Lord Chamberlain

The Lord Chamberlain of the Household is the most senior officer of the Royal Household of the United Kingdom, supervising the departments which support and provide advice to the Sovereign of the United Kingdom while also acting as the main channel of communication between the Sovereign and the House of Lords. The office organises all ceremonial activity such as garden parties, state visits, royal weddings, and the State Opening of Parliament. They also oversee the Royal Mews and royal travel, as well as the ceremony around the awarding of honours.

Lord Chamberlain of the Household
Royal Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom
Incumbent Richard Benyon, Baron Benyon since 4 November 2024
Lord Chamberlain's Office Royal Households of the United Kingdom
Member of	Royal Household of the United Kingdom
Appointer	His Majesty The King
Term length	At His Majesty's Pleasure
Inaugural holder	Sir Thomas Erpingham
Formation	c. 1399
Website	Official Website

From 1737 to 1968, the Lord Chamberlain had the power to decide which plays would be granted a licence for performance; this meant that he had the capacity to censor theatre at his pleasure.

The Lord Chamberlain is always sworn of the Privy Council, is usually a peer and before 1782 the post was of Cabinet rank. The position was a political one until 1924. The office dates from the Middle Ages when the King's Chamberlain often acted as the King's spokesman in Council and Parliament.

The current Lord Chamberlain is Richard Benyon, Baron Benyon, who has been in office since 4 November 2024.

Historic role

During the early modern period, the Lord Chamberlain was one of the three principal officers of the Royal Household, the others being the Lord Steward and the Master of the Horse. The Lord Chamberlain was responsible for the "chamber" or the household "above stairs": that is, the series of rooms used by the Sovereign to receive increasingly select visitors, terminating in the royal bedchamber (although the bedchamber itself came to operate semi-autonomously under the Groom of the Stool/Stole). His department not only furnished the servants and other personnel (such as physicians and bodyguards, the Yeomen of the Guard and Gentlemen Pensioners) in intimate attendance on the Sovereign but arranged and staffed ceremonies and entertainments for the court. He also had (secular) authority over the Chapel Royal. Under the terms of the Civil List and Secret Service Money Act 1782 (22 Geo. 3. c. 82), the Lord Chamberlain took on direct responsibility for items kept and maintained by the Great Wardrobe and the Jewel House (whereby these formerly semi-independent sub-departments were abolished).

As other responsibilities of government were devolved to ministers, the ordering of the Royal Household was largely left to the personal taste of the Sovereign. To ensure that the chamber reflected the royal tastes, the Lord Chamberlain received commands directly from the sovereign to be transmitted to the heads of subordinate departments.

In 1594, the Lord Chamberlain, Henry Carey, 1st Baron Hunsdon, founded the Lord Chamberlain's Men, for which William Shakespeare was a part (and later a shareholder in the company) and for whom he wrote most of his plays during his career. Carey served under Elizabeth I at the time and was in charge of all court entertainment, a duty traditionally given to the Master of the Revels, a deputy of the Lord Chamberlain. Later, in 1603, James I, elevated the Chamberlain's Men to royal patronage and changed the name to the King's Men.

Theatre censorship

Sir Robert Walpole, the Prime Minister who gave the Lord Chamberlain official censorship duties. Painting by Arthur Pond.

The Licensing Act 1737

In 1737, Sir Robert Walpole officially introduced statutory censorship with the Licensing Act 1737 by appointing the Lord Chamberlain to act as the theatrical censor. The Licensing Act 1737 gave the Lord Chamberlain the statutory authority to veto the performance of any new plays: he could prevent any new play, or any modification to an existing play, from being performed for any reason, and theatre owners could be prosecuted for staging a play (or part of a play) that had not received prior approval.

