View source for Lord Steward

{{Short description|Official of the British Royal Household}}
{{distinguish|Lord High Steward}}
[[File:Procession to Lying-in-State of Elizabeth II at Westminster Hall - 41.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.3|[[James Ramsay, 17th Earl of Dalhousie|Lord Dalhousie]] (centre left) carrying his wand of office as Lord Steward in the Procession to the [[Lying-in-state of Elizabeth II]] (2022).]]

The '''Lord Steward''' or '''Lord Steward of the Household''' is one of the three Great Officers of the [[Royal Households of the United Kingdom|Household]] of the [[Monarchy of the United Kingdom|British monarch]].<ref name="Bucholz2006">{{cite book |editor1-last=Bucholz |editor1-first=R. O. |title=Office-Holders in Modern Britain: Volume 11 (Revised), Court Officers, 1660-1837 |date=2006 |publisher=University of London |pages=397–398 |url=https://www.british-history.ac.uk/office-holders/vol11/pp397-398 |access-date=5 July 2024 |chapter=The household below stairs: Lord Steward 1660-1837}}</ref> He is, by tradition, the first great officer of the [[Court (royal)|Court]]<ref name="Haydn1851">{{cite book |last1=Haydn |first1=Joseph |title=The Book of Dignities |date=1851 |publisher=Longman, Brown, Green and Longmans |location=London |pages=203–204}}</ref> and he takes precedence over all other officers of the household.<ref name="Bucholz2006" /> 

Historically the Lord Steward oversaw over the Household '[[Domestic service|below stairs]]'. He also presided at the [[Board of Green Cloth]], which in early centuries had a financial, administrative and judicial role (latterly the Board retained a vestigial legal remit, until it was finally abolished in a 2004 reform of local government licensing).<ref>[[Licensing Act 2003]] (section 195))</ref> Prior to 1924 the Lord Steward was always a member of the Government,<ref name="FRA1848" /> and until 1782 the office had been one of considerable political importance and carried [[Cabinet rank]]. In the modern period, Lord Stewards (up to and including [[Hugh Percy, 10th Duke of Northumberland]] in 1973) were invariably made [[Privy Counsellors]] on appointment.<ref name="Thoms1841" />

Over time the domestic responsibilities of the office came increasingly to be carried out by a subordinate officer: the [[Master of the Household]].<ref name="AllisonRiddell1991">{{cite book |editor1-last=Allison |editor1-first=Ronald |editor2-last=Riddell |editor2-first=Sarah |title=The Royal Encyclopedia |date=1991 |publisher=Macmillan |location=London |page=319}}</ref> In the Royal Household reforms of the 1920s, the Lord Steward's Department was renamed the Master of the Household's Department. At the same time, Lord Steward ceased to be a political appointment and instead became a largely titular office in the gift of the monarch. 

The Lord Steward continues to be in regular attendance on State and other ceremonial occasions (including State visits, State banquets, the State Opening of Parliament, State Funerals and Coronations).<ref name="AllisonRiddell1991" /> Holders of the office are always [[peerage|peers]], usually of or above the degree of an [[Earl]].<ref name="BucholzAdmin" /> Each Lord Steward receives his appointment from the [[Monarch|Sovereign]] in person and bears a [[Staff of office#White staves|white staff]] as the emblem and warrant of his authority. The incumbent Lord Steward (appointed in 2023) is [[Peter St Clair-Erskine, 7th Earl of Rosslyn]]<ref>[https://www.royal.uk/media-centre/court-circulars Court Circular], 22 February 2023: 'The Earl of Rosslyn was received by The King, kissed hands upon his appointment as Lord Steward and received from His Majesty his Wand of Office'.</ref> (who additionally serves as Personal Secretary to Their Majesties The King and Queen).<ref>{{cite web |title=Register of Interests for The Earl of Rosslyn |url=https://members.parliament.uk/member/3135/registeredinterests |website=UK Parliament |access-date=1 August 2024}}</ref>

==History==
[[File:William Herbert 1st Earl of Pembroke 1567.jpg|thumb|right|[[William Herbert, 1st Earl of Pembroke (died 1570)|William Herbert, 1st Earl of Pembroke]], holding his white staff of office (portrait dated AD 1567, the year he was appointed Lord Steward).]]
Within the ''[[Curia Regis]]'', the office of Steward of the King's Household was indistinguishable from that of [[Lord High Steward|Lord (High) Steward]] of England, which had first been introduced to the realm under [[William the Conqueror]] (and which was by the end of the 12th century an [[Hereditary title|hereditary office]]).<ref name="Case1855">{{cite book |title=Case on behalf of Bertram Arthur, Earl of Shrewsbury and Waterford, on his Claim to the Office of Lord Steward of Ireland |date=1855 |publisher=Norris & Sons |location=London |pages=6–9}}</ref> As late as 1221 the hereditary stewardship was still being referred to as a 'stewardship of the royal household'.<ref>''senescalcia hospicii domini regis''</ref>

