Chaplain-in-Ordinary

Present day

The Ecclesiastical Household (outside Scotland) is made up of two main elements: the College of Chaplains and the Chapels Royal; the former is overseen by the Clerk of the Closet, the latter by the Dean of the Chapels Royal. Separate from the Ecclesiastical Household, but closely associated with it, is the Royal Almonry, overseen by the Lord High Almoner. The Clerk of the Closet, Dean of the Chapels Royal and Lord High Almoner are all prelates and have equal rank and precedence within the Household.

The sole full-time clerical member of the Royal Household is Canon Paul Wright, who currently serves as Deputy Clerk of the Closet, Sub-Dean of the Chapels Royal and Sub-Almoner, as well as being Domestic Chaplain (Buckingham Palace). These roles have been held by an individual cleric since 1931.

College of Chaplains

An establishment of thirty-six Chaplains is maintained. At one time the chaplains were expected to be in attendance (on rotation) at the royal court, but today the role is for the most part an honorary one (although each Chaplain is invited to preach once a year at the Chapel Royal, St James's Palace).

The College of Chaplains is overseen by the Clerk of the Closet, a position normally held by a serving diocesan bishop (who may however remain in office for a time after leaving his or her See). The current clerk is Richard Jackson, Bishop of Hereford. The Clerk of the Closet is responsible for advising the Private Secretary to the Sovereign on the names for candidates to fill vacancies in the Roll of Chaplains to the Sovereign. He or she also presents newly elected diocesan bishops for homage to the sovereign, and examines any theological books to be presented to the sovereign. He receives a salary of £7 a year.

Chapels Royal

The Chapels Royal in England are: the Queen's Chapel and the Chapel Royal (both at St James's Palace); the Chapel Royal, Hampton Court Palace; the Chapel Royal of St Peter ad Vincula and St John's Chapel (both at the Tower of London); and The King's Chapel of the Savoy. Since the 18th century, the Bishop of London has usually served as Dean of the Chapels Royal.

The two chapels at St James's Palace are administered directly by the Sub-Dean of the Chapels Royal; the others have their own chaplains. In addition, Domestic Chaplains are appointed for the principal royal residences (Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle and Sandringham).

The Gentlemen and Children of the Chapel Royal sing choral services at St James's Palace on Sundays and holy days. The Sub-Dean of the Chapels Royal is assisted in his or her duties there by two Priests-in-Ordinary, who hold the appointment alongside another ministry: they attend on monthly rotation and assist the Sub-Dean in presiding at statutory services and in the pastoral care of members of the Royal Household.

History

Medieval

Ecclesiastics have been part of Royal Households in Britain since Saxon times. By the time of the Norman Conquest, clerics (or 'clerks'), as literate members of the Household, formed a sophisticated writing office for the king (as well as fulfilling sacred and sacramental duties). A snapshot of the Household in the time of Henry I is provided by the Constitutio domus regis (of c. 1135), in which the Chancellor is listed as the senior member of the Household: the Chancellor (whose office developed into that of Lord Chancellor) was at that time a senior cleric, who served as head both of the writing office and of the chapel.

By the time of Edward II, the three senior clerical members of the Household were listed (in Household Ordinances published in 1318) as the Confessor, Almoner and Chief Chaplain; the latter had under him five chaplains and six clerks. The Confessor was always a bishop. The office of 'dean of the king's chapel', in existence by 1349, took over the running of the chapel from the Chancellor (who was by that time no longer part of the Household). He also served as chief chaplain. On major feast days, the dean would celebrate high mass in the presence of the monarch (unless there happened to be a bishop present, in which case he would preside). These were always occasions of great solemnity, and on six days of the year (Christmas Day, the Epiphany, Easter Day, Whit Sunday, All Saints' Day and St Edward's day) the king and queen would wear their crowns and carry sceptres in the procession, accompanied by lords in 'distinctive apparel', one of whom would carry the sword of state and another the cap (or birretum).