Historically though, the Lord Chamberlain had been exercising a commanding authority on London's theatre companies under the royal prerogative for many decades already. But by the 1730s the theatre was not controlled by royal patronage anymore. Instead it had become more of a commercial business. Therefore, the fact the Lord Chamberlain still retained censorship authority for the next 200 years gave him uniquely repressive authority during a period where Britain was experiencing "growing political enfranchisement and liberalization".

Even further confusion rested in the fact that Members of Parliament could not present changes to the censorship laws because although the Lord Chamberlain exercised his authority under statute law, he was still an official whose authority was derived from the royal prerogative.

Theatres Act 1843

By the 1830s, it started to become clear that the theatre licensing system in England needed an upgrade. Playwrights, instead of representatives of minor theatres, actually initiated the final push for reform as they felt that their livelihoods were being negatively affected by the monopoly the larger theatres had on the industry, backed by the laws in the Licensing Act 1737.

A select committee was formed in 1832 with the purpose of examining the laws that affected dramatic literature. Their main complaints were the lack of copyright protection for their work and more importantly that only two patent theatres in London could legitimately perform new plays. After more pressure from playwrights and theatre managers, the findings of the committee were finally presented to Parliament.

It was the proposals of this committee that Parliament implemented in the Theatres Act 1843. The act still confirmed the absolute powers of censorship enjoyed by the Lord Chamberlain but still slightly restricted his powers so that he could only prohibit the performance of plays where he was of the opinion that "it is fitting for the preservation of good manners, decorum or of the public peace so to do". The Act, however, did abolish the monopoly that the patent houses had in London, providing a minor win for playwrights and theatre managers wishing to produce new work.

Theatres Act 1968

In 1909, a Joint Select Committee on Stage Plays (Censorship) was established and recommended that the Lord Chamberlain should continue to act as censor but that it could be lawful to perform plays without a licence from the Lord Chamberlain. However, King Edward VII refused to accept these recommendations. The outbreak of both World Wars put an end to any parliamentary initiatives to change the laws regarding theatre censorship for many years. In 1948, the first British Theatre Conference recommended the termination of theatre censorship with the plan to pursue parliamentary action to ratify this.

In the 1960s the debate to abolish theatre censorship rose again as a new generation of young playwrights came on the scene. They gained popularity with their new plays in local establishments, but since many were refused a licence by the Lord Chamberlain, they could not transfer to the West End. In the case of John Osborne's play A Patriot for Me, the Lord Chamberlain at the time, Cameron Cobbold, 1st Baron Cobbold, was irritated that the play was so widely publicized even though he had banned it and therefore pursued legal action. In the end, the play was allowed to continue as it was. At this point, several widely regarded authors had all been censored by the Lord Chamberlain at one time or another, including playwrights Henrik Ibsen and George Bernard Shaw. Sometimes censorship was self-serving. A comedy written for the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in the early 1960s had, as its plot, a jocular scheme to steal the crown jewels. The Lord Chamberlain issued a one-line letter requiring the excision of that plot element. As Michael Palin, one of its authors and performers notes, that meant banning the entire production. Another joint select committee was founded to further debate on the issue and present a solution. This time the argument largely centered around this issue on the portrayal of living and recently dead individuals, particularly in reference to the monarchy as well as politicians.

After much debate, the Theatres Act 1968 was finally passed; it officially abolished the censorship of the stage and repealed the Lord Chamberlain's power to refuse a licence to a play of any kind. The first London performance of the musical Hair was actually delayed until the act was passed after a licence had been refused.

Aftermath

The battle regarding the abolition of censorship was largely a political one, fought on principle. Those who opposed the termination of this particular duty of the Lord Chamberlain were mostly concerned about how to protect the reputation of the royal family and the government instead of controlling obscenity and blasphemy on stage. However, this concern has largely been unfounded. Since the termination of censorship, British drama has flourished and produced several prominent playwrights and new works since. The abolition of censorship opened a floodgate of theatrical creativity.