Under King [[John, King of England|John]], however, the holder of the hereditary office ([[Simon de Montfort, 5th Earl of Leicester]]) resided in France, and after his death in 1218 the [[Earldom of Leicester|Earldom]] went into 'virtual abeyance' until [[Simon de Montfort, 6th Earl of Leicester]] had his claim to it confirmed in 1239.<ref name="Tout1920i" /> By that time it had become the norm to appoint separate Stewards of the Household to undertake the practical duties of the office (so de Montfort came to be referred to, by contrast, as 'Steward of all England'). For the rest of the 13th century there were normally two Stewards of the Household appointed, until 1292 when [[Walter de Beauchamp (Steward to Edward I)|Walter de Beauchamp]] continued in office alone after his co-steward [[Pierre de Champvent|Peter de Champvent]] had been made [[Lord Chamberlain|Chamberlain]]. Since then every Steward of the Household has served singly.<ref name="Tout1920i" />

During the [[Minor (law)|minority]] of King [[Richard II of England|Richard II]], the Crown assented to a proposal that the [[Chancellor of England|Chancellor]] and [[Treasurer of England|Treasurer]] of England, the [[Lord Privy Seal|Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal]] and the Steward and Chamberlain of the Household should be chosen by Parliament 'from the ablest persons in the Realm', and remain in office until the next Parliament (in contrast to the hereditary [[Great Officers of State (United Kingdom)|offices of State]]).<ref name="ThomsChamb">{{cite book |last1=Thoms |first1=William J. |title=The Book of the Court |date=1844 |publisher=Henry G. Bohn |location=London |pages=318–326 |chapter=The Lord Chamberlain of the Household}}</ref>

During the reign of King [[Edward IV]], the duties, privileges and precedence of the Lord Steward were comprehensively enumerated in the Black Book of the Household (compiled in the early 1470s).<ref name="Myers1959">{{cite book |editor1-last=Myers |editor1-first=A. R. |title=The Household of Edward IV: the Black Book and the Ordinance of 1478 |date=1959 |publisher=Manchester University Press |page=33}}</ref> In it he is described as having, under the King, the 'secondary estate and rule' of the Royal Household, which is 'wholly committed to be ruled and guided by his reason'.<ref name="Thoms1841">{{cite book |last1=Thoms |first1=William J. |title=The Book of the Court |date=1844 |publisher=Henry G. Bohn |location=London |pages=296–303 |chapter=The Lord Steward of the Household}}</ref> 

In 1540 the Lord Steward was redesignated '''Great Master of the King's Household''' by the [[King's Household Act 1540]] ([[32 Hen. 8]]. c. 39),<ref>{{cite web |title=Public Act, 32 Henry VIII, c. 39 (The Jurisdiction of the Great Master of the King's Household) |url=https://archives.parliament.uk/collections/getrecord/GB61_HL_PO_PU_1_1540_32H8nMISSING |website=The Parliamentary Archives |publisher=UK Parliament |access-date=6 July 2024}}</ref> but that office was discontinued and the office of Lord Steward revived by the [[Lord Steward Act 1554]] (which remains on the [[statute book]]).<ref>{{cite web |title=The Lord Steward Act 1554 |url=https://www.legislation.gov.uk/aep/MarSess3/1/4/contents |website=Legislation.gov.uk |publisher=The National Archives |access-date=6 July 2024}}</ref> 

===The Lord Steward's Department===
<blockquote>"[The] Steward of Household receiveth his charge of the King's high and proper person, and the staff of Household, by these words following: ''Seneschall tenez le baton de notre hostiell''<ref>"Steward, receive the wand of our household".</ref>" (''The Black Book of the Household'', 1471–72).<ref name="Thoms1841" /></blockquote>

As [[Steward (office)|steward]], the Lord Steward presided over the Household 'below stairs' (while the [[Lord Chamberlain]] presided over the Household 'above stairs').<ref name="Haydn1851" /> The sub-departments below stairs were mostly concerned with catering, including the royal kitchens and [[Wine cellar|cellars]], and various provisioning departments such as the [[Buttery (room)|buttery]], spicery, confectionery, [[bakehouse]], [[scalding house]] and so forth.<ref name="BucholzAdmin" /> Each was managed by its own staff of [[yeomen]] and grooms, and headed by a [[gentleman]] or sergeant; the Lord Steward exercised rights of patronage over these positions.<ref name="FRA1848">{{cite journal |title=Civil List |journal=Tracts of the Financial Reform Association |date=1848 |issue=1 |pages=9–11}}</ref> Over time (particularly in the late 18th and early 19th centuries) the number of sub-departments was significantly reduced as items began to be sourced from outside vendors.<ref name="Bucholz2006" /> 

At the demise of the monarch the Lord Steward would break his white staff over the coffin, 'and thereby discharge all the Officers under his Jurisdiction'.<ref name="TrueState1732">{{cite book |title=The True State of England |date=1732 |publisher=C. King |location=London |page=10}}</ref>

===The Board of Green Cloth===
[[File:Studio of Daniel Mytens (c. 1590-1647) - Ludovick Stuart, 2nd Duke of Lennox and Duke of Richmond (1574-1624) - RCIN 405664 - Royal Collection.jpg|thumb|right|[[Ludovic Stewart, 2nd Duke of Lennox]] and Duke of Richmond (Lord Steward 1618-1623).]]
<blockquote>"...they sit with him at the Board of [[Judgement|Doom]] within the Household, that is, at the Green Cloth in the Counting-house, as recorders and witnesses to the truth" (''The Black Book of the Household'', 1471-72).</blockquote>