The chapel was a moveable establishment, which accompanied the king and his court around the kingdom, and indeed abroad (including on military campaigns); in 1415, for example, under Edmund Lacey as dean, it accompanied Henry V to Agincourt, where mass was sung in the king's presence on the morning of the battle. The Serjeant (or Servant) of the Vestry is noted as having responsibility at this time for the carriage of ornaments, books, vessels and other items for the chapel, as it moved from place to place with the king and his royal court. Boy singers are recorded, with John Plummer later serving as their singing master. In the 1440s there were twenty-six chaplains and clerks in the Household, one of whom served as Clerk of the Closet (at that time a relatively junior position); the holder of this office later served as a close confidant of the monarch (by the 17th century the Clerk of the Closet was additionally described as 'Confessor to His Majesty'). In 1483 the Chapel Royal was incorporated by Edward IV as the 'Royal Free Chapel of the Household', with intention that the dean be assisted by three canons: a sub-dean, treasurer and precentor (albeit the king's death two months later meant that the scheme was never fully realised).

Early modern

At the Coronation of Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon, the king was attended by his Grand Almoner and Under Almoner, the Confessor of the Household, the Dean and Sub-Dean of the chapel, seven chaplains and a gospeller, four epistolers, the Serjeant of the Vestry, the Clerk of the Closet, nineteen gentlemen and ten children of the chapel. The queen was also attended by her Confessor, two chaplains and the Clerk of the Queen's Closet. The epistolers were choristers whose voices had recently changed, who were kept on as yeomen of the chapel. The Eltham Ordinance of 1526 anticipated the more settled character of the future Chapel Royal, stipulating that, thenceforward, only a proportion of the personnel of Chapel Royal should accompany the king on his progresses or travels; the rest should remain in London, 'that there should be always some divine service in the Court, whereby men might be elected unto the devotion'.

During the reign of Edward VI, a cohort of twelve king's chaplains was appointed in order to promote Reformed doctrine across the kingdom: at any one time, two chaplains would be in attendance at court, while the other ten were seconded to preach around the country. In the 17th century the number of chaplains dramatically increased: Elizabeth I, at the time of her death, had 18; James I had 70 and Charles I no fewer than 140 (albeit only a core team of forty-eight Chaplains were ever 'in waiting': each being in attendance at court for a month at a time in groups of four; the rest were termed 'Chaplains Extraordinary' and had no actual duties). The early Stuart kings had envisioned a unified Anglican chapel royal across the three kingdoms of England, Scotland and Ireland; this was, however, firmly and effectively resisted in Scotland.

During the Civil War the Chapel Royal personnel were scattered. In the Commonwealth period the chapel at Whitehall had its organ, stained glass and paintings removed or destroyed, but it remained in use as a place of worship (two of Cromwell's daughters were married there). Following the Restoration the choral establishment was settled anew at the Palace of Whitehall, and Anglican services resumed; they continued to be held during the reign of James II, though he himself worshipped separately in a Roman Catholic chapel nearby.

Under Queen Anne there were forty-eight Chaplains-in-Ordinary and thirty-two Gentlemen of the Chapel Royal, twelve of whom were priests (precursors of the 'Priests-in-Ordinary') whose task was, by turns, to officiate at times of divine service. Chaplains (during their weeks in waiting) were required to preach 'in the Chapels on Sundays and other Festivals before the King, and in the Morning early on Sundays before the Household', and also 'to read Divine Service before the King out of Chapel daily, twice in the King’s private Oratory'. It also fell to them to give thanks before meals, in the absence of the Clerk of the Closet. The officers of the vestry (serjeant, yeomen and groom) functioned as vergers. Ordinarily, the Chaplains were the only people permitted to preach in the Chapel Royal, except on certain festival days (such as Easter Day and Whit Sunday, when the Lord High Almoner or his deputy customarily preached).

Late modern

In 1860 a Chapel Royal Commission reduced the number of Gentlemen from sixteen to eight and the number of Priests-in-Ordinary from ten to eight (later the number of Priests would be further cut from eight to four.) The number of Chaplains-in-Ordinary was also reduced, gradually, from forty-eight to thirty-six (albeit a number of 'Honorary Chaplains' were appointed to maintain the traditional total of forty-eight). The Chaplains-in-Ordinary, unlike the Honorary Chaplains, received an annual allowance (in lieu of board, which had been provided in earlier times). The Sub-Dean now preached on the first Sunday each month and the Chaplains-in-Waiting on the other Sundays.