The Lord Chamberlain's plays

The long standing role of the Lord Chamberlain as theatrical censor resulted in an extensive archive of both licensed and unlicensed play scripts being preserved. The collection held at the British Library also includes correspondence and administrative documents related to the censorship process.

Duties of the office

The Henry Grey, 12th Earl of Kent in 1705, carrying the wand of office and wearing the insignia of a gold key, as Lord Chamberlain.

The Lord Chamberlain is the most senior official of the Royal Household and oversees its business, including liaising with the other senior officers of the Household, chairing Heads of Department meetings, and advising in the appointment of senior Household officials. The Lord Chamberlain also undertakes ceremonial duties and serves as the channel of communication between the Sovereign and the House of Lords.

Under David Ogilvy, 13th Earl of Airlie, the Lord Chamberlain’s ceremonial and non-executive role was altered to that of chief executive. Airlie initiated changes in the early 1990s under the auspices of "The Way Ahead Group". Under these plans the Queen agreed to pay tax, greater transparency for the public subsidy of the monarchy began and a greater emphasis on public relations started. In 1986, he produced a 1,393-page report recommending 188 changes for smoother operations of the Royal Household.

The Lord Chamberlain's Office is a department of the Royal Household and its day-to-day work is headed by the Comptroller. It is responsible for organizing ceremonial activities including state visits, investitures, garden parties, the State Opening of Parliament, weddings and funerals.

On State and ceremonial occasions, the Lord Chamberlain carries specific symbols that represent his office: a white staff and a key (which is worn at the hip pocket). These insignia are returned to the monarch when the Lord Chamberlain retires from office; but if the monarch dies, the white staff is symbolically broken by the Lord Chamberlain and placed on the coffin of the deceased Sovereign at the end of the State Funeral service. This was last done by Andrew Parker, Baron Parker of Minsmere, who broke his staff over the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II in 2022.

The Lord Chamberlain is ex-officio the Chancellor of the Royal Victorian Order, having possession of a Badge corresponding to that office. As such, they are often appointed to the said Order either upon appointment as Lord Chamberlain, or later in their career. The Lord Chamberlain also regulates the design and the wearing of court uniform and dress and how insignia are worn.