In the 14th century, the King's [[Wardrobe (government)|Wardrobe]], previously an independent and powerful financial office, was absorbed into the King's Household and its officers and responsibilities were placed under the authority of the Lord Steward.<ref name="Tout1928">{{cite book |last1=Tout |first1=T. F. |title=Chapters in the administrative history of mediaeval England: the wardrobe, the chamber, and the small seals (Volume IV) |date=1928 |publisher=Manchester University Press |pages=160–161 |url=https://archive.org/details/chaptersinadmini0004tout/page/160/mode/2up? |access-date=22 July 2024}}</ref> Thus the Lord Steward's Department gained increased financial and administrative responsibilities. Its officers met in the counting-house where they sat at a green cloth-covered table, by which they came to be known as the Board of Green Cloth.

The officers under the Lord Steward were listed in the 15th century as: the [[Treasurer of the Household]] and the [[Comptroller of the Household]] (both of whom would deputise for the Lord Steward in his absence), the [[Cofferer of the Household]], two Clerks of the Green Cloth and the Chief Clerk of the Controlment;<ref name="Myers1959" /> all of whom had their origins in the Wardrobe.<ref name="Tout1920">{{cite book |last1=Tout |first1=T. F. |title=Chapters in the administrative history of mediaeval England: the wardrobe, the chamber, and the small seals (Volume II) |date=1920 |publisher=Manchester University Press |pages=34–41 |url=https://archive.org/details/chaptersinadmin02tout/page/34/mode/2up |access-date=23 July 2024}}</ref> Added to their number in the Tudor period was the Master of the Household (who took precedence after the Cofferer). 

By the time of the [[Stuart Restoration|Restoration]], the administration of the Lord Steward's Department was for the most part delegated to the Board of Green Cloth,<ref name="BucholzAdmin">{{cite book |editor1-last=Bucholz |editor1-first=R. O. |title=Office-Holders in Modern Britain: Volume 11 (Revised), Court Officers, 1660-1837 |date=2006 |publisher=University of London |pages=xx-xxxvii |url=https://www.british-history.ac.uk/office-holders/vol11/xx-xxxvii |access-date=5 July 2024 |chapter=Introduction: Administrative Structure and Work of the Royal Household}}</ref> which served as the central accounting and organisational facility.<ref name="NatArchives">{{cite web |title=Records of the Lord Steward, the Board of Green Cloth and other officers of the Royal Household |url=https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C202 |website=The National Archives |access-date=9 July 2024}}</ref> Apart from the Lord Steward, the Board consisted of the Treasurer, the Comptroller and the Master of the Household (all of which were [[sinecure]] positions in the 17th and 18th centuries), the Cofferer (who had executive financial and accounting responsibilities), and a number of [[clerk]]s and clerk [[comptrollers]] (who, in consultation with the Lord Steward, managed the day-to-day running of the household below stairs). 

===Judicial functions===
<blockquote>"...by which he is also forthwith Steward of the whole Court of Marshalsea, that is, the Court of Household, in which he is Judge of life and limb" (''The Black Book of the Household'', 1471-72).<ref name="Thoms1841" /></blockquote>

[[File:Marshalsea prison, London, 18th century (3).jpg|thumb|left|upright|The Marshalsea Court (adjoining the prison of the same name) c.1770; the Marshalsea and Palace Courts sat here until 1801.]]
By the early years of the thirteenth century, the Steward of the Household was seen as having 'a special judicial role within the household, of which he was the appointed head';<ref name="Jones1970">Jones, W.R. [https://www.jstor.org/stable/175225 "The Court of the Verge: The Jurisdiction of the Steward and Marshal of the Household in Later Medieval England"], ''The Journal of British Studies'', Vol. 10, No. 1, November 1970.</ref> and by the 1290s a distinct court of law had emerged, with its own personnel, procedures and jurisdiction, described by ''[[Fleta]]'' as 'the king's court in his hall before his steward'. In the 14th century it was termed the Court of the Steward and Marshal of the King's House, but was more commonly known as the [[Marshalsea Court]].<ref name="Buckey1827">{{cite book |last1=Buckley |first1=W. |title=The Jurisdiction and Practice of the Marshalsea and Palace Courts |date=1827 |publisher=S. Sweet |location=London |pages=111–125}}</ref>

On this basis the Lord Steward acted as principal judge for all offences committed within the [[Verge (royal court)|Verge of the Royal Court]], having both civil and (in earlier years) criminal jurisdiction. He sat as a judge in the Marshalsea Court, and also in the [[Palace Court]] (created by Letters Patent of [[Charles I of England|Charles I]] in 1630), and in this role he was assisted by the [[Knight Marshal]] and his men, by the Steward of the Marshalsea (always a qualified lawyer) and by the [[Coroner of the Verge]]. In the absence of the Lord Steward the Treasurer and Comptroller of the Household were empowered to sit as judges, along with the Steward of the Marshalsea; by the 19th century the latter had come to be, in practice, the only sitting judge of the court.<ref name="Buckey1827" /> The Marshalsea and Palace Courts were abolished in 1849.

