Lord Keeper |
Term of office |
Other ministerial portfolios held during tenure |
Party |
Ministry |
Monarch (Reign) |
|
|
Thomas Wharton 1st Marquess of Wharton[nb 15] |
23 September 1714 |
31 August 1715 |
|
Whig |
Townshend |
George I
r. 1714–1727 |
|
|
Charles Spencer 3rd Earl of Sunderland |
31 August 1715 |
19 December 1716 |
|
— |
|
|
Evelyn Pierrepont 1st Duke of Kingston-upon-Hull |
19 December 1716 |
6 February 1719 |
|
— |
Stanhope–Sunderland I |
Stanhope–Sunderland II |
|
|
Henry Grey 1st Duke of Kent |
6 February 1719 |
11 June 1720 |
|
— |
|
|
Evelyn Pierrepont 1st Duke of Kingston-upon-Hull |
11 June 1720 |
11 March 1726 |
|
— |
Walpole–Townshend |
|
|
Thomas Trevor 1st Baron Trevor |
11 March 1726 |
8 May 1730 |
|
— |
George II
r. 1727–1760 |
|
|
Spencer Compton 1st Earl of Wilmington |
8 May 1730 |
January 1731 |
|
Whig |
Walpole |
|
|
William Cavendish 3rd Duke of Devonshire |
12 January 1731 |
5 May 1733 |
|
Whig |
|
|
Henry Lowther 3rd Viscount Lonsdale |
5 May 1733 |
16 May 1735 |
|
— |
|
|
Francis Godolphin 2nd Earl of Godolphin |
16 May 1735 |
7 April 1740 |
|
— |
|
|
John Hervey 2nd Baron Hervey |
7 April 1740 |
13 July 1742 |
|
— |
|
|
John Leveson-Gower 2nd Baron Gower |
13 July 1742 |
10 December 1743 |
|
Tory |
Carteret |
|
|
George Cholmondeley 3rd Earl of Cholmondeley |
10 December 1743 |
27 December 1744 |
|
— |
|
|
John Leveson-Gower 1st Earl Gower[nb 16] |
27 December 1744 |
8 June 1755 |
|
Tory |
Broad Bottom (I & II) |
Newcastle I |
|
|
Charles Spencer 3rd Duke of Marlborough |
8 June 1755 |
22 December 1755 |
|
— |
|
|
Granville Leveson-Gower 2nd Earl Gower |
22 December 1755 |
30 June 1757 |
|
Tory |
Pitt–Devonshire |
1757 Caretaker |
|
|
Richard Grenville-Temple 2nd Earl Temple |
30 June 1757 |
5 October 1761 |
|
— |
Pitt–Newcastle |
George III
(1760–1820) [nb 17] |
|
|
John Russell 4th Duke of Bedford |
25 November 1761 |
22 April 1763 |
|
Whig |
Bute |
|
|
George Spencer 4th Duke of Marlborough |
22 April 1763 |
30 July 1765 |
|
— |
Grenville (Whig–Tory) |
|
|
Thomas Pelham-Holles 1st Duke of Newcastle |
30 July 1765 |
30 July 1766 |
|
Whig |
Rockingham I |
|
|
William Pitt 1st Earl of Chatham |
30 July 1766 |
2 November 1768 |
|
Whig |
Chatham (Whig–Tory) |
|
|
George Hervey 2nd Earl of Bristol |
2 November 1768 |
26 February 1770 |
|
— |
Grafton (Whig–Tory) |
|
|
George Montagu-Dunk 2nd Earl of Halifax |
26 February 1770 |
22 January 1771 |
|
Tory |
North |
|
|
Henry Howard 12th Earl of Suffolk |
22 January 1771 |
12 June 1771 |
|
— |
|
|
Augustus FitzRoy 3rd Duke of Grafton |
12 June 1771 |
4 November 1775 |
|
Whig |
|
|
William Legge 2nd Earl of Dartmouth |
4 November 1775 |
27 March 1782 |
|
— |
|
|
Augustus FitzRoy 3rd Duke of Grafton |
27 March 1782 |
4 April 1783 |
|
Whig |
Rockingham II |
Shelburne (Whig–Tory) |
|
|
Frederick Howard 5th Earl of Carlisle |
4 April 1783 |
23 December 1783 |
|
— |
Fox–North (Whig–Tory) |
|
|
Charles Manners 4th Duke of Rutland |
23 December 1783 |
27 November 1784 |
|
— |
Pitt I |
|
|
Granville Leveson-Gower 1st Marquess of Stafford[nb 18] |
27 November 1784 |
1794 |
