
All the Talents (Whig –Tory )
—
John Scott 1st Baron Eldon
1 April 1807
12 April 1827
Tory
Portland II
Earl of Eldon in 1821
Perceval
Liverpool
George IV (1820–1830)
John Copley 1st Baron Lyndhurst
2 May 1827
24 November 1830
Tory
Canning (Canningite –Whig )
—
Goderich (Canningite –Whig )
Wellington–Peel
William IV (1830–1837)
Henry Brougham 1st Baron Brougham and Vaux
24 November 1830
21 November 1834
Whig
Grey
Baron Brougham and Vaux in 1860
Melbourne I
John Copley 1st Baron Lyndhurst
21 November 1834
8 April 1835
Conservative
Wellington Caretaker
—
Peel I
In commission:
23 April 1835
16 January 1836
—
Melbourne II
—
Charles Pepys 1st Baron Cottenham
16 January 1836
30 August 1841
Whig
see below
Victoria (1837–1901)
John Copley 1st Baron Lyndhurst
3 September 1841
27 June 1846
Conservative
Peel II
—
Charles Pepys 1st Baron Cottenham
6 July 1846
19 June 1850
Whig
Russell I
Earl of Cottenham in 1850
In commission:
19 June 1850
15 July 1850
—
—
Thomas Wilde 1st Baron Truro
15 July 1850
21 February 1852
Whig
—
Edward Sugden 1st Baron St Leonards [h]
27 February 1852
17 December 1852
Conservative
Who? Who?
—
Robert Rolfe 1st Baron Cranworth
28 December 1852
21 February 1858
Whig
Aberdeen (Peelite –Whig )
—
Palmerston I
Frederic Thesiger 1st Baron Chelmsford
26 February 1858
11 June 1859
Conservative
Derby–Disraeli II
—
John Campbell 1st Baron Campbell [h]
18 June 1859
24 June 1861
Liberal
Palmerston II
—
Richard Bethell 1st Baron Westbury
26 June 1861
7 July 1865
Liberal
—
Robert Rolfe 1st Baron Cranworth
7 July 1865
26 June 1866
Liberal
—
Russell II
Frederic Thesiger 1st Baron Chelmsford
6 July 1866
29 February 1868
Conservative
Derby–Disraeli III
—
Hugh Cairns 1st Baron Cairns
29 February 1868
1 December 1868
Conservative
see below
William Wood 1st Baron Hatherley
9 December 1868
15 October 1872
Liberal
Gladstone I
—
Roundell Palmer 1st Baron Selborne
15 October 1872
17 February 1874
Liberal
see below
Hugh Cairns 1st Baron Cairns
21 February 1874
21 April 1880
Conservative
Disraeli II
Earl Cairns in 1878
Roundell Palmer 1st Baron Selborne
28 April 1880
9 June 1885
Liberal
Gladstone II
Earl of Selborne in 1882
Hardinge Giffard 1st Baron Halsbury
24 June 1885
28 January 1886
Conservative
Salisbury I
see below
Farrer Herschell 1st Baron Herschell
6 February 1886
20 July 1886
Liberal
Gladstone III
—
Hardinge Giffard 1st Baron Halsbury
3 August 1886
11 August 1892
Conservative
Salisbury II
—
Farrer Herschell 1st Baron Herschell
18 August 1892
21 June 1895
Liberal
Gladstone IV
—
Rosebery
Hardinge Giffard 1st Baron Halsbury
29 June 1895
4 December 1905
Conservative
Salisbury(III & IV) (Con. –Lib.U. )
Earl of Halsbury in 1898
Edward VII (1901–1910)
Balfour (Con. –Lib.U. )
Robert Reid 1st Baron Loreburn
10 December 1905
10 June 1912
Liberal
Campbell-Bannerman
Earl Loreburn in 1911
Asquith(I–III)
George V (1910–1936)
Richard Haldane 1st Viscount Haldane
10 June 1912
25 May 1915
Liberal
—
Stanley Buckmaster 1st Baron Buckmaster
25 May 1915
5 December 1916
Liberal
Asquith Coalition (Lib. –Con. –Lab. )
Viscount Buckmaster in 1933
Robert Finlay 1st Baron Finlay
10 December 1916
10 January 1919
Conservative
Lloyd George(I & II) (Lib. –Con. –Lab. )
Viscount Finlay in 1919
F. E. Smith 1st Baron Birkenhead
10 January 1919
19 October 1922
Conservative
Viscount Birkenhead in 1921Earl of Birkenhead in 1922
George Cave 1st Viscount Cave
24 October 1922
22 January 1924
Conservative
Law
—
Baldwin I
Richard Haldane 1st Viscount Haldane
22 January 1924
6 November 1924
Labour
MacDonald I
—
George Cave 1st Viscount Cave
6 November 1924
28 March 1928
Conservative
Baldwin II
—
Douglas Hogg 1st Baron Hailsham
28 March 1928
4 June 1929
Conservative
Viscount Hailsham in 1929
John Sankey 1st Baron Sankey
7 June 1929
7 June 1935
Labour
MacDonald II
Viscount Sankey in 1932
National Labour
National I (N.Lab. –Con. –N.Lib. –Lib.