The Board of Green Cloth had its own jurisdiction, with powers to maintain the [[Peace (law)|peace]] within the Verge and to deal with offenders.<ref name="Britannica">{{cite web |title=Lord Steward |url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/lord-steward |website=Britannica |access-date=1 August 2024}}</ref> 

By virtue of the Coroners Act 1988, the lord steward continued to appoint the [[Coroner of the Queen's Household]]<ref>Coroners Act 1988, section 29(1). To be abolished by the [[Coroners and Justice Act 2009]]</ref> until the office was abolished in 2013 by the [[Coroners and Justice Act 2009]].<ref>[http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2009/25/section/46 Coroners and Justice Act 2009, section 46]</ref><ref>[http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2013/1869/made Coroners and Justice Act 2009 (Commencement No. 15, Consequential and Transitory Provisions) Order 2013, para. 2(e)]</ref>

===Parliamentary functions===
[[File:Portrait of Robert Dudley Earl of Leicester (1532-1588).jpg|thumb|[[Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester]], Lord Steward 1587&ndash;1588, holding the white staff of his office.]]
<blockquote>"He hath the office to call the names of Knights, Citizens and Burgesses, at the Parliament door, the first day of commencement, and to [[amerce]] such as fail by the certificate" (''The Black Book of the Household'', 1471–72).<ref name="Thoms1841" /></blockquote>

Until 1831, the Lord Steward or his deputies presided over the swearing of [[oaths]] by members of the House of Commons. (These oaths were sworn in the lobby of the house, or another convenient room designated for the purpose, and were the same as, but sworn separately from, the oaths taken in the chamber itself.)<ref>{{cite book |last1=Chitty |first1=J. |last2=Hulme |first2=John Walter |title=A Collection of Statutes of Practical Utility (Volume 2, Part II) |date=1837 |publisher=S. Sweet |location=London |page=719}}</ref> In the Tudor period he was responsible for taking the roll call of all the [[Knight of the shire|Knights]] and [[Burgess (title)|Burgesses]] who had been elected to represent the Commons in Parliament, prior to each [[State Opening]].<ref>Cobb H.S. 'The Staging of Ceremonies in the House of Lords' in ''The Houses of Parliament: History, Art, Architecture''. London: Merrell 2000.</ref> 

By long tradition,<ref>E.g.: 'Ordered: That the humble Thanks of this House be presented to the King's Majesty, for His Gracious Speech made in this House on Thursday the Fifteenth Instant; and that the Lords with White Staves now in this House are hereby appointed to wait on His Majesty therewith'. (''Journals of the House of Lords'', 20 February 1676, page 47.)</ref> the 'Lords with White Staves' are called upon if required to deliver messages between the House of Lords and the Sovereign.<ref>{{cite web |title=Presentation of Address |url=https://erskinemay.parliament.uk/section/6533/presentation-of-address |website=Erskine May |publisher=UK Parliament |access-date=23 July 2024}}</ref>

===Reforms===
For some centuries the role of the Lord Steward remained much as it had been in the late Middle Ages. In 1727, the office of Lord Steward was described in the following terms:<blockquote>"To him is committed the State of the King's House, to be ordered and guided according to his Discretion: He hath Authority over all Officers and Servants of the King's House, except those of the [[Chapel Royal|Royal Chapel]], [[Lord Chamberlain#Historic role|Chamber]], [[Royal Mews|Stable]], &c. He by Vertue of his Office judgeth of all Treasons, Murthers, Felonies and other Enormities committed within the Verge of the King's Court [...]. At the Beginning of Parliaments he attends the King's Person, and administers the Oaths of [[Oath of Allegiance (United Kingdom)|Allegiance]] and [[Oath of Supremacy|Supremacy]] to the several Members of the House of Commons, and at the Ends of Parliaments, he adjudgeth the Parliamentary Expenses &c."<ref name="Account1727">{{cite book |title=An Explanatory Account of the nature and business of the several offices, posts, employments, and places of trust in this Kingdom |date=1727 |publisher=The Editor |location=London |pages=61–62}}</ref></blockquote>

The Lord Steward's developing role in government, however, led to increased absences from the Court, which (among other things) led to a number of reforms being introduced.

