Contents

1. Overview
2. Etymology
3. Cultural Impact

Lord Chancellor of Scotland

For the speaker of the current Scottish Parliament , see Presiding Officer of the Scottish Parliament .

Former Great Office of State of the Kingdom of Scotland

The Lord Chancellor of Scotland, formally titled Lord High Chancellor, was a pivotal Officer of State in the Kingdom of Scotland . This role was not merely ceremonial but carried substantial administrative, judicial, and legislative responsibilities. The Lord Chancellor served as the principal Great Officer of State, a position that underscored their significance in the governance of Scotland. Their duties were multifaceted, encompassing the role of presiding officer of the Parliament of Scotland , the Keeper of the Great Seal , the presiding officer of the Privy Council until 1626, and a judge of the College of Justice . This amalgamation of roles made the Lord Chancellor a central figure in the political and judicial landscape of Scotland.

The office of Lord Chancellor is known to have existed from 1123 onwards, although its duties were occasionally performed by an official of lower status with the title of Keeper of the Great Seal . This duality in the performance of duties highlights the flexibility and adaptability of the Scottish governance system during the medieval period. From the 15th century, the Chancellor was typically a bishop or a peer , reflecting the close ties between the church and the state in Scotland. This practice underscored the importance of religious and noble figures in the administration of the kingdom.

Following the Union of the Crowns in 1603 and the subsequent Acts of Union in 1707, the political landscape of Scotland underwent significant changes. The Lord Keeper of the Great Seal of England became the first Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain , marking a shift in the administrative structure of the newly united kingdom. However, the Earl of Seafield continued as Lord Chancellor of Scotland until 1708, demonstrating a period of transition and overlap in the governance structures. He was re-appointed in 1713 and sat as an Extraordinary Lord of Session in that capacity until his death in 1730, illustrating the enduring influence of the Lord Chancellor even after the formal union.

List of Lords Chancellors of Scotland

David I

• 1124-1126: John Capellanus • 1126-1143: Herbert of Selkirk • bef.1143-1145: Edward , Bishop of Aberdeen • c.1147–c.1150: William Cumin • bef.1150-1153: Walter, possibly Walter fitz Alan

Malcolm IV

• 1153–1165: Enguerrand , Bishop of Glasgow

William I

• 1165-1171: Nicholas • c.1171-1178: Walter de Bidun , Bishop of Dunkeld • c.1178–1189: Roger de Beaumont , Bishop of St Andrews • 1189–1199: Hugh de Roxburgh , Bishop of Glasgow • 1199–1202: William de Malveisin , Bishop of Glasgow • 1203-1210: Florence of Holland , Bishop-elect of Glasgow • 1211-1224: William del Bois, Archdeacon of Lothian

Alexander II

• 1226-1227: Thomas de Stirling, Archdeacon of Glasgow • 1227-1230: Matthew the Scot , Bishop-elect of Dunkeld • 1231–1233: William de Bondington , Bishop of Glasgow • 1233-1249: Sir William de Lindsay

Alexander III

• 1249–1250: Robert de Keldeleth , Abbot of Dunfermline • 1250-1253: Gamelin , Bishop of St Andrews • 1256–1257: Richard de Inverkeithing , Bishop of Dunkeld • 1259-1273: William Wishart , Bishop of Glasgow • 1273–c.1279: William Fraser , Bishop of St Andrews • 1285-1291: Thomas Charteris , Archdeacon of Lothian

English Appointees during the Interregnum

• 1291: Alan de St Edmund , Bishop of Caithness • 1292: William de Dumfries • 1292: Alan de Dumfries • 1294-1295: Thomas de Hunsinghore • 1295-1296: Alexander Kennedy • 1296-1304?: Walter de Amersham • c.1301–c.1305: Nicholas de Balmyle , Bishop of Dunblane • 1304-1306: William de Bevercotes

Robert I

• 1308–1328: Bernard , Abbot of Arbroath (later Bishop of the Isles )

David II

• 1328-1329: Walter de Twynham, Rector of Glasgow Primo • 1329-1332: Adam de Moravia , Bishop of Brechin • 1332: William Brisbane • 1338-1341: William Bullock, Chancellor to Edward Baliol • 1342: William de Bosco • 1335x1340–1346: Sir Thomas Charteris • 1350-1352: William Caldwell • 1353–1370: Patrick de Leuchars , Bishop of Brechin

Robert II

• 1370–1377: John de Carrick , Bishop-elect of Dunkeld • 1377–1390: John de Peebles , Bishop of Dunkeld

Robert III

• 1394: Duncan Petit, Archdeacon of Glasgow • 1396-1421: Gilbert de Greenlaw , Bishop of Aberdeen

James I

• 1422–1425: William Lauder , Bishop of Glasgow • 1426–1439: John Cameron , Bishop of Glasgow

James II

• 1439–c.1444: William Crichton, 1st Lord Crichton • 1444: James Kennedy , Archbishop of Saint Andrews • 1444-1447: James Bruce , Bishop of Dunkeld and Glasgow • 1447–1453: William Crichton, 1st Lord Crichton • 1454–1456: William Sinclair, Earl of Orkney and Caithness • 1457–1460: George Shoreswood , Bishop of Brechin

James III

• 1460–1482: Andrew Stewart, 1st Lord Avandale • 1482–1483: John Laing , Bishop of Glasgow • 1483: James Livingstone , Bishop of Dunkeld • 1483–1488: Colin Campbell, 1st Earl of Argyll

James IV

• 1488 (Feb–Jun): William Elphinstone , Bishop of Aberdeen • 1488–1492: Colin Campbell, 1st Earl of Argyll • 1493–1497: Archibald Douglas, 5th Earl of Angus • 1497–1501: George Gordon, 2nd Earl of Huntly • 1501–1504: James Stewart, Duke of Ross • 1510–1513: Alexander Stewart (d. 1513), Archbishop of St Andrews

Charles II

• 1660–1664: William Cunningham, 9th Earl of Glencairn • 1664–1681: John Leslie, 7th Earl of Rothes (1st Duke of Rothes from 29 May 1680) • 1681-1682: Office vacant • 1682–1684: George Gordon, 1st Earl of Aberdeen

James VII

• 1684–1689: James Drummond, 4th Earl of Perth

William II and Mary II

• 1689-1692: In commission • 1692–1696: John Hay, 1st Marquess of Tweeddale • 1696–1702: Patrick Hume, 1st Earl of Marchmont

Anne

• 1702–1704: James Ogilvy, 1st Earl of Seafield • 1704–1705: John Hay, 2nd Marquess of Tweeddale • 1705–1707: James Ogilvy, 1st Earl of Seafield

Lord Chancellor Of Scotland