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King's Remembrancer

For other uses, seeThe Remembrancer.
This article is about the English office. For the Scottish office, seeKing's and Lord Treasurer's Remembrancer.

TheKing's Remembrancer(orQueen's Remembrancer) is an ancient judicial post in the legal system ofEngland and Wales.Since theLord Chancellorno longer sits as a judge, the Remembrancer is the oldest judicial position in continual existence. The post was created in 1154 byKing Henry IIas the chief official in theExchequer Court,whose purpose was "to put the Lord Treasurer and the Barons of Court in remembrance of such things as were to be called upon and dealt with for the benefit of the Crown",[This quote needs a citation]a primary duty being to keep records of the taxes, paid and unpaid.

The first King's Remembrancer wasRichard of Ilchester,a senior servant of the Crown and laterBishop of Winchester.The King's Remembrancer continued to sit in the Court of the Exchequer until its abolition in 1882. The post of King's Remembrancer is held by theSenior Master of the King's Bench Divisionof theHigh Court.

Quit Rents ceremonies

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See also:Quit-rent

The Exchequer Court is reconstituted every year for the three ancient ceremonies of the "Rendering of theQuit Rentsto the Crown "by theCity of Londonat the Royal Courts of Justice.

The oldest dates from 1211, where the City pays service for two pieces of land, of which the oldest isThe MoorsnearBridgnorthinShropshire,for which the City must pay two knives, one blunt and one sharp.[1]

The second oldest has been made, entered in theGreat Roll of the Exchequer,since 1235, for 'The Forge' in Tweezer's Alley, just south ofSt Clement Danes,near theStrandin London, for which the City must pay six horseshoes and 61 horseshoe nails – these are over 550 years old, since after being rendered to the King's Remembrancer they are preserved in his office, and with the permission of the Crown they are loaned to the Corporation of London to be rendered again the following year.[1]

These two quits are paid together as one ceremony, during which a black-and-white chequered cloth is spread out – it is from this that the word "Exchequer"derives – combined with the introduction to the Remembrancer of the City's newly electedsheriffs.

TheComptrollerandSolicitorof theCity of Londonpresents the horseshoes and nails and counts them out to the Remembrancer who then pronounces "Good number." The knives are tested by the King's Remembrancer by taking ahazelstick, onecubitin length, and bending it over the blunt knife and leaving a mark, and the stick is split in two with the sharp knife. This practice stems from the creation oftally stickswhere a mark was made on a stick with a blunt knife for each payment counted. When payment was complete the stick was split down the middle, leaving each party with half of the marked stick and creating a receipt (or foil and counter-foil). After the knives are tested the Remembrancer pronounces "Good service".

The third quit rent dates from 1327, and is for £11 in regard to the reserved interest of the Crown for the 'town ofSouthwark'. In that year the City was granted its fourth-oldest Royal Charter to acquire Southwark fromEdward IIIfor this annual payment. It was specifically retained byEdward VIin the 1550 charter to the City, which extended its jurisdiction over the outlying parts of Southwark. This quit is rendered by the Foreman of the City'sCourt LeetJury of the "Town and Borough of Southwark", aliasGuildable Manor,[2]which is the area as defined in 1327. The continuation of this body is sanctioned under the Administration of Justice Act 1977. The ceremony takes place in the Cathedral library, the Glaziers' Hall or London's City Hall.[3]This sum is rendered onto the Exchequer Cloth in the form ofCrowns(5 shilling pieces, equivalent to 25 new pence), which remain legal tender. The Remembrancer pronounces "Good service" and this is witnessed by the Clerk of the City's Chamberlain's Court and themanorjurorsto note that the payment has been made.

Trial of the Pyx

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Main article:Trial of the Pyx

TheTrial of the Pyxis a ceremony dating from 1249, formerly held in the Exchequer Court, now inGoldsmiths' Hall.The King's Remembrancer swears in a jury of 26Goldsmithswho then count, weigh and otherwise measure a sample of 88,000 gold coins produced by theRoyal Mint.The term "Pyx" refers to the name of the box in which the coins are kept.

Forest of Dean

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In 1688,King James IIdirected the King's Remembrancer to appoint commissioners to supervise the planting of trees in theForest of Dean.The Forest was an important source of iron, coal and timber to the Monarch, but had been neglected during theCommonwealth.

Other responsibilities

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The King's Remembrancer is responsible for nomination of thehigh sheriffsto eachcountyof England and Wales (exceptCornwall,who are selected by theDuke of Cornwall(i.e. the eldest son of thesovereign), andGreater Manchester,LancashireandMerseyside,who are selected by theDuke of Lancaster(i.e. thesovereign)), via thePrickingceremony.[4]

The Remembrancer presents theLord Mayor of the City of Londonto theLord Chief Justice,Master of the Rollsand otherHigh Court judgesat theRoyal Courts of JusticeonLord Mayor's Day.

The King's Remembrancer presents newly appointedSheriffsof the City with aWritofApprobationfrom themonarch,sealed with the Great SilverSealof theExchequer.This takes place at the same time as theQuit Rents.

List of Remembrancers

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See also

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Citations

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FANSHAWE, Henry I (c.1506-68), of London.[9]

HENRY FANSHAWE, QUEEN'S REMEMBRANCER[10]

HATTON, Christopher II (c.1581-1619), of Clay Hall, Barking, Essex and Kirby Hall, Northants.[11]

References

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  1. ^abSarah Laskow (17 October 2016)."London Is Still Paying Rent to the Queen on a Property Leased in 1211".Atlas Obscura.
  2. ^"Guildable Manor of Southwark".guildablemanor.org.Retrieved29 November2020.
  3. ^Mayor of London London assembly,london.gov.ukArchivedFebruary 18, 2010, at theWayback Machine
  4. ^"The Queen's Remembrancer and High Sheriffs".Archived fromthe originalon 12 May 2014.Retrieved1 September2008.
  5. ^Jessop, John: Nottinghamnationalarchives.gov.uk
  6. ^nationalarchives.gov.uk
  7. ^ODNB
  8. ^R. Sewell and E. Lane,The Free Men of CharlwoodCrawley, Sussex: Reprographic Centre, 1979, pp. 51–73.
  9. ^ab"FANSHAWE, Henry I (c.1506-68), of London".History of Parliament Trust.Retrieved16 March2019.
  10. ^abcdefg"HENRY FANSHAWE, QUEEN'S REMEMBRANCER".The National Archives.Retrieved16 March2019.
  11. ^ab"HATTON, Christopher II (c.1581-1619), of Clay Hall, Barking, Essex and Kirby Hall, Northants".History of Parliament Trust.Retrieved16 March2019.
  12. ^"Obituary",The Times[London, England] 19 October 1983: pg. 14. The Times Digital Archive; accessed 9 July 2013.
  13. ^Letter from Chief Clerk to the Queen's Remembrancer dated 23 January 2014
  14. ^"Senior Master Steven Whitaker"(PDF)(Press release).Judicial Conduct Investigations Office.14 March 2014. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 20 March 2014.Retrieved20 March2014.
  15. ^Hyde, John (14 March 2014)."'Serious misconduct' finding against senior judge ".The Law Society Gazette.Retrieved20 March2014.
  16. ^Harris, Joanne (17 March 2014)."E-discovery guru Whitaker resigns from judicial post after diary investigation".The Lawyer.Retrieved20 March2014.(subscription required)
  • J. C. Sainty(comp.),Officers of the Exchequer(List and Index Society, Special Series 18, 1983), 40.
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