In 1782 the financial independence of the Lord Steward's Department was reduced (as the [[HM Treasury|Treasury]] began to take a greater hand in [[Civil list]] expenditure),<ref name="PRO1963">{{cite book |title=Guide to the Contents of the Public Record Office (volume II) |date=1963 |publisher=H. M. Stationery Office |location=London |page=211}}</ref> and the office of Cofferer was replaced by that of Paymaster of the Household (an officer with much reduced status and more limited responsibilities).<ref name="BucholzAdmin" /> At the same time the Master of the Household was made responsible for the executive management of the Lord Steward's Department.<ref>{{cite book |editor1-last=Allison |editor1-first=Ronald |editor2-last=Riddell |editor2-first=Sarah |title=The Royal Encyclopedia |date=1991 |publisher=Macmillan |location=London |page=335}}</ref>

Following [[Queen Victoria]]'s accession to the throne, her husband [[Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha|Prince Albert]] took a keen interest in reforming the Royal Household of its complexities and inefficiencies. In 1841 [[Baron Stockmar]] was commissioned to draw up a memorandum on the matter; he summed up the problem with the observation that even simple tasks were the responsibility of more than one master: 'the Lord Steward found the fuel and laid the fire, while the Lord Chamberlain lighted it'.<ref name="Wilson1891">{{cite book |last1=Wilson |first1=Robert |title=The Life and Times of Queen Victoria (Volume I) |date=1891 |publisher=Cassell and Company Ltd |location=London |pages=72–74}}</ref> As a result, towards the end of 1844, authority over the whole internal economy of the palace was conferred upon the Master of the Household, who became a permanent, resident officer. The titular heads (the Lord Steward, Lord Chamberlain and [[Master of the Horse#Master of the Horse (United Kingdom)|Master of the Horse]]) were retained, but their duties with regard to the Household were in this way delegated.<ref name="Fawcett1895">{{cite book |last1=Fawcett |first1=Millicent Garrett |title=Life of Her Majesty Queen Victoria |date=1895 |publisher=Roberts Brothers |location=Boston |pages=132–134}}</ref> Thus the office of Lord Steward came to be regarded as 'purely an honorary one'.<ref name="FRA1848" />

In 1924, in line with these reforms, the Lord Steward's Department (Board of Green Cloth) was formally renamed the Master of the Household's Department (Board of Green Cloth).<ref>{{cite book |last1=Whitaker |first1=Joseph |title=Whitaker's Almanack |date=1925 |publisher=J. Whitaker |location=London |pages=102–104 |url=https://archive.org/details/whitakers-almanack_1925/page/102/mode/2up |access-date=23 July 2024}}</ref> A few years earlier, in 1920, some residual executive and ceremonial duties had been transferred from the Lord Steward to the Lord Chamberlain.<ref name="NatArchives" />

==List of Lord Stewards==

===12th century===
In the first year of the reign of King [[Richard I of England|Richard I]] two individuals are named as his royal stewards (separate from the hereditary stewardship, which was vested jointly at that time in the Earldoms of [[Earldom of Leicester|Leicester]] and [[Earl of Norfolk|Norfolk]]):<ref name="Tout1920i">{{cite book |last1=Tout |first1=T. F. |title=Chapters in the administrative history of mediaeval England: the wardrobe, the chamber, and the small seals (Volume I) |date=1920 |publisher=Manchester University Press |pages=201–205 |url=https://archive.org/details/chaptersinadmini0001tout/page/200/mode/2up |access-date=30 July 2024}}</ref>
*Roger des Prés 1189–1190
*[[Stephen Longchamp|Stephen of Longchamp]] 1189–1190

===13th century===
The following are named as Steward in the 13th century (n.b. for most of the century two individuals served concurrently as Steward, and sometimes there were more; though records prior to the reign of [[Edward I of England|Edward I]] are incomplete and at times inconclusive):<ref name="Tout1933 ">{{cite book |last1=Tout |first1=T. F. |title=Chapters in the administrative history of mediaeval England: the wardrobe, the chamber, and the small seals (Volume VI) |date=1933 |publisher=Manchester University Press |pages=38–45 |url=https://archive.org/details/chaptersinadmini0006tout/page/38/mode/2up |access-date=30 July 2024}}</ref>
*[[Robert of Turnham]] 1201
*Peter of Stokes 1203–1207
*[[William de Cantilupe (died 1239)|William of Cantilupe]] 1204, 1207–1216, 1218, 1222–1231
*[[Brian de Lisle]] 1213
*[[Falkes de Bréauté|Faulkes de Bréauté]] 1215
*Ralph Fitznicholas 1225–1236, 1242–1255
*Geoffrey of Crowcombe 1225–1236
*Richard of Argentine 1226–1228
*John Fitzphilip 1232–1235
*Amaury de St Amand 1233–1240
*[[William de Cantilupe (died 1251)|William (II) of Cantilupe]] 1238–1251
*[[Bertram de Criol]]l 1239–1256
*Paulin Peyvre 1242-1243, 1244–1251
*John of Laxton 1242–1255
*[[Robert Walerand]] 1251–1258
*[[Sir John de Grey|John Grey]] 1253–1255
*William Grey 1255
*[[Drogo de Barentyn|Drew of Barentyn]] 1255
*[[Giles de Argentine|Giles of Argentine]] 1258–1265
*[[Imbert Pugeys|Imbert of Poges]] 1257–1262
*Eubolo de Montibus 1262–1270
*[[Alan la Zouche (died 1270)|Alan la Zouch]] 1263
*[[Roger de Leybourne|Roger of Leyburn]] 1263–1265
*Adam of Newmarket 1264–1265
*Sir Walter of Creping 1264–1265
*William d'Aeth 1267–1270
*John de la Land 1268
*Sir William of Wintershill 1269–1270
*William Charles 1270–1271
*Stephen of Edworth 1271–1272
*Roger of Waltham 1272
*Hugh Fitzotho 1274–1283
*Robert Fitzjohn 1278–1286
*[[Pierre de Champvent|Peter Champvent]] 1286–1292
*[[Walter de Beauchamp (Steward to Edward I)|Walter Beauchamp]] 1289–1303

