Earl Marshal

Great Officers of State of England

These ten great offices had their origin amongst the domestic positions in the household of the Norman kings. As the government of England developed and Parliament took on more of the functions of the Crown, some of these domestic positions became Offices of the State, while others, such as the Master of the Horse, remained as positions within the Royal Household.

The Great Officers of State of England, in order of seniority, are:

Lord High Steward (now only a temporary appointed for special occasions, such as the Coronation)
Lord High Chancellor (who until 2005 presided over the House of Lords and is the Keeper of the Great Seal - now always held by a senior member of the Cabinet)
Lord High Treasurer (since 1714 the post has been administered by a board of Lords Commissioner - the Prime Minister is First Lord of the Treasury)
Lord President of the Council (presides over meetings of the Privy Council - always held by a senior Cabinet minister)
Lord Keeper of the Great Seal (no appointments since 1772)
Lord Privy Seal (held by a senior Cabinet minister - he has responsibility for the Privy Seal, which must be affixed to charters, pardons, etc. before they are passed for the Great Seal)
Lord Great Chamberlain (hereditary office - since 1901 held in alternate reigns by the Marquesses of Cholmondeley and the Barons Carrington
Lord High Constable (since 1521 only a temporary appointment or special occasions, such as the Coronation)
Earl Marshal (hereditary office - held continuously by the Dukes of Norfolk since 1672)
Lord High Admiral (until recently the post was held in commission and was administered by the Lords of the Admiralty, with the First Lord being the political head of the Navy and the First Sea Lord the professional head)

The Earl Marshal and Hereditary Marshal of England is one of the Great Officers of State of England and is responsible for the organization of state ceremonies (though not 'royal' occasions, e.g. weddings), hereditary judge in the Court of Chivalry and is ultimately responsible to the Sovereign for all matters relating to heraldry, honour, precedence, etc. The Earl Marshal has jurisdiction over the officers of arms but is not a member of the body corporate of the College of Arms.

Before 1386 the office was known simply as Marshal, and was originally the title of an officer whose duties included supervision of the royal stables. In 1385 the office, which by that time had assumed considerably greater significance, was granted to Thomas Mowbray, Earl of Nottingham, who a year later was given the title Earl Marshal.

In the Middle Ages the Marshal was, with the Lord High Constable, the first in military rank beneath the Sovereign, and it was his responsibility to marshal the various contingents of troops and retainers in battle, a task which would require familiarity with the devices borne on the flags and uniforms of an assembled host. No doubt he was assisted by attendant heralds whose business it was to be conversant with such matters. The Marshal was also responsible for the organization of state ceremonies, and, with the Constable, presided over the Court of Chivalry "either at Westminster in the Painted Chamber....or in his own house, where in the great hall he hath a large table or stage, four square, built with rails thereabout, and benches therein, and an half pace raised above the same ; there the Earl sitteth in the midst thereof...."

The office was anciently granted by the Sovereign at pleasure, sometimes for life, sometimes durante bene placito, and (more than once) as an hereditary office, though it was not until 1672 that Charles II finally annexed it to the Dukedom of Norfolk, with which it had long been associated through both the Mowbray and (from 1483) the Howard families.

It is interesting to note that from 1673 to 1824, several Earls Marshal were, by virtue of being Roman Catholics, forced to appoint Protestant deputies to supervise the officers of arms. From the latter date, Acts of Parliament rendered this and other limitations obsolete.

The Earl Marshal appends the letters EM to his signature, and displays behind his shield two gold batons saltirewise, the ends enamelled black with the Royal Arms at the top, and those of the Earl Marshal at the lower end. These batons represent the virga or marshal's rod, a symbol of office dating from the Norman period.

- A New Dictionary of Heraldry (edited by Stephen Friar), Alphabooks Limited, 1987, p.131