|
Tory |
|
|
George Spencer 2nd Earl Spencer |
1794 |
16 July 1794 |
|
Whig |
|
|
John Pitt 2nd Earl of Chatham |
16 July 1794 |
14 February 1798 |
|
— |
|
|
John Fane 10th Earl of Westmorland |
14 February 1798 |
5 February 1806 |
|
Tory |
Addington |
Pitt II |
|
|
Henry Addington 1st Viscount Sidmouth |
5 February 1806 |
15 October 1806 |
|
Tory |
All the Talents (Whig–Tory) |
|
|
Henry Vassall-Fox 3rd Baron Holland |
15 October 1806 |
25 March 1807 |
|
Whig |
|
|
John Fane 10th Earl of Westmorland |
25 March 1807 |
30 April 1827 |
|
Tory |
Portland II |
Perceval |
Liverpool |
George IV
r. 1820–1830 |
|
|
William Cavendish-Scott-Bentinck 4th Duke of Portland |
30 April 1827 |
16 July 1827 |
|
Tory |
Canning (Canningite–Whig) |
|
|
George Howard 6th Earl of Carlisle |
16 July 1827 |
26 January 1828 |
|
Whig |
Goderich (Canningite–Whig) |
|
|
Edward Law 2nd Baron Ellenborough |
26 January 1828 |
10 June 1829 |
|
Tory |
Wellington–Peel |
|
|
James St Clair-Erskine 2nd Earl of Rosslyn |
10 June 1829 |
22 November 1830 |
|
Tory |
William IV
r. 1830–1837 |
|
|
John Lambton 1st Baron Durham |
22 November 1830 |
3 April 1833 |
|
Whig |
Grey |
|
|
Frederick John Robinson 1st Earl of Ripon |
3 April 1833 |
5 June 1834 |
|
Whig |
|
|
George Howard 6th Earl of Carlisle |
5 June 1834 |
30 July 1834 |
|
Whigs |
|
|
Constantine Phipps 2nd Earl of Mulgrave |
30 July 1834 |
14 November 1834 |
|
Whig |
Melbourne I |
|
|
James Stuart-Wortley-Mackenzie 1st Baron Wharncliffe |
15 December 1834 |
8 April 1835 |
|
Conservative |
Peel I |
|
|
John Ponsonby 1st Baron Duncannon styled Viscount Duncannon |
23 April 1835 |
15 January 1840 |
|
Whig |
Melbourne II |
Victoria
r. 1837–1901 |
|
|
George Villiers 4th Earl of Clarendon |
15 January 1840 |
30 August 1841 |
|
Whig |
|
|
Richard Temple-Nugent-Brydges-Chandos-Grenville 2nd Duke of Buckingham and Chandos |
3 September 1841 |
2 February 1842 |
|
Conservative |
Peel II |
|
|
Walter Montagu-Douglas-Scott 5th Duke of Buccleuch |
2 February 1842 |
21 January 1846 |
|
Conservative |
|
|
Thomas Hamilton 9th Earl of Haddington |
21 January 1846 |
27 June 1846 |
|
Conservative |
|
|
Gilbert Elliot-Murray-Kynynmound 2nd Earl of Minto |
6 July 1846 |
21 February 1852 |
|
Whig |
Russell I |
|
|
James Gascoyne-Cecil 2nd Marquess of Salisbury |
27 February 1852 |
17 December 1852 |
|
Conservative |
Who? Who? |
|
|
George Campbell 8th Duke of Argyll |
4 January 1853 |
7 December 1855 |
|
Peelite |
Aberdeen (Peelite–Whig) |
Palmerston I |
|
|
Dudley Ryder 2nd Earl of Harrowby |
7 December 1855 |
3 February 1858 |
|
Whig |
|
|
Ulick de Burgh 1st Marquess of Clanricarde |
3 February 1858 |
21 February 1858 |
|
Whig |
|
|
Charles Yorke 4th Earl of Hardwicke |
26 February 1858 |
11 June 1859 |
|
Conservative |
Derby–Disraeli II |
|
|
George Campbell 8th Duke of Argyll |
18 June 1859 |
26 June 1866 |
|
Liberal |
Palmerston II |
Russell II |
|
|
James Harris 3rd Earl of Malmesbury |
6 July 1866 |
1 December 1868 |
|
Conservative |
Derby–Disraeli III |
|
|
John Wodehouse 1st Earl of Kimberley |
9 December 1868 |
6 July 1870 |
|
Liberal |
