Privy Seal

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 the Act of Union 1707, its most notable appearance in Scottish history was its capture by the Scots in the aftermath of the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314.

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 in 1539.

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 the University of Glasgow, but has never been abolished. The office of Keeper of the Privy Seal has not been filled since the death of the Marquess of Breadalbane in 1922.


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Look at other dictionaries:

  • Privy seal — Privy Priv y, a. [F. priv[ e], fr. L. privatus. See {Private}.] [1913 Webster] 1. Of or pertaining to some person exclusively; assigned to private uses; not public; private; as, the privy purse. Privee knights and squires. Chaucer. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Privy seal — Seal Seal, n. [OE. seel, OF. seel, F. sceau, fr. L. sigillum a little figure or image, a seal, dim. of signum a mark, sign, figure, or image. See {Sign}, n., and cf. {Sigil}.] 1. An engraved or inscribed stamp, used for marking an impression in… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Privy Seal — Privy Seal, the →↑Lord Privy Seal, the …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • privy seal — n. in Great Britain, the seal placed on documents which are later to receive the great seal or which are not important enough to receive the great seal …   English World dictionary

  • Privy seal — A privy seal was in use during the reign of King John. From c. 1230 during Henry Ill s reign it became a permanent feature of royal administration, being used to authenticate letters less formal than those issued by the *chancery. It was usually… …   Dictionary of Medieval Terms and Phrases

  • privy seal — noun Etymology: Middle English prive seal, from prive privy + seal more at seal 1. : a private seal: as a. : a British royal seal used before 1885 to authorize use of the great seal (as on letters patent or pardons) or on documents not requiring… …   Useful english dictionary

  • privy seal — A seal which is affixed to royal grants or letters patent which are to pass under the great seal. The sign manual is the warrant to the privy seal and the privy seal is the warrant to the great seal. See 2 Bl Comm 347 …   Ballentine's law dictionary

  • Privy Seal of Japan — The Privy Seal of Japan is the Emperor of Japan s official seal. It is square and its inscription 天皇御璽 is written in the seal script (篆書:tensho). It has two lines of vertical writing. On the right hand side is 天皇 ( Tenno ) and on left hand side… …   Wikipedia

  • privy seal — In England, a seal used in making out grants or letters patent, preparatory to their passing under the great seal. A seal which the sovereign uses to such grants or things as pass the great seal. A seal of the British government which is affixed… …   Black's law dictionary

  • privy seal — (in Great Britain) the seal affixed to grants, documents, etc., that are to pass the great seal, and to documents of less importance that do not require the great seal. [1250 1300; ME] * * * …   Universalium

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