List of Lords Chamberlain of the Household from 1399

Name	Began	Ended	Notes	Ref.
Sir Thomas Erpingham	1399	1404
Richard Grey, 4th Baron Grey of Codnor	1404	1413
Henry FitzHugh, 3rd Baron FitzHugh	1413	1425
Ralph de Cromwell, 3rd Baron Cromwell	c. 1425	1432	First period in office
William Phelip, 6th Baron Bardolf	1432	1441
Sir Ralph Boteler, from 1441 The Lord Sudeley	1441	1447
James Fiennes, 1st Baron Saye and Sele	1447	1450
Ralph de Cromwell, 3rd Baron Cromwell	1450	1455	Second period in office
Thomas Stanley, from 1456 The Lord Stanley	1455	1459
[[Richard Neville, 5th Earl of Salisbury]	1460	1460
William Hastings, 1st Baron Hastings	1461	1470	First period in office
Unknown	1470	1471	Second reign of Henry VI
William Hastings, 1st Baron Hastings	1471	1483	Second period in office
Francis Lovell, 1st Viscount Lovell	1483	1485
Sir William Stanley	1485	1494
Giles Daubeney, 1st Baron Daubeney	1494	1508
Charles Somerset, 1st Baron Herbert, from 1514 Earl of Worcester	1509	1526
William Fitzalan, 11th Earl of Arundel	1526	1530
William Sandys, 1st Baron Sandys	1530	1540
Vacant	1540	1543
William Paulet, 1st Baron St John	1543	1545	Created Earl of Wiltshire in 1550 and Marquess of Winchester in 1551
Unknown	1545	1546
Henry Fitzalan, 12th Earl of Arundel	1546	1550
Thomas Wentworth, 1st Baron Wentworth	1550	1551
Thomas Darcy, 1st Baron Darcy of Chiche	1551	1553
Sir John Gage	1553	1556
Unknown	1556	1557
Sir Edward Hastings from 1558 Lord Hastings of Loughborough	1557	1558
William Howard, 1st Baron Howard of Effingham	1558	1572
Thomas Radclyffe, 3rd Earl of Sussex	1572	1585
Henry Carey, 1st Baron Hunsdon	1585	1596	Founded the famous Lord Chamberlain's Men for whom Shakespeare wrote for most of his career.
William Brooke, 10th Baron Cobham	1596	1597
George Carey, 2nd Baron Hunsdon	1597	1603
Thomas Howard, 1st Earl of Suffolk, from 1603 The Earl of Suffolk	1603	1614
Robert Carr, 1st Earl of Somerset	1614	1615
William Herbert, 3rd Earl of Pembroke	1615	1626
Philip Herbert, 4th Earl of Pembroke, from 1630 Earl of Pembroke	1626	1641
Robert Devereux, 3rd Earl of Essex	1641	1642
Unknown	1642	1644
Edward Sackville, 4th Earl of Dorset	1644	1649
Vacant	1649	1655	Position became vacant at the start of the Interregnum and the Commonwealth
Sir Gilbert Pickering, 1st Baronet	1655	1659	Lord Chamberlain during The Protectorate
Edward Montagu, 2nd Earl of Manchester	1660	1671
Henry Jermyn, 1st Earl of St Albans	1672	1674
Henry Bennet, 1st Earl of Arlington	1674	1685
Robert Bruce, 1st Earl of Ailesbury, 2nd Earl of Elgin	1685	1685
John Sheffield, 3rd Earl of Mulgrave	1685	1688	Created Marquess of Normanby in 1694 and Duke of Buckingham and Normanby in 1703
Charles Sackville, 6th Earl of Dorset	1689	1697
Robert Spencer, 2nd Earl of Sunderland	1697	1697
Vacant	1697	1699	William III did not accept the resignation of the Earl of Sunderland
Charles Talbot, 1st Duke of Shrewsbury	1699	1700
Edward Villiers, 1st Earl of Jersey	1700	1704
Henry Grey, 12th Earl of Kent from 1706 The Marquess of Kent	1704	1710	Created Duke of Kent in 1710 and Marquess Grey in 1740
Charles Talbot, 1st Duke of Shrewsbury	1710	1715
Charles Paulet, 2nd Duke of Bolton	1715	1717
Thomas Pelham-Holles, 1st Duke of Newcastle	1717	1724
Charles FitzRoy, 2nd Duke of Grafton	1724	1757
William Cavendish, 4th Duke of Devonshire	1757	1762
George Spencer, 4th Duke of Marlborough	1762	1763