===14th century===
*[[Robert de La Ward, 1st Baron De La Ward|Robert de la Warde]] 1303–1306
*John Thorp 1307
*Miles Stapleton 1307
*[[Robert FitzPayne, 1st Baron FitzPayne|Robert Fitzpayn]] 1308–1310
*Edmund Mauley 1310–1312
*[[Hugh de Audley, 1st Baron Audley of Stratton Audley|Hugh Audley, senior]] 1312
*Edmund Mauley 1313–1314
*John Cromwell 1314–1316
*[[William Montagu, 2nd Baron Montagu|William Montague]] 1316–1318
*[[Bartholomew Badlesmere, 1st Baron Badlesmere|Bartholomew Badlesmere]] 1318–1321
*[[Gilbert Peche|Gilbert Pecché]] 1322
*Simon Dryby 1322
*Richard Amory 1322–1325
*Thomas Le Blount 1325–1327
*John Ros 1327–1328
*[[John Maltravers, 1st Baron Maltravers|John Maltravers]] 1328
*[[John de Wisham (died 1332)|John Wysham]] 1328–1329
*John Maltravers 1329–1330
*Hugh Turplington 1330
*[[Ralph Neville, 2nd Baron Neville|Ralph Neville of Raby]] 1330–1336
*[[Robert Ufford, 1st Earl of Suffolk|Robert Ufford]] 1336–1337
*[[John Darcy, 1st Baron Darcy de Knayth|John Darcy]] 1337–1340
*[[Ralph Stafford, 1st Earl of Stafford|Ralph Stafford]] 1341–1345
*[[Richard Talbot, 2nd Baron Talbot|Richard Talbot]] 1345–1349
*[[John de Grey, 1st Baron Grey de Rotherfield|John Grey of Rotherfield]] 1349–1359
*[[Guy Bryan, 1st Baron Bryan|Guy Brian]] 1359–1361
*John Atte Lee 1362–1368
*[[William Latimer, 4th Baron Latimer|William Latimer]] 1368–1370
*Henry le Scrope 1371
*[[John Neville, 3rd Baron Neville|John Neville of Raby]] 1371–1376
*John of Ypres 1376–1377
*[[Richard Scrope, 1st Baron Scrope of Bolton|Richard le Scrope of Bolton]] 1377–1378
*[[Hugh Segrave]] 1378–1381
*[[John Montagu, 1st Baron Montagu|John Montague]] 1381–1387
*[[John Beauchamp, 1st Baron Beauchamp of Kidderminster|John Beauchamp of Holt]] 1387–1388
*[[John Devereux, 1st Baron Devereux|John Devereux]] 1388–1393
*[[Thomas Percy, 1st Earl of Worcester|Thomas Percy]] 1393–1399
*Sir [[Thomas Rempston (KG)|Thomas Rempston]] 1399–1401

===15th century===
*[[Thomas Percy, 1st Earl of Worcester]] 1401–1402
*William Heron, Lord Say 1402–1404
*Sir [[Thomas Erpingham]] 1404
*Sir [[John I Stanley of the Isle of Man|John Stanley]] 1405–1412
*Sir Thomas Erpingham 1413–1417
*Sir [[Walter Hungerford, 1st Baron Hungerford|Walter Hungerford]] 1413–1421
*Robert Babthorp 1421–1424
*Sir Walter Hungerford 1424–1426
*Sir [[John Tiptoft, 1st Baron Tiptoft|John Tiptoft]] 1426–1432
*Robert Babthorp 1432–1433
*[[William de la Pole, 1st Duke of Suffolk|William de la Pole, 1st Marquess of Suffolk]] 1433–1446
*[[Ralph Boteler, 1st Baron Sudeley]] 1447–1457
*[[John Beauchamp, 1st Baron Beauchamp (fifth creation)|John Beauchamp, 1st Baron Beauchamp]] 1457–1461
*[[William Neville, 1st Earl of Kent]] 1461–1463
*[[John Tiptoft, 1st Earl of Worcester]] 1463–1467<ref>{{cite book | last = Loades | first = David | author-link = David Loades | title = The Tudor Court | publisher = Headstart History | edition = revised | year = 1992 | isbn = 1873041381 | page = 205}}</ref>
*[[Henry Bourchier, 1st Earl of Essex]] 1467–1471{{Sfn|Loades|1992|p=205}}
*[[Thomas Stanley, 1st Earl of Derby|Thomas Stanley, 2nd Baron Stanley]] 1471–1483{{Sfn|Loades|1992|p=205}}
*[[Thomas Howard, Earl of Surrey]] 1483–1485{{Sfn|Loades|1992|p=205}}
*[[John Radcliffe, 6th Baron Fitzwalter]] 1486–1496{{Sfn|Loades|1992|p=205}}
*[[Robert Willoughby, 1st Baron Willoughby de Broke]] 1496–1502{{Sfn|Loades|1992|p=205}}

