Master of the Rolls

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The Keeper or Master of the Rolls and Records of the Chancery of England, known as the Master of the Rolls, is the second most senior judge of England and Wales, after the Lord Chief Justice. Formerly the Lord Chancellor was senior to both, but the judicial roles of the Lord Chancellor have now been removed as a result of the Constitutional Reform Act 2005. The Master of the Rolls is the presiding officer of the Civil Division of the Court of Appeal and since the 2005 reforms is known as the Head of Civil Justice. The first record of a Master of the Rolls is from 1286, although it is known that the office probably existed earlier than that.^[1]

The Master of the Rolls was initially a clerk responsible for keeping the "Rolls", or records, of the Chancery court, and was known as the Keeper of the Rolls of Chancery.^[1] The post eventually evolved into a judicial one, but the Master still retained his clerical functions by serving as the nominal head of the Public Record Office up until 1958. However the Public Records Act of that year transferred responsibility for the PRO from the Master of the Rolls to the Lord Chancellor. The Master of the Rolls is also responsible for registering solicitors, who are officers of the Supreme Court.^[2]

The present Master of the Rolls is Lord Clarke of Stone-cum-Ebony , who succeeded Lord Phillips of Worth Matravers, now Senior Lord of Appeal in Ordinary, on 1 October 2005.

