Earl Marshal (alternatively marschal or marischal) is a hereditary royal officeholder and chivalric title under the sovereign of the United Kingdom used in England (then, following the Act of Union 1800, in the United Kingdom). He is the eighth of the great officers of State in the United Kingdom, ranking beneath the Lord High Constable of England and above the Lord High Admiral. The dukes of Norfolk have held the office since 1672.

The current earl marshal is Edward Fitzalan-Howard, 18th Duke of Norfolk, who inherited the position in June 2002. There were formerly an Earl Marshal of Ireland and an Earl Marischal of Scotland.

Duties The earl marshal was originally responsible, along with the constable, for the monarch's horses and stables including connected military operations. As a result of the decline of chivalry and sociocultural change, the position of earl marshal has evolved and among his responsibilities today is the organisation of major ceremonial state occasions such as coronations in Westminster Abbey, state funerals, and prescribing the order of ceremony for state openings of Parliament. By virtue of office, the earl marshal is the leading officer of arms in England, Wales, Northern Ireland, and certain Commonwealth realms and thus oversees the College of Arms. Likewise, he is the sole judge of the High Court of Chivalry.

History The office of the royal marshal existed in much of Europe, involving managing horses and protecting the monarch. In England, the office became hereditary under John FitzGilbert the Marshal (served c.1130–1165) after The Anarchy, and rose in prominence under his second son, William Marshal, later Earl of Pembroke. He served under several kings, acted as regent, and organised funerals and the regency during Henry III's childhood. After passing through his daughter's husband to the Earls of Norfolk, the post evolved into "Earl Marshal" and the title remained unchanged, even after the earldom of Norfolk became a dukedom.

In the Middle Ages, the Earl Marshal and the Lord High Constable were the officers of the king's horses and stables. When chivalry declined in importance, the constable's post declined and the Earl Marshal became the head of the College of Arms, the body concerned with all matters of genealogy and heraldry. In conjunction with the Lord High Constable, he had held a court, known as the Court of Chivalry, for the administration of justice in accordance with the law of arms, which was concerned with many subjects relating to military matters, such as ransom, booty and soldiers' wages, and including the misuse of armorial bearings.

In 1672, the office of Marshal of England and the title of Earl Marshal of England were made hereditary in the Howard family.Sliford 1782, p. 36Companion to British History In a declaration made on 16 June 1673 by Arthur Annesley, 1st Earl of Anglesey, the Lord Privy Seal, in reference to a dispute over the exercise of authority over the Officers of Arms the powers of the Earl Marshal were stated as being "to have power to order, judge, and determine all matters touching arms, ensigns of nobility, honour, and chivalry; to make laws, ordinances and statutes for the good government of the Officers of Arms; to nominate Officers to fill vacancies in the College of Arms; [and] to punish and correct Officers of Arms for misbehaviour in the execution of their places". Additionally it was declared that no patents of arms or any ensigns of nobility should be granted, and no augmentation, alteration, or addition should be made to arms, without the consent of the Earl Marshal.

The Earl Marshal is considered the eighth of the Great Officers of State, with the Lord High Constable above him and only the Lord High Admiral beneath him. Nowadays, the Earl Marshal's role has mainly to do with the organisation of major state ceremonies such as coronations and state funerals. Annually, the Earl Marshal helps organise the State Opening of Parliament. The Earl Marshal also remains to have charge over the College of Arms and no coat of arms may be granted without his warrant. As a symbol of his office, he carries a baton of gold with black finish at either end.

In the general order of precedence, the Earl Marshal is currently the highest hereditary position in the United Kingdom outside the Royal Family. Although other state and ecclesiastical officers rank above in precedence, they are not hereditary. The exception is the office of Lord Great Chamberlain, which is notionally higher than Earl Marshal and also hereditary. The holding of the Earl Marshalship secures the Duke of Norfolk's traditional position as the "first peer" of the land, above all other dukes.

The House of Lords Act 1999 removed the automatic right of hereditary peers to sit in the House of Lords, but the act provided that the persons holding the office of Earl Marshal and, if a peer, the Lord Great Chamberlain continue for the time being to have seats so as to carry out their ceremonial functions in the House of Lords. Further reforms in the House of Lords (Hereditary Peers) Act 2026 removed the right to sit and vote from all remaining hereditary peers, while retaining the ceremonial functions of these two officeholders.

Lords Marshal of England, 1135–1386

Gilbert Giffard ?–1129 (?) John Fitz-Gilbert “the Marshal” 1130–1165 (?) John Marshal 1165–1194 William Marshal, 1st Earl of Pembroke 1194–1219 William Marshal, 2nd Earl of Pembroke 1219–1231 Richard Marshal, 3rd Earl of Pembroke 1231–1234 Gilbert Marshal, 4th Earl of Pembroke 1234–1241 Walter Marshal, 5th Earl of Pembroke 1242–1245 Anselm Marshal, 6th Earl of Pembroke 1245 Roger Bigod, 4th Earl of Norfolk 1245–1269 Roger Bigod, 5th Earl of Norfolk 1269–1306 Robert de Clifford 1307–1308 Nicholas Seagrave 1308–1316 Thomas of Brotherton, 1st Earl of Norfolk 1316–1338 William Montagu, 1st Earl of Salisbury 1338–1344 Margaret, Duchess of Norfolk 1338–1377 Henry Percy, Lord Percy 1377 John FitzAlan, 1st Baron Arundel, Lord Maltravers 1377–1383 (died 1379) Thomas Mowbray, 1st Earl of Nottingham 1385–1386

