Lord High Constable of England

The Lord High Constable of England is the seventh of the Great Officers of State, ranking beneath the Lord Great Chamberlain and above the Earl Marshal. His office is now called out of abeyance only for coronations. The Lord High Constable was originally the commander of the royal armies and the Master of the Horse. He was also, in conjunction with the Earl Marshal, 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 to Miles of Gloucester, and was carried by his heiress to the Bohuns, Earls of Hereford and Essex. 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 of Edward Stafford, the third Duke, in the reign of King Henry VIII, 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 of a monarch; in other circumstances the Earl Marshal exercises the traditional duties of the office.^[1]

The Lacys and Verduns were hereditary constables of Ireland from the 12th to the 14th century; and the Hays, Earls of Erroll, have been hereditary Lord High Constables of Scotland from early in the 14th century.^[2]

Lords High Constable of England, 1139–1521

• 1139–1143: Miles de Gloucester, 1st Earl of Hereford
• 1143–1155: Roger Fitzmiles, 2nd Earl of Hereford
• 1155–1159: Walter de Gloucester or Walter de Hereford
• 1159–1164: Henry de Gloucester or Henry Fitzmiles
• 1164–1176: Humphrey III de Bohun
• 1176–1220: Henry de Bohun, 1st Earl of Hereford
• 1220–1275: Humphrey de Bohun, 2nd Earl of Hereford and 1st Earl of Essex
• 1275–1298: Humphrey de Bohun, 3rd Earl of Hereford and 2nd Earl of Essex
• 1298–1321: Humphrey de Bohun, 4th Earl of Hereford and 3rd Earl of Essex
• 1321–1335: John de Bohun, 5th Earl of Hereford and 4th Earl of Essex
• 1335–1361: Humphrey de Bohun, 6th Earl of Hereford and 5th Earl of Essex
• 1361–1372: Humphrey de Bohun, 7th Earl of Hereford, 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, 8th Earl of Hereford, 7th Earl of Essex and 3rd Earl of Northampton died 1381

• 1372–1397: Thomas of Woodstock, 1st Duke of Gloucester
• 1397–1399: Humphrey, 2nd Earl of Buckingham
• 1399–1403: Henry Percy, 1st Earl of Northumberland
• 1403–1455: 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
• 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
• 1483–1504: Thomas Stanley, 2nd Baron Stanley
• 1504–1521: Edward Stafford, 3rd Duke of Buckingham

Lords High Constable of England, 1522–present

At this point, the office merged with the Crown and was revived only for coronations. It was held at coronations by the following individuals:

Name	Year	Notes	Sources
The Marquess of Dorset	1547	coronation of Edward VI
The Earl of Arundel	1553	coronation of Mary I
	1559	coronation of Elizabeth I
The Earl of Worcester	1603	coronation of James I
The Duke of Buckingham	1626	coronation of Charles I
The Earl of Northumberland	1661	coronation of Charles II
The Duke of Grafton	1685	coronation of James II
The Duke of Ormonde	1689	coronation of William III and Mary II
The Duke of Bedford	1702	coronation of Anne
The Duke of Montagu	1714	coronation of George I
The Duke of Richmond and Duke of Lennox	1727	coronation of George II
The Duke of Bedford	1761	coronation of George III
Field Marshal The Duke of Wellington	1821	coronation of King George IV
	1831	coronation of King William IV and Queen Adelaide
	1838	coronation of Queen Victoria
The Duke of Fife	1902	coronation of King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra
	1911	coronation of King George V and Queen Mary
The Marquess of Crewe	1937	coronation of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth
Field Marshal The Viscount Alanbrooke	1953	coronation of Queen Elizabeth II

References

 This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Lord High Constable". Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.

1. Slater, Stephen (2002). The Complete Book of Heraldry. Anness Publishing. p. 172. ISBN 0-7548-1062-3.
2. Alistair, Bruce (2002). Keepers of the Kingdom. Cassell. pp. 60–61. ISBN 0-304-36201-8.