National II (N.Lab. –Con. –N.Lib. –Lib. until 1932 )
Douglas Hogg 1st Viscount Hailsham
7 June 1935
9 March 1938
Conservative
National III (Con. –N.Lab. –N.Lib. )
—
Edward VIII (1936)
National IV (Con. –N.Lab. –N.Lib. )
George VI (1936–1952)
Frederic Maugham Baron Maugham
9 March 1938
3 September 1939
Conservative
Viscount Maugham in 1939
Thomas Inskip 1st Viscount Caldecote
3 September 1939
12 May 1940
Conservative
Chamberlain War (Con. –N.Lab. –N.Lib. )
—
John Simon 1st Viscount Simon
10 May 1940
27 July 1945
National Liberal
Churchill War (All parties )
—
Churchill Caretaker (Con. –N.Lib. )
William Jowitt 1st Baron Jowitt
27 July 1945
26 October 1951
Labour
Attlee(I & II)
Viscount Jowitt in 1947Earl Jowitt in 1951
Gavin Simonds Baron Simonds
30 October 1951
18 October 1954
Conservative
Churchill III
Baron Simonds in 1952Viscount Simonds in 1954
Elizabeth II (1952–2022)
David Maxwell Fyfe 1st Viscount Kilmuir
18 October 1954
13 July 1962
Conservative
Earl of Kilmuir in 1962
Eden
Macmillan(I & II)
Reginald Manningham-Buller 1st Baron Dilhorne
13 July 1962
16 October 1964
Conservative
Viscount Dilhorne in 1962
Douglas-Home
Gerald Gardiner Baron Gardiner
16 October 1964
19 June 1970
Labour
Wilson(I & II)
—
Quintin Hogg Baron Hailsham of St Marylebone
20 June 1970
4 March 1974
Conservative
Heath
—
Frederick Elwyn Jones Baron Elwyn-Jones
5 March 1974
4 May 1979
Labour
Wilson(III & IV)
—
Callaghan
Quintin Hogg Baron Hailsham of St Marylebone
4 May 1979
13 June 1987
Conservative
Thatcher I
—
Thatcher II
Michael Havers Baron Havers
13 June 1987
26 October 1987
Conservative
Thatcher III
—
James Mackay Baron Mackay of Clashfern
28 October 1987
2 May 1997
Conservative
—
Major I
Major II
Derry Irvine Baron Irvine of Lairg
2 May 1997
12 June 2003
Labour
Blair I
—
Blair II
Charlie Falconer Baron Falconer of Thoroton
12 June 2003
27 June 2007
Labour
—
Blair III
Jack Straw [i] MP for Blackburn
28 June 2007
11 May 2010
Labour
Brown
—
Kenneth Clarke MP for Rushcliffe
12 May 2010
4 September 2012
Conservative
Cameron–Clegg (Con. –L.D. )
Baron Clarke of Nottingham for Life in 2020
Chris Grayling MP for Epsom and Ewell
4 September 2012
9 May 2015
Conservative
—
Michael Gove MP for Surrey Heath
9 May 2015
14 July 2016
Conservative
Cameron II
—
Liz Truss [j] MP for South West Norfolk
14 July 2016
11 June 2017
Conservative
May I
—
David Lidington MP for Aylesbury
11 June 2017
8 January 2018
Conservative
May II
—
David Gauke MP for South West Hertfordshire
8 January 2018
24 July 2019
Conservative
—
Robert Buckland MP for South Swindon
24 July 2019
15 September 2021
Conservative
Johnson I
—
Johnson II
Dominic Raab MP for Esher and Walton
15 September 2021
6 September 2022
Conservative
—
Brandon Lewis MP for Great Yarmouth
6 September 2022
25 October 2022
Conservative
Truss
—
Charles III (2022–present)
Dominic Raab MP for Esher and Walton
27 October 2022
21 April 2023[4]
Conservative
Sunak
—
Alex Chalk MP for Cheltenham
26 April 2023
Incumbent
Conservative
—