[edit] List of recipients

#	Name	Period	Notes
1	Langton, JohnJohn Langton	(2 September 1286 – 1 October 1295)	[3]
2	Osgodby, AdamAdam Osgodby	(1 October 1295 – 19 August 1316)	[3]
3	Airmyn, WilliamWilliam Airmyn	(19 August 1316 – 26 May 1324)	[3]
4	Airmyn, RichardRichard Airmyn	(26 May 1324 – 4 July 1325)	[3]
5	Cliffe, HenryHenry Cliffe	(4 July 1325 – 20 January 1334)	[3]
6	Wrath, MichaelMichael Wrath	(20 January 1334 – 28 April 1337)	[3]
7	St Paul, JohnJohn St Paul	(28 April 1337 – 10 January 1341)	[4]
8	Evesham, ThomasThomas Evesham	(10 January 1341–21 February 1341)	[4]
9	Thoresby, JohnJohn Thoresby	(21 February 1341 – 2 July 1346)	[4]
10	Wollore, DavidDavid Wollore	(2 July 1346 – 28 March 1371)	[4]
11	Burstall, WilliamWilliam Burstall	(28 March 1371 – 8 September 1381)	[4]
12	Waltham, JohnJohn Waltham	(8 September 1381 – 24 October 1386)	[4]
13	Burton, JohnJohn Burton	(24 October 1386 – 22 July 1394)	[4]
14	Scarle, JohnJohn Scarle	(22 July 1394 – 11 September 1397)	[4]
15	Stanley, ThomasThomas Stanley	(11 September 1397 – 24 September 1402)	[4]
16	Bubwith, NicholasNicholas Bubwith	24 September 1402 – 2 March 1405)	[5]
17	Wakering, JohnJohn Wakering	(2 March 1405 – 3 June 1415)	[5]
18	Gauntsede, SimonSimon Gauntsede	(3 June 1415 – 28 October 1423)	[5]
19	Frank, JohnJohn Frank	(28 October 1423 – 13 November 1438)	[5]
20	Stopyndon, JohnJohn Stopyndon	(13 November 1438 – 29 March 1447)	[5]
21	Kirkeby, JohnJohn Kirkeby	(29 March 1447–23 December 1461)	[5]
22	Kirkeham, RobertRobert Kirkeham	(23 December 1461 – 12 February 1471)	[5]
23	Morland, WilliamWilliam Morland	(12 February 1471 – 29 April 1471)	[5]
24	Alcock, JohnJohn Alcock	(29 April 1471 – 16 March 1472)	[5]
25	Morton, JohnJohn Morton	(16 March 1472 – 9 January 1479)	[5]
26	Morton, RobertRobert Morton	(9 January 1479 – 22 September 1483)	[6]
27	Barowe, ThomasThomas Barowe	(22 September 1483 – 22 August 1485)	[6]
28	Morton, RobertRobert Morton	(22 August 1485 – 26 February 1487)	[6]
29	William, DavidDavid William	(26 February 1487 – 5 May 1492)	[6]
30	Blyth, JohnJohn Blyth	(5 May 1492 – 13 February 1494)	[6]
31	Warham, WilliamWilliam Warham	(13 February 1494 – 1 February 1502)	[6]
32	Barnes, WilliamWilliam Barnes	(1 February 1502 – 13 November 1504)	[6]
33	Bainbridge, ChristopherChristopher Bainbridge	(13 November 1504 – 22 January 1508)	[6]
34	Yonge, JohnJohn Yonge	(22 January 1508 – 12 May 1516)	[7]
35	Tunstall, CuthbertCuthbert Tunstall	(12 May 1516 – 20 October 1522)	[7]
36	Clerk, JohnJohn Clerk	(20 October 1522 – 9 October 1523)	[7]
37	Hannibal, ThomasThomas Hannibal	(9 October 1523 – 26 June 1527)	[7]
38	Taylor, JohnJohn Taylor	(26 June 1527–8 October 1534)	[7]
39	Cromwell, ThomasThomas Cromwell	(8 October 1534 – 10 July 1536)	[7]
40	Hales, ChristopherChristopher Hales	(10 July 1536 – 1 July 1541)	[7]
41	Southwell, RobertRobert Southwell	(1 July 1541 – 13 December 1550)	[7]
42	Beaumont, JohnJohn Beaumont	(13 December 1550 – 18 June 1552)	[7]
43	Bowes, RobertRobert Bowes	(18 June 1552 – 18 September 1553)	[7]
44	Hare, NicholasNicholas Hare	(18 September 1553 – 5 November 1557)	[8]
45	Cordell, WilliamWilliam Cordell	(5 November 1557 – 30 May 1581)	[8]
46	Gerard, GilbertGilbert Gerard	(30 May 1581 – 10 April 1594)	[8]
47	Egerton, ThomasThomas Egerton	(10 April 1594 – 18 May 1603)	[8]
48	Bruce, EdwardEdward Bruce	(18 May 1603 – 14 January 1611)	[8]
49	Phelips, EdwardEdward Phelips	(14 January 1611 – 1 September 1614)	[8]
50	Caesar, JuliusJulius Caesar	(1 September 1614 – 18 April 1636)	[8]
51	Digges, DudleyDudley Digges	(18 April 1636 – 30 March 1639)	[8]
52	Caesar, CharlesCharles Caesar	(30 March 1639 – 28 January 1643)	[8]
53	Colepeper, JohnJohn Colepeper (royalist)	(28 January 1643–3 November 1660)	[8]
54	Lenthall, WilliamWilliam Lenthall (parliamentary)	(10 November 1643 – 14 May 1659)	[9]
55	Grimston, HarbottleHarbottle Grimston	(3 November 1660 – 12 January 1685)	[9]
56	Churchill, JohnJohn Churchill	(12 January 1685 – 20 October 1685)	[9]
57	Trevor, JohnJohn Trevor	(20 October 1685 – 13 March 1689)	[9]
58	Powle, HenryHenry Powle	(13 March 1689 – 13 January 1693)	[9]
59	Trevor, JohnJohn Trevor	(13 January 1693 – 13 July 1717)	[9]
60	Jekyll, JosephJoseph Jekyll	(13 July 1717 – 9 October 1738)	[9]
61	Verney, JohnJohn Verney	(9 October 1738 – 5 November 1741)	[9]
62	Fortescue, WilliamWilliam Fortescue	(5 November 1741 – 15 January 1750)	[9]
63	Strange, JohnJohn Strange	(16 January 1750 – 18 May 1754)	[9]
64	Clarke, ThomasThomas Clarke	(25 May 1754 – 13 November 1764)	[10]
65	Sewell, ThomasThomas Sewell	(4 December 1764 – 30 March 1784)	[10]
66	Kenyon, LloydLloyd Kenyon	(30 March 1784 – 4 June 1788)	[10]
67	Arden, RichardRichard Arden	(4 June 1788 – 27 May 1801)	[10]
68	Grant , WilliamWilliam Grant	(1801 – 1817)	[10]
69	Plumer, ThomasThomas Plumer	(6 January 1818 – 5 April 1824)	[10]
70	Gifford, RobertRobert Gifford	(5 April 1824 – 14 September 1826)	[10]
71	Copley, JohnJohn Copley	(14 September 1826 – 3 May 1827)	[10]
72	Leach, JohnJohn Leach	(3 May 1827 – 29 September 1834)	[10]
73	Pepys, CharlesCharles Pepys	(29 September 1834 – 16 January 1836)	[10]
74	Bickersteth, HenryHenry Bickersteth	(16 January 1836 – 28 March 1851)	[11]
75	Romilly, JohnJohn Romilly	(28 March 1851 – 30 August 1873)	[11]
76	Jessel, GeorgeGeorge Jessel	(30 August 1873 – 21 March 1883)	[11]
77	Brett, WilliamWilliam Brett	(3 April 1883 – 19 October 1897)	[11]
78	Lindley, NathanielNathaniel Lindley	(19 October 1897 – 9 May 1900)	[11]
79	Webster, RichardRichard Webster	(9 May 1900 – 24 October 1900)	[11]
80	Smith, ArchibaldArchibald Smith	(24 October 1900 – 24 October 1901)	[11]
81	Collins, RichardRichard Collins	(24 October 1901 – 6 March 1907)	[11]
82	Cozens-Hardy, HerbertHerbert Cozens-Hardy	(6 March 1907 – 3 May 1918)	[11]
83	Eady, CharlesCharles Eady	(3 May 1918 – 3 November 1919)	[11]
84	Pickford, WilliamWilliam Pickford	(3 November 1919 – 16 August 1923)	[12]
85	Pollock, ErnestErnest Pollock	(11 October 1923 – 7 October 1935)	[12]
86	Wright, RobertRobert Wright	(7 October 1935–26 April 1937)	[12]
87	Greene, WilfredWilfred Greene	(26 April 1937 – 1 June 1949)	[12]
88	Evershed, RaymondRaymond Evershed	(1 June 1949 – 19 April 1962)	[12]
89	Denning, AlfredAlfred Denning	(19 April 1962 – 30 July 1982)	[12]
90	Donaldson, JohnJohn Donaldson	(30 July 1982 – 1 October 1992)	[12]
91	Bingham, ThomasThomas Bingham	(1 October 1992 – 4 June 1996)	[13]
92	Woolf, HarryHarry Woolf	(4 June 1996 – 6 June 2000)	[14]
93	Phillips, NicholasNicholas Phillips	(6 June 2000 – 3 October 2005)	[15]
94	Clarke, AnthonyAnthony Clarke	(3 October 2005 – present)	[16]

[edit] References

General

• "Oxford DNB theme:Masters of the Rolls". http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/theme/92826?backToResults=list=yes. Retrieved on 2008-10-13. 

Specific

[edit] Bibliography

• Sainty, John (1993). The Judges of England 1272 -1990: a list of judges of the superior courts. Oxford: Selden Society. OCLC 29670782.