Earls Marshal of England, 1386–present Earl Marshal Term of office Monarch Thomas de Mowbray1st Duke of Norfolk 1386 1398 Richard II Thomas Holland1st Duke of Surrey 1398 1399 Ralph de Neville1st Earl of Westmorland 1400 1412 Henry IV John de Mowbray2nd Duke of Norfolk 1412 1432 Henry V Henry VI John de Mowbray3rd Duke of Norfolk 1432 1461 John de Mowbray4th Duke of Norfolk 1461 1476 Edward IV Henry VI Edward IV Jointly: 1476 1483 Edward V John Howard1st Duke of Norfolk 1483 1485 Richard III William de Berkeley1st Marquess of Berkeley 1486 1492 Henry VII Lord HenryDuke of York 1494 1509 Thomas Howard2nd Duke of Norfolk 1509 1524 Henry VIII Charles Brandon1st Duke of Suffolk 1524 1533 Thomas Howard3rd Duke of Norfolk 1533 1547 Edward Seymour1st Duke of Somerset 1547 1551 Edward VI John Dudley1st Duke of Northumberland 1551 1553 Thomas Howard3rd Duke of Norfolk 1553 1554 Mary I Thomas Howard4th Duke of Norfolk 1554 1572 Elizabeth I George Talbot6th Earl of Shrewsbury 1572 1590 In commission: 1590 1597 Robert Devereux2nd Earl of Essex 1597 1601 In commission 1602 1603 Edward Somerset4th Earl of Worcester 1603 1603 James I In commission: 1604 1616 In commission: 1616 1622 Thomas HowardEarl of Arundel and Surrey 1622 1646 Charles I Henry HowardEarl of Arundel and Surrey 1646 1652 Vacant 1652 1661 Interregnum James Howard3rd Earl of Suffolk 1661 1662 Charles II In commission: Sliford 1782, p. 37 1662 1672 Henry Howard6th Duke of Norfolk 1672 1684 Henry Howard7th Duke of Norfolk 1684 1701 James II Mary IIWilliam III Thomas Howard8th Duke of Norfolk 1701 1732 Anne George I George II Edward Howard9th Duke of Norfolk 1732 1777 George III Charles Howard10th Duke of Norfolk 1777 1786 Charles Howard11th Duke of Norfolk 1786 1815 Bernard Edward Howard12th Duke of Norfolk 1815 1842 George IV William IV Victoria Henry Charles Howard13th Duke of Norfolk 1842 1856 Henry Granville Fitzalan-Howard14th Duke of Norfolk 1856 1860 Henry Fitzalan-Howard15th Duke of Norfolk 1860 1917 Edward VII George V Bernard Marmaduke Fitzalan-Howard16th Duke of Norfolk 1917 1975 Edward VIII George VI Elizabeth II Miles Fitzalan-Howard17th Duke of Norfolk 1975 2002 Edward William Fitzalan-Howard18th Duke of Norfolk 2002 Incumbent Charles III

Deputy Earls Marshal of England The position of Earl Marshal had a Deputy called the Knight Marshal from the reign of Henry VIII until the office was abolished in 1846.Money Barnes, Major R. The Soldiers of London Seeley, Service & Co 1963, p.288

Deputy Earls Marshal have been named at various times, discharging the responsibilities of the office during the minority or infirmity of the Earl Marshal. Prior to an Act of Parliament in 1824, Protestant deputies were required when the Earl Marshal was a Roman Catholic, which occurred frequently due to the Catholicism of the Norfolks.

Name Tenure Deputy to Ref(s) Charles Howard, 1st Earl of Carlisle 1673–? Charles Howard, 3rd Earl of Carlisle 1701–1706 Henry Howard, 6th Earl of Suffolk and 1st Earl of Bindon 1706–1718 Henry Bowes-Howard, 4th Earl of Berkshire 1718–1725 Talbot Yelverton, 1st Earl of Sussex 1725–1731 Francis Howard, 1st Earl of Effingham 1731–1743 Thomas Howard, 2nd Earl of Effingham 1743–1763 Henry Howard, 12th Earl of Suffolk and 5th Earl of Berkshire 1763–1765 Richard Lumley-Saunderson, 4th Earl of Scarbrough 1765–1777 Thomas Howard, 3rd Earl of Effingham 1777–1782 Charles Howard, Earl of Surrey 1782–1786 Lord Henry Howard-Molyneux-Howard 1816–1824 12th Duke of Norfolk Lord Edward Fitzalan-Howard 1861–1868 15th Duke of Norfolk Edmund FitzAlan-Howard, 1st Viscount FitzAlan of Derwent 1917–1929 16th Duke of Norfolk Edward Howard, Earl of Arundel and Surrey 2000–2002 17th Duke of Norfolk

See also Lord Lyon King of Arms Earl Marischal of Scotland Earl Marshal of Ireland

Notes

References

Sliford, William (1782). The Court Register and Statesman's Remembrancer Round, J.H. (1899) The Commune of London, and other Studies. Westminster: Constable. Debretts.com Tudorplace.com The dormant and extinct baronage of England - Banks - PP356ff