===16th century===
*[[George Talbot, 4th Earl of Shrewsbury]] 1502–1538{{Sfn|Loades|1992|p=205}}
*[[Robert Radcliffe, 1st Earl of Sussex]] 1538–1540{{Sfn|Loades|1992|p=205}}
Office of Lord Steward discontinued and replaced by the Lord Great Master
*[[Charles Brandon, 1st Duke of Suffolk]] 1540–1545{{Sfn|Loades|1992|p=205}}
*[[William Paulet, 1st Marquess of Winchester|William Paulet, Lord St John]] 1545–1550{{Sfn|Loades|1992|p=205}}
*[[John Dudley, 1st Earl of Warwick]] 1550–1553{{Sfn|Loades|1992|p=205}}
Office of Lord Steward restored
*[[Henry Fitzalan, 12th Earl of Arundel]] 1553–1564{{Sfn|Loades|1992|p=205}}
*''Vacant'' 1564–1567{{Sfn|Loades|1992|p=206}}
*[[William Herbert, 1st Earl of Pembroke (died 1570)|William Herbert, 1st Earl of Pembroke]] 1567–1570{{Sfn|Loades|1992|p=206}}
*''Vacant'' 1570–1572{{Sfn|Loades|1992|p=206}}
*[[Edward Clinton, 1st Earl of Lincoln]] 1572–1584{{Sfn|Loades|1992|p=206}}
*[[Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester]] 1584–1588{{Sfn|Loades|1992|p=206}}
*Henry Stanley, Earl of Derby 1588–1593{{Sfn|Loades|1992|p=206}}
*''Vacant'' 1593–1597{{Sfn|Loades|1992|p=206}}

===17th century===
*[[Charles Howard, 1st Earl of Nottingham]] 1603–1618
*[[Ludovic Stuart, 1st Duke of Richmond]] 1618–1623
*[[James Hamilton, 2nd Marquess of Hamilton]] 1623–1625
*[[William Herbert, 3rd Earl of Pembroke]] 1625–1630
*''Vacant'' 1630–1640
*[[Thomas Howard, 14th Earl of Arundel]] 1640–1644
*[[James Stuart, 1st Duke of Richmond]] 1644–1655
*''Vacant'' 1655–1660
*[[James Butler, 1st Duke of Ormonde]] 1660–1688<ref name="IHR">{{cite web |url=https://www.british-history.ac.uk/office-holders/vol11/pp397-398 |title=The household below stairs: Lord Steward 1660–1837 |publisher=Institute of Historical Research |year=2019 |access-date=28 May 2020}}</ref>
*[[William Cavendish, 1st Duke of Devonshire]] 1689–1707<ref name="IHR"/>

===18th century===
*[[William Cavendish, 2nd Duke of Devonshire]] 1707–1710<ref name="IHR"/>
*[[John Sheffield, 1st Duke of Buckingham and Normanby]] 1710–1711<ref name="IHR"/>
*[[John Poulett, 1st Earl Poulett]] 1711–1714<ref name="IHR"/>
*[[William Cavendish, 2nd Duke of Devonshire]] 1714–1716<ref name="IHR"/>
*[[Henry Grey, 1st Duke of Kent]] 1716–1718<ref name="IHR"/>
*[[John Campbell, 2nd Duke of Argyll]] 1718–1725<ref name="IHR"/>
*[[Lionel Sackville, 1st Duke of Dorset]] 1725–1730<ref name="IHR"/>
*[[Philip Stanhope, 4th Earl of Chesterfield]] 1730–1733<ref name="IHR"/>
*[[William Cavendish, 3rd Duke of Devonshire]] 1733–1737<ref name="IHR"/>
*Lionel Sackville, 1st Duke of Dorset 1737–1744<ref name="IHR"/>
*William Cavendish, 3rd Duke of Devonshire 1744–1749<ref name="IHR"/>
*[[Charles Spencer, 3rd Duke of Marlborough]] 1749–1755<ref name="IHR"/>
*[[John Manners, 3rd Duke of Rutland]] 1755–1761<ref name="IHR"/>
*[[William Talbot, 1st Earl Talbot]] 1761–1782<ref name="IHR"/>
*[[Frederick Howard, 5th Earl of Carlisle]] 1782–1783<ref name="IHR"/>
*[[Charles Manners, 4th Duke of Rutland]] 1783<ref name="IHR"/>
*[[William Legge, 2nd Earl of Dartmouth]] 1783<ref name="IHR"/>
*[[James Brydges, 3rd Duke of Chandos]] 1783–1789<ref name="IHR"/>
*[[John Sackville, 3rd Duke of Dorset]] 1789–1799<ref name="IHR"/>
*[[George Townshend, 2nd Marquess Townshend|George Townshend, 1st Earl of Leicester]] 1799–1802<ref name="IHR"/>