Granville Leveson-Gower, 2nd Earl Gower	1763	1765	Created Marquess of Stafford in 1786
William Cavendish-Bentinck, 3rd Duke of Portland	1765	1766
Francis Seymour-Conway, 1st Earl of Hertford	1766	1782	First period in office; created Marquess of Hertford in 1793
George Montagu, 4th Duke of Manchester	1782	1783
[rancis Seymour-Conway, 1st Earl of Hertford	1783	1783	Second period in office
James Cecil, 7th Earl of Salisbury, from 1789 Marquess of Salisbury	1783	1804
George Legge, 3rd Earl of Dartmouth	1804	1810
Vacant	1810	1812
Francis Ingram-Seymour-Conway, 2nd Marquess of Hertford	1812	1821
James Graham, 3rd Duke of Montrose	1821	1827	First period in office
William Cavendish, 6th Duke of Devonshire	1827	1828	First period in office
James Graham, 3rd Duke of Montrose	1828	1830	Second period in office
[[George Child Villiers, 5th Earl of Jersey]	1830	1830	First period in office
William Cavendish, 6th Duke of Devonshire	1830	1834	Second period in office
George Child Villiers, 5th Earl of Jersey	1834	1835	Second period in office
Richard Wellesley, 1st Marquess Wellesley	1835	1835
Francis Conyngham, 2nd Marquess Conyngham	1835	1839
Henry Paget, Earl of Uxbridge	1839	1841	Succeeded as Marquess of Anglesey in 1854
George Sackville-West, 5th Earl De La Warr	1841	1846	First period in office
Frederick Spencer, 4th Earl Spencer	1846	1848
John Campbell, 2nd Marquess of Breadalbane	1848	1852	First period in office
Brownlow Cecil, 2nd Marquess of Exeter	1852	1852
John Campbell, 2nd Marquess of Breadalbane	1853	1858	Second period in office
George Sackville-West, 5th Earl De La Warr	1858	1859	Second period in office
John Townshend, 3rd Viscount Sydney	1859	1866	First period in office
Orlando Bridgeman, 3rd Earl of Bradford	1866	1868
John Townshend, 3rd Viscount Sydney	1868	1874	Second period in office; created Earl Sydney in 1874
Francis Seymour, 5th Marquess of Hertford	1874	1879
William Edgcumbe, 4th Earl of Mount Edgcumbe	1879	1880
Valentine Browne, 4th Earl of Kenmare	1880	1885	First period in office
Edward Bootle-Wilbraham, 1st Earl of Lathom	1885	1886	First period in office
Valentine Browne, 4th Earl of Kenmare	1886	1886	Second period in office
Edward Bootle-Wilbraham, 1st Earl of Lathom	1886	1892	Second period in office
Charles Wynn-Carington, 1st Earl Carrington	1892	1895	Created Earl Carrington in 1895 and Marquess of Lincolnshire in 1912
Edward Bootle-Wilbraham, 1st Earl of Lathom	1895	1898	Third period in office
John Hope, 7th Earl of Hopetoun	1898	1900	Created Marquess of Linlithgow in 1902
Edward Villiers, 5th Earl of Clarendon	1900	1905
Charles Spencer, Viscount Althorp from 1910 Earl Spencer	1905	1912
William Mansfield, 1st Viscount Sandhurst from 1917 Viscount Sandhurst	1912	1921
John Stewart-Murray, 8th Duke of Atholl	1921	1922
Rowland Baring, 2nd Earl of Cromer	1922	1938
George Villiers, 6th Earl of Clarendon	1938	1952
Roger Lumley, 11th Earl of Scarbrough	1952	1963
Cameron Cobbold, 1st Baron Cobbold	29 January 1963	30 November 1971
Charles Maclean, Baron Maclean	1 December 1971	30 November 1984
David Ogilvy, 13th Earl of Airlie	1 December 1984	31 December 1997
Thomas Stonor, 7th Baron Camoys	1 January 1998	31 May 2000
Richard Luce, Baron Luce	1 October 2000	15 October 2006
William Peel, 3rd Earl Peel	16 October 2006	31 March 2021
Andrew Parker, Baron Parker of Minsmere	1 April 2021	4 November 2024
Richard Benyon, Baron Benyon	4 November 2024	present

