Clerk of the Privy Council (United Kingdom)

The Clerk of the Privy Council is a senior civil servant in His Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom, being Head of the Privy Council Office.www.gov.uk

This historic office is less powerful now than it once was and than its Canadian equivalent, whose holder serves ex officio as Head of the Canadian Civil Service, whereas this role in the UK Civil Service has, since 2014, been given to the Cabinet Secretary as the Head of HM Civil Service.

Until 1859 there were multiple — usually four — clerks of the Privy Council. Three of the four positions then extant were progressively abolished in the 19th century until only one remained in 1859. The Clerk of the Privy Council is deputized by one or two Deputy Clerks, although the office of Senior Clerk has been established in the past.

Clerks in Ordinary, 1540–1859

DateOneTwoThreeFourFiveSix10 August 1540 William PagetLeft office on being appointed Secretary of State 23 April 1543 John MasonLeft office on being appointed joint Master of the King's Post William Honnyng17 November 1545 vacant 18 December 1545 Sir Thomas ChalonerMarch 1547 Thomas Smith10 May 1548 Armagil WadeNot continued by Mary I20 May 1550 William Thomas"By 31 March 1553 Thomas had surrendered the clerkship" - Dakota L. Hamilton, ‘Thomas, William (d. 1554)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004; online edn, May 2005 accessed 20 May 201624 September 1551 Bernard HamptonDied in office12 May 1552 vacant By 31 March 1553 vacant 19 July 1553 vacant30 July 1553 Sir Francis Allen William SmithAfter 23 December 1566 vacant1570 vacant29 April 1571 Edmund TremayneProbably died in office1572 vacant6 July 1572 Robert Beale18 July 1576 Sir Thomas Wilkes Henry Cheke After 5 September 1581 vacant September 1582 vacant7 October 1584 Sir William WadeResigned19 March 1587 Sir Anthony Ashley2 March 1598 vacant21 April 1598 Sir Thomas Smith27 May 1601 vacant18 June 1601 Sir Thomas Edmondes25 May 1608 Sir Ralph WinwoodSurrendered his office Sir John Corbet15 August 1609 vacant7 September 1609 Sir Clement Edmondes27 November 1609 vacantBy 31 May 1610 vacant22 July 1610 Sir George Calvert7 December 1611 vacant23 August 1613 vacant24 September 1613 Francis CottingtonProbably vacated office on appointment as secretary to Prince of Wales24 February 1614 William Trumbull16 February 1619 vacantFebruary 1619 Sir Albertus Morton13 October 1622 vacant7 November 1622 John Dickenson11 December 1622 Sir Thomas MeautysHe performed the duties of his office until August 1645 when the office became virtually extinct. - The Private Correspondence of Jane Lady Cornwallis Bacon, 1613-1644, Page 56 - died 164924 January 1623 Sir William BeecherSeptember 1635 vacant9 October 1635 Sir Edward NicholasProbably vacated office on appointment as secretary of state Clerks of the Privy Council 1540–1644 – A provisional list compiled by J. C. Sainty, April 2004 By 20 January 1636 vacant26 May 1636 Sir Dudley CarletonDied 165427 January 1641 Sir Richard BrowneIn February 1641 he was sent on his first diplomatic mission as ambassador, to Elizabeth Stuart, Queen of Bohemia and Frederick V, Elector Palatine, who were then in the Low Countries, and in the following July he was dispatched as resident to Paris, where he was to remain until 1660. J. T. Peacey, ‘Browne, Sir Richard, baronet (1605–1683)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004; online edn, May 2008 accessed 13 May 2016 27 November 1641 vacant14 May 1649 Sir Edward Walker vacant vacant vacant18 November 1656 Sir George Lane27 October 1658 Sir John Nicholas22 June 1660 Sir Richard Browne23 September 1664 Sir Robert Southwell24 January 1672 Sir Joseph Williamson16 September 1674 Sir Philip Lloyd21 February 1677 Sir Thomas Doleman5 December 1679 Francis Gwyn16 January 1685 William Bridgeman Sir Philip Musgrave6 February 1685 vacant22 October 1686 William Bridgeman William Blathwayt11 December 1688 vacant vacant21 February 1689 Charles Montagu Richard Cooling24 March 1692 John Dyve12 January 1693 William Bridgeman27 July 1697 John Povey18 May 1699 Edward Southwell11 January 1705 Sir Christopher Musgrave2 November 1710 Sir Christopher Musgrave12 May 1715 James Vernon26 March 1716 Sir Robert Hales23 October 1717 Abraham Stanyan3 February 1720 Temple Stanyan22 May 1729 Sir Walter Carey11 February 1731 William Sharpe21 April 1752 Gilbert West14 April 1756 Henry Fane6 May 1756 William Blair19 May 1757 Francis Vernon22 April 1762 Philip Sharpe23 June 1764 Robert Walpole11 September 1767 Sir Stephen Cotterell4 December 1772 Sir George Chetwynd1 January 1779 William Fawkener25 August 1786 Grey ElliotJune 178719 April 1810 abolished8 August 1810 Richard Chetwynd, 5th Viscount Chetwynd19 August 1811 James Buller20 March 1821 Charles Greville24 March 1824 abolished15 December 1830 William BathurstMay 1859 abolished

Clerks in Ordinary, 1859–present May 1859: William Bathurst June 1860: Sir Arthur Helps 17 March 1875: Sir Charles Lennox Peel 9 August 1898: Sir Almeric FitzRoy 31 May 1923: Sir Maurice Hankey 1 August 1938: Sir Rupert Howorth 1942: Sir Eric Leadbitterwww.npg.org.uk 30 June 1951: Major Francis Ford Fernau 1953: Sir Godfrey Agnewwww.independent.co.uk: Sir Godfrey Agnew 1974: Sir Neville Leighwww.burkespeerage.com: LEIGH formerly of West HallSir Neville Leigh KCVO 1984: Sir Geoffrey de DeneyWhitaker's Almanack 2012: Sir Geoffrey de Deney 1992: Sir Nigel Nicholls 1996: Robert Bulling (acting) 1998: Alex Galloway 2007: Judith Simpson 2012: Richard Tilbrook

See also Honours Committee Clerk of the Privy Council (Canada)

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