Gladstone I |
|
|
Charles Wood 1st Viscount Halifax |
6 July 1870 |
17 February 1874 |
|
Liberal |
|
|
James Harris 3rd Earl of Malmesbury |
21 February 1874 |
12 August 1876 |
|
Conservative |
Disraeli II |
|
|
Benjamin Disraeli 1st Earl of Beaconsfield |
12 August 1876 |
4 February 1878 |
|
Conservative |
|
|
Algernon Percy 6th Duke of Northumberland |
4 February 1878 |
21 April 1880 |
|
Conservative |
|
|
George Campbell 8th Duke of Argyll |
28 April 1880 |
2 May 1881 |
|
Liberal |
Gladstone II |
|
|
Chichester Parkinson-Fortescue 1st Baron Carlingford |
2 May 1881 |
5 March 1885 |
|
Liberal |
|
|
Archibald Primrose 5th Earl of Rosebery |
5 March 1885 |
9 June 1885 |
|
Liberal |
|
|
Dudley Ryder 3rd Earl of Harrowby |
24 June 1885 |
28 January 1886 |
|
Conservative |
Salisbury I |
|
|
William Ewart Gladstone MP for Midlothian |
17 February 1886 |
20 July 1886 |
|
Liberal |
Gladstone III |
|
|
George Cadogan 5th Earl Cadogan |
3 August 1886 |
11 August 1892 |
|
Conservative |
Salisbury II |
|
|
William Ewart Gladstone MP for Midlothian |
20 August 1892 |
10 March 1894 |
|
Liberal |
Gladstone IV |
|
|
Edward Marjoribanks 2nd Baron Tweedmouth |
10 March 1894 |
21 June 1895 |
|
Liberal |
Rosebery |
|
|
Richard Assheton Cross 1st Viscount Cross |
29 June 1895 |
12 November 1900 |
|
Conservative |
Salisbury (III & IV) (Con.–Lib.U.) |
|
|
Robert Gascoyne-Cecil 3rd Marquess of Salisbury |
12 November 1900 |
July 1902 |
|
Conservative |
Edward VII
r. 1901–1910 |
|
|
Arthur Balfour MP for Manchester East |
14 July 1902 |
October 1903 |
|
Conservative |
Balfour (Con.–Lib.U.) |
|
|
James Gascoyne-Cecil 4th Marquess of Salisbury |
17 October 1903 |
December 1905 |
|
Conservative |
|
|
George Robinson 1st Marquess of Ripon |
10 December 1905 |
October 1908 |
|
Liberal |
Campbell-Bannerman |
Asquith (I–III) |
|
|
Robert Crewe-Milnes 1st Marquess of Crewe[nb 24] |
9 October 1908 |
October 1911 |
|
Liberal |
George V
r. 1910–1936 |
|
|
Charles Wynn-Carington 1st Earl Carrington |
23 October 1911 |
February 1912 |
|
Liberal |
|
|
Robert Crewe-Milnes 1st Marquess of Crewe |
13 February 1912 |
May 1915 |
|
Liberal |
|
|
George Curzon 1st Earl Curzon of Kedleston |
25 May 1915 |
December 1916 |
|
Conservative |
Asquith Coalition (Lib.–Con.–Lab.) |
|
|
David Lindsay 27th Earl of Crawford |
15 December 1916 |
January 1919 |
|
Conservative |
Lloyd George (I & II) (Lib.–Con.–Lab.) |
|
|
Bonar Law MP for Glasgow Central |
10 January 1919 |
March 1921 |
|
Conservative |
|
|
Austen Chamberlain MP for Birmingham West |
23 March 1921 |
October 1922 |
|
Conservative |
Vacant |
October 1922 |
May 1923 |
|
|
Law |
|
|
Robert Cecil 1st Viscount Cecil of Chelwood[nb 28] |
28 May 1923 |
January 1924 |
|
Conservative |
Baldwin I |
|
|
J. R. Clynes MP for Manchester Platting |
22 January 1924 |
November 1924 |
- Deputy Leader of the House of Commons
|
Labour |
MacDonald I |
|
|
James Gascoyne-Cecil 4th Marquess of Salisbury |
6 November 1924 |
June 1929 |
|
Conservative |
Baldwin II |
|
|
Jimmy Thomas MP for Derby |
7 June 1929 |
June 1930 |
|
Labour |
MacDonald II |
|
|
