- Privy Seal
Privy Seal of England
The Privy Seal of
England can be traced back to the reign of King John. It has been suggested that it was originally the seal that accompanied the person of the Sovereign, while the Great Seal was required to remain in the Chancery.Prior to its adoption as the Privy Seal of the
United Kingdom after theAct of Union 1707 , its most notable appearance in Scottish history was its capture by the Scots in the aftermath of theBattle of Bannockburn in1314 .The Great Seal Act 1884 effectively ended the use of the Privy Seal by providing that it was no longer necessary for any instrument to be passed under the Privy Seal.
The Privy Seal of England was originally kept by the Controller of the Wardrobe, but by
1323 the distinct office of Keeper of the Privy Seal had emerged. The present-day title of this office,Lord Privy Seal , is recorded in1539 .Privy Seal of Scotland
There was also a separate Privy Seal of
Scotland , which existed from at least the reign of Alexander III.Article XXIV of the Treaty of Union provided that-
:"the Privy Seal ... now used in Scotland be continued But that the said Seals be altered and adapted to the State of the Union as Her Majesty shall think fit And the said Seals and all of them and the Keepers of them shall be subject to such regulations as the Parliament of Great Britain shall hereafter make..."
The Seal was last used in
1898 to execute the commission appointing the Rev. James Cooper to a Regius Chair at theUniversity of Glasgow , but has never been abolished. The office of Keeper of the Privy Seal has not been filled since the death of theMarquess of Breadalbane in 1922.
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