See also

• List of Lords Chamberlain to British royal consorts
• Lord Chamberlain's Office
• Central Chancery of the Orders of Knighthood

References

1. Handley, Miriam (2004). The Lord Chamberlain Regrets...: A History of British Theatre Censorship. London, England: British Library. pp. 3–17, 86–87, 140, 149, 162, 169. ISBN 0712348654.
2. "The Lord Chamberlain". Monarchy of the United Kingdom. Archived from the original on 2 June 2011. Retrieved 30 May 2011.
3. Bucholz, Robert O., ed. (2006). "Introduction: Administrative structure and work". Office-Holders in Modern Britain: Volume 11 (Revised), Court Officers, 1660-1837. London: University of London.
4. Zarrilli, Phillip B. (2006). Theatre Histories, An Introduction. New York, NY: Routledge. pp. 157–158, 188. ISBN 0-415-22727-5.
5. Thomas, David (2007). Theatre Censorship: From Walpole to Wilson. Oxford, England: Oxford University Press. pp. iix–xiii, 2, 4, 36, 53–57, 182–188, 205, 216–225. ISBN 978-0-19-926028-7.
6. The Fringe, Fame and Me (Television production). BBC Scotland. 2022.
7. Lewis, Anthony (29 September 1968). "Londoners Cool To Hair's Nudity Four Letter Words Shock Few at Musical's Debut". The New York Times. Retrieved 10 December 2017.
8. Dossett, Kate (17 January 2023). "How British theatre censorship laws have inadvertently created a rich archive of Black history". The Conversation. Retrieved 28 April 2024.
9. "British Library". APAC. Retrieved 28 April 2024.
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11. "The Earl of Airlie, dashing courtier who led Schroders through the Big Bang and reviewed the royal finances – obituary". The Daily Telegraph. 28 June 2023. Retrieved 29 June 2023.
12. Corby, Tom (3 July 2023). "The Earl of Airlie obituary". The Guardian. Retrieved 18 July 2023.
13. "Can Meghan Markle modernise the monarchy?". The Economist. 23 May 2018.
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17. "Lord chamberlains of the royal household in the Oxford DNB". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. 2006. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/93179. ISBN 978-0-19-861412-8. Retrieved 6 February 2011. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
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21. "No. 19221". The London Gazette. 16 December 1834. p. 2266.
22. "No. 20621". The London Gazette. 10 July 1846. p. 2533.
23. "No. 20894". The London Gazette. 5 September 1848. p. 3275.
24. "No. 21297". The London Gazette. 2 March 1852. p. 670.
25. "No. 21403". The London Gazette. 18 January 1853. p. 137.
26. "No. 22106". The London Gazette. 2 March 1858. p. 1207.
27. "No. 22279". The London Gazette. 24 June 1859. p. 2471.
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29. "No. 23450". The London Gazette. 15 December 1868. p. 6654.
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31. "No. 24721". The London Gazette. 13 May 1879. p. 3311.
32. "No. 24841". The London Gazette. 4 May 1880. p. 2836.
33. "No. 25485". The London Gazette. 30 June 1885. p. 3000.
34. "No. 25558". The London Gazette. 12 February 1886. p. 677.
35. "No. 25615". The London Gazette. 10 August 1886. p. 3853.
36. "No. 26644". The London Gazette. 16 July 1895. p. 4022.
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40. "No. 32525". The London Gazette. 22 November 1921. p. 9245.
41. "No. 42909". The London Gazette. 1 February 1963. p. 979.
42. "No. 45536". The London Gazette. 3 December 1971. p. 13243.
43. "No. 49948". The London Gazette. 4 December 1984. p. 16413.
44. Appointment of Lord Chamberlain at the Royal Household official website, 2006 Archived 19 July 2006 at the Wayback Machine
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Further reading

• Stephens, J.R. (1981). The Censorship of English Drama 1824–1901. Cambridge University Press.
• Johnston, John (1990). The Lord Chamberlain's Blue Pencil. Hodder & Stoughton. ISBN 0-340-52529-0.
• de Jongh, Nicholas (2000). Politics, Prudery and Perversions: The Censoring of the English Stage 1901–1968. Methuen. ISBN 0-413-70620-6.^{[permanent dead link‍]}
• Shellard, Dominic; Nicholson, Steve; Handley, Miriam (2004). The Lord Chamberlain Regrets ... A History of British Theatre Censorship. British Library. ISBN 0-7123-4865-4.

External links

Wikisource has the text of the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica article "Lord Chamberlain".

• The Lord Chamberlain – Royal Household official website
• Chamber Administration: Lord Chamberlain, 1660–1837
• The Lord Chamberlain and censorship at The Theatre Archive Project