Vernon Hartshorn MP for Ogmore |
5 June 1930 |
March 1931 |
|
Labour |
|
|
Tom Johnston MP for West Stirlingshire |
24 March 1931 |
August 1931 |
|
Labour |
|
|
William Peel 1st Earl Peel |
August 1931 |
November 1931 |
|
Conservative |
National I (N.Lab.–Con.–Lib.N.–Lib.) |
|
|
Philip Snowden 1st Viscount Snowden |
5 November 1931 |
September 1932 |
|
National Labour |
National II (N.Lab.–Con.–Lib.N.–Lib.) |
|
|
Stanley Baldwin MP for Bewdley |
29 September 1932 |
December 1933 |
|
Conservative |
|
|
Anthony Eden MP for Warwick and Leamington |
31 December 1933 |
June 1935 |
|
Conservative |
|
|
Charles Vane-Tempest-Stewart 7th Marquess of Londonderry |
7 June 1935 |
November 1935 |
|
Conservative |
National III (Con.–N.Lab.–Lib.N.) |
|
|
Edward Wood 3rd Viscount Halifax |
22 November 1935 |
May 1937 |
|
Conservative |
Edward VIII
r. 1936 |
George VI
r. 1936–1952 |
|
|
Herbrand Sackville 9th Earl De La Warr |
28 May 1937 |
October 1938 |
|
National Labour |
National IV (Con.–N.Lab.–Lib.N.) |
|
|
John Anderson 1st Viscount Waverley MP for Combined Scottish Universities |
31 October 1938 |
September 1939 |
|
Independent (National) |
|
|
Samuel Hoare 1st Viscount Templewood MP for Chelsea |
3 September 1939 |
April 1940 |
|
Conservative |
Chamberlain War (Con.–N.Lab.–Lib.N.) |
|
|
Kingsley Wood MP for Woolwich West |
3 April 1940 |
May 1940 |
|
Conservative |
|
|
Clement Attlee MP for Limehouse |
11 May 1940 |
February 1942 |
- Deputy Leader of the House of Commons
|
Labour |
Churchill War (All parties) |
|
|
Stafford Cripps MP for Bristol East |
19 February 1942 |
November 1942 |
|
Labour |
|
|
Robert Gascoyne-Cecil Viscount Cranborne |
22 November 1942 |
September 1943 |
|
Conservative |
|
|
Max Aitken 1st Baron Beaverbrook |
24 September 1943 |
July 1945 |
|
Conservative |
Churchill Caretaker (Con.–N.Lib.) |
|
|
Arthur Greenwood MP for Wakefield |
27 July 1945 |
17 April 1947 |
|
Labour |
Attlee (I & II) |
|
|
Philip Inman 1st Baron Inman |
17 April 1947 |
7 October 1947 |
|
Labour |
|
|
Christopher Addison 1st Viscount Addison |
7 October 1947 |
9 March 1951 |
|
Labour |
|
|
Ernest Bevin MP for Woolwich East |
9 March 1951 |
14 April 1951 |
|
Labour |
|
|
Richard Stokes MP for Ipswich |
26 April 1951 |
October 1951 |
|
Labour |
|
|
Robert Gascoyne-Cecil 5th Marquess of Salisbury |
28 October 1951 |
7 May 1952 |
|
Conservative |
Churchill III |
Elizabeth II
r. 1952–2022 |
|
|
Harry Crookshank MP for Gainsborough |
7 May 1952 |
20 December 1955 |
|
Conservative |
Eden |
|
|
R. A. Butler MP for Saffron Walden |
20 December 1955 |
October 1959 |
|
Conservative |
Macmillan (I & II) |
|
|
Quintin Hogg 2nd Viscount Hailsham |
14 October 1959 |
July 1960 |
|
Conservative |
|
|
Edward Heath MP for Bexley |
27 July 1960 |
October 1963 |
- Deputy Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs
|
Conservative |
|
|
Selwyn Lloyd MP for Wirral |
20 October 1963 |
October 1964 |
|
Conservative |
Douglas-Home |
|
|
Frank Pakenham 7th Earl of Longford |
18 October 1964 |
December 1965 |
|
Labour |
Wilson (I & II) |
|
|
Frank Soskice MP for Newport |
23 December 1965 |
