Great Seal Act 1688

The Great Seal Act 1688 (1 Will. & Mar. c. 21) is an Act of the Parliament of England. As of 2020^[update] section 1 of the Act is still in force in Great Britain.^[3]

Great Seal Act 1688^[1]

Act of Parliament
Parliament of England
Long title	An Act for enabling the Lords Commissioners for the Great Seale to Execute the office of Lord Chancellor or Lord Keeper.[2]
Citation	1 Will. & Mar. c. 21 (Ruffhead: 1 Will. & Mar. Sess. 1. c. 21)
Dates
Royal assent	22 June 1689
Other legislation
Amended by	Lancaster County Clerk Act 1871 Short Titles Act 1896 Local Government (Clerks) Act 1931 Statute Law Revision Act 1948 Justices of the Peace Act 1968
Status: Partially repealed
Text of statute as originally enacted
Revised text of statute as amended
Text of the Great Seal Act 1688 as in force today (including any amendments) within the United Kingdom, from legislation.gov.uk.

The Act was passed because the office of Lord Chancellor had been put in commission (that is, divided between several officers at the same time, instead of being held by a single individual). Section 1 of the Act states that the commissioners are to be called Lords Commissioners of the Great Seal of England, and that each lord commissioner is to have the same powers as the Lord Chancellor has. Each lord commissioner is to rank in the order of precedence after the Speaker of the House of Commons. The office was last in commission in 1850.

As of September 2022^[update] the Lord Chancellor is Brandon Lewis.

Repeals

The rest of the Act has been repealed. Sections 2 and 3 were repealed by section 8(2) of, and Part I of Schedule 5 to, the Justices of the Peace Act 1968. Sections 4 to 6 were repealed by Schedule 4 to the Local Government (Clerks) Act 1931. Sections 7 and 8 were repealed by Schedule 1 to the Statute Law Revision Act 1948. Section 9 was repealed by section 4 of the Lancaster County Clerk Act 1871.

References

• Halsbury's Statutes,

1. The citation of this Act by this short title was authorised by section 5 of, and Schedule 2 to, the Statute Law Revision Act 1948. Due to the repeal of those provisions, it is now authorised by section 19(2) of the Interpretation Act 1978.
2. These words are printed against this Act in the second column of Schedule 2 to the Statute Law Revision Act 1948, which is headed "Title".
3. The Chronological Table of the Statutes, 1235 - 2010. The Stationery Office. 2011. ISBN 978-0-11-840509-6. Part I. Page 68, read with pages viii and x.

External links

• The Great Seal Act 1688, as amended from the National Archives.