===19th century===
*[[George Legge, 3rd Earl of Dartmouth]] 1802–1804<ref name="IHR"/>
*[[Heneage Finch, 4th Earl of Aylesford]] 1804–1812<ref name="IHR"/>
*[[George Cholmondeley, 1st Marquess of Cholmondeley]] 1812–1821<ref name="IHR"/>
*[[Henry Conyngham, 1st Marquess Conyngham]] 1821–1830<ref name="IHR"/>
*[[Richard Temple-Nugent-Brydges-Chandos-Grenville, 1st Duke of Buckingham and Chandos]] 1830<ref name="IHR"/>
*[[Richard Wellesley, 1st Marquess Wellesley]] 1830–1833<ref name="IHR"/>
*[[George Campbell, 6th Duke of Argyll]] 1833–1834<ref name="IHR"/>
*[[Thomas Egerton, 2nd Earl of Wilton]] 1835<ref name="IHR"/>
*George Campbell, 6th Duke of Argyll 1835–1839<ref name="IHR"/>
*[[William Hay, 18th Earl of Erroll]] 1839–1841
*[[Charles Jenkinson, 3rd Earl of Liverpool]] 1841–1846
*[[Hugh Fortescue, 2nd Earl Fortescue]] 1846–1850
*[[Richard Grosvenor, 2nd Marquess of Westminster]] 1850–1852
*[[James Graham, 4th Duke of Montrose]] 1852–1853
*[[Henry Howard, 13th Duke of Norfolk]] 1853–1854
*[[Frederick Spencer, 4th Earl Spencer]] 1854–1857
*[[Edward Eliot, 3rd Earl of St Germans]] 1857–1858
*[[Brownlow Cecil, 2nd Marquess of Exeter]] 1858–1859
*Edward Eliot, 3rd Earl of St Germans 1859–1866
*[[John Ponsonby, 5th Earl of Bessborough]] 1866
*[[John Spencer-Churchill, 7th Duke of Marlborough]] 1866–1867
*[[Charles Bennet, 6th Earl of Tankerville]] 1867–1868
*John Ponsonby, 5th Earl of Bessborough 1868–1874
*[[Frederick Lygon, 6th Earl Beauchamp]] 1874–1880
*[[John Townshend, 1st Earl Sydney]] 1880–1885<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=24841|page=2864|date=4 May 1880}}</ref>
*[[William Edgcumbe, 4th Earl of Mount Edgcumbe]] 1885–1886<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=25485|page=3000|date=30 June 1885}}</ref>
*John Townshend, 1st Earl Sydney 1886<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=25558|page=682|date=12 February 1886}}</ref>
*William Edgcumbe, 4th Earl of Mount Edgcumbe 1886–1892<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=25617|page=4007|date=17 August 1886}}</ref>
*[[Gavin Campbell, 1st Marquess of Breadalbane]] 1892–1895<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=26320|page=4889|date=26 August 1892}}</ref>
*[[Sidney Herbert, 14th Earl of Pembroke]] 1895–1905<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=26644|page=4022|date=16 July 1895}}</ref>

===20th century===
*[[Cecil Foljambe, 1st Earl of Liverpool]] 1905–1907<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=27866|page=9171|date=22 December 1905}}</ref>
*[[William Lygon, 7th Earl Beauchamp]] 1907–1910<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=28046|supp=y|page=5281|date=30 July 1907}}</ref>
*[[Edwyn Scudamore-Stanhope, 10th Earl of Chesterfield]] 1910–1915<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=28391|page=4649|date=1 July 1910}}</ref>
*[[Horace Farquhar, 1st Earl Farquhar|Horace Farquhar, 1st Viscount Farquhar]] 1915–1922<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=29193|page=5749|date=15 June 1915}}</ref>
*[[Anthony Ashley-Cooper, 9th Earl of Shaftesbury]] 1922–1936<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=32770|page=8292|date=24 November 1922}}</ref>
*[[George Sutherland-Leveson-Gower, 5th Duke of Sutherland]] 1936–1937
*[[Walter Montagu Douglas Scott, 8th Duke of Buccleuch]] 1937–1940<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=34376|page=1405|date=2 March 1937}}</ref>
*[[Douglas Douglas-Hamilton, 14th Duke of Hamilton]] 1940–1964<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=34864|page=3351|date=4 June 1940}}</ref>
*[[Gerald Grosvenor, 4th Duke of Westminster]] 1964–1967<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=43243|page=1269|date=11 February 1964}}</ref>
*[[Charles Lyttelton, 10th Viscount Cobham]] 1967–1972<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=44414|page=10345|date=22 September 1967}}</ref>
*[[Hugh Percy, 10th Duke of Northumberland]] 1973–1988<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=45868|page=105|date=2 January 1973}}</ref>
*[[Matthew White Ridley, 4th Viscount Ridley]] 1989–2001<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=51747|page=6301|date=26 May 1989}}</ref>

===21st century===
*[[James Hamilton, 5th Duke of Abercorn]] 2001–2009
*[[James Ramsay, 17th Earl of Dalhousie]] 2009–2023
*[[Peter St Clair-Erskine, 7th Earl of Rosslyn]] 2023–present

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{British Monarchy Household}}

[[Category:Positions within the British Royal Household]]
[[Category:Ceremonial officers in the United Kingdom]]