April 1966 |
|
Labour |
|
|
Frank Pakenham 7th Earl of Longford |
6 April 1966 |
January 1968 |
|
Labour |
|
|
Edward Shackleton Baron Shackleton |
16 January 1968 |
April 1968 |
|
Labour |
|
|
Fred Peart MP for Workington |
6 April
|
October 1968 |
|
Labour |
|
|
Edward Shackleton Baron Shackleton |
18 October 1968 |
June 1970 |
|
Labour |
|
|
George Jellicoe 2nd Earl Jellicoe |
20 June 1970 |
June 1973 |
|
Conservative |
Heath |
|
|
David Hennessy 3rd Baron Windlesham |
5 June 1973 |
March 1974 |
|
Conservative |
|
|
Malcolm Shepherd 2nd Baron Shepherd |
7 March 1974 |
September 1976 |
|
Labour |
Wilson (III & IV) |
Callaghan |
|
|
Fred Peart Baron Peart |
10 September 1976 |
May 1979 |
|
Labour |
|
|
Ian Gilmour Baron Gilmour of Craigmillar MP for Chesham and Amersham |
5 May 1979 |
September 1981 |
- Government spokesman in the House of Commons for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs
|
Conservative |
Thatcher I |
|
|
Humphrey Atkins MP for Spelthorne |
14 September 1981 |
April 1982 |
- Government spokesman in the House of Commons for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs
|
Conservative |
|
|
Janet Young Baroness Young |
6 April 1982 |
June 1983 |
|
Conservative |
|
|
John Biffen MP for North Shropshire |
11 June 1983 |
June 1987 |
|
Conservative |
Thatcher II |
|
|
John Wakeham MP for South Colchester and Maldon |
13 June 1987 |
10 January 1988 |
|
Conservative |
Thatcher III |
|
|
John Ganzoni 2nd Baron Belstead |
10 January 1988 |
28 November 1990 |
|
Conservative |
|
|
David Waddington Baron Waddington |
28 November 1990 |
11 April 1992 |
|
Conservative |
Major I |
|
|
John Wakeham Baron Wakeham |
11 April 1992 |
20 July 1994 |
|
Conservative |
|
|
Robert Gascoyne-Cecil Viscount Cranborne |
20 July 1994 |
2 May 1997 |
|
Conservative |
Major II |
|
|
Ivor Richard Baron Richard |
2 May 1997 |
27 July 1998 |
|
Labour |
Blair I |
|
|
Margaret Jay Baroness Jay of Paddington |
27 July 1998 |
8 June 2001 |
|
Labour |
|
|
Gareth Williams Baron Williams of Mostyn |
8 June 2001 |
13 June 2003 |
|
Labour |
Blair II |
|
|
Peter Hain MP for Neath |
13 June 2003 |
6 May 2005 |
|
Labour |
|
|
Geoff Hoon MP for Ashfield |
6 May 2005 |
5 May 2006 |
|
Labour |
Blair III |
|
|
Jack Straw MP for Blackburn |
5 May 2006 |
27 June 2007 |
|
Labour |
|
|
Harriet Harman MP for Camberwell and Peckham |
28 June 2007 |
11 May 2010 |
|
Labour |
Brown |
|
|
George Young MP for North West Hampshire |
12 May 2010 |
4 September 2012 |
|
Conservative |
Cameron–Clegg (Con.–L.D.) |
|
|
Andrew Lansley MP for South Cambridgeshire |
4 September 2012 |
14 July 2014 |
|
Conservative |
|
|
Tina Stowell Baroness Stowell of Beeston |
15 July 2014 |
14 July 2016 |
|
Conservative |
Cameron II |
|
|
Natalie Evans Baroness Evans of Bowes Park |
14 July 2016 |
6 September 2022 |
|
Conservative |
May I |
May II |
Johnson I |
Johnson II |
|
|
Nicholas True Baron True |
6 September 2022 |
5 July 2024 |
|
Conservative |
Truss |
Charles III
(2022–present) |
Sunak |
|
|
Angela Smith Baroness Smith of Basildon |
5 July 2024 |
Incumbent |
|
Labour |
Starmer |