Up until 1912, the Chaplains had generally been reckoned to be part of the Chapel Royal establishment (albeit they were appointed by the Lord Chamberlain rather than the Dean of the Chapel Royal). That year, they were reconstituted as a 'College of Chaplains' with the Clerk of the Closet as their designated head. At the same time, their numbers were again reduced: the Chaplains-in-Ordinary to twelve, and the Honorary Chaplains to twenty-four; however in 1919 the distinction between the former and the latter was abolished, and as from that time all thirty-six were gazetted simply as 'Chaplain to the King'. Shortly afterwards, the term 'Ecclesiastical Household' first began to be used as a formal designation to refer to the College of Chaplains and the Chapel Royal together.

Scotland

The King's Household in Scotland (Ecclesiastical) consists of chaplains who are all ministers of the Church of Scotland. There are ten "Chaplains in Ordinary" (upon retirement, a chaplain may be appointed an "Extra Chaplain"). Two Domestic Chaplains are also attached to the Household: the minister at Crathie Kirk (by Balmoral Castle) and the minister at the Canongate Kirk (by the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh).

The Dean of the Chapel Royal in Scotland oversees ecclesiastical arrangements in the Household. The Dean is usually appointed from among the chaplains. The current Dean (since 2019) is Professor David Fergusson, who was also appointed Dean of the Thistle at the same time.

History

As in England (and elsewhere), bishops and clergy held offices in the Scottish royal court from the earliest days of the monarchy of Scotland. The Scottish Chapel Royal, specifically, was established (or re-established) by James IV at Stirling Castle in 1501; it consisted of sixteen canons, nine prebendaries and six boys. The Scottish Reformation severely curtailed the musical life of the chapel, and in 1571 the organ in the chapel in Stirling Castle was dismantled.

After the Union of the Crowns, James VI and I sought to Anglicanise the Kirk, beginning with the Scottish Chapel Royal. His efforts were rebuffed, but taken up anew by his son, Charles I (whose Scottish coronation, in 1633, took place using the full Anglican rite, in the Abbey of Holyrood). The ensuing 'Bishops' Wars' were a component of the period of civil war which culminated in Charles's execution.

List of Chaplains to the Sovereign in England

The College of Chaplains consists of those appointed chaplain to the monarch. Each is invited to preach once a year in the Chapel Royal, but they are no longer required to fulfil other regular duties. Chaplains appointed to be a bishop or dean are required then to resign their chaplaincy.

Queen Victoria

During the reign of Queen Victoria, there were 48 Chaplains-in-Ordinary. After 1860 their number was gradually reduced to 36 with additional Honorary Chaplains being appointed (to maintain the total number of 48). New Chaplains-in-Ordinary were appointed from among the Honorary Chaplains.

Charles Wesley, D.D. 1847 - 14 September 1859

Augustus Frederick Phipps 18 June 1847 – 27 January 1896

John Harries Thomas 1854 – 1863

John Barlow ? – 1867 (resigned)

Daniel Heneage Finch-Hatton 1866 – ?

Edward Meyrick Goulburn – 1866 (resigned, appointed Dean)

William Henry Brookfield 1 January 1867 – ? (replacing Goulburn)

William Thomas Bullock 13 September 1867 – ? (replacing Barlow)

Francis Byng 1872 – 1889 (resigned)

Francis Pigou, Rural Dean, Vicar of Doncaster 4 July 1874 – ?)

James Moorhouse, Rural Dean, Vicar of Paddington 4 July 1874 – 1876 (resigned, appointed a bishop)

Edward Benson, Chancellor of Lincoln Cathedral 11 October 1875 – 1877 (resigned, appointed a bishop)

George Granville Bradley, 14 September 1876 – ?

William Henry Bliss, 8 November 1876 – ?

Henry John Ellison, Honorary Canon of Christ Church, Oxford, Vicar of Windsor 26 December 1879 – 25 December 1899 (deceased)

King Edward VII

Upon his accession in 1901, Edward VII reduced the number of Chaplains-in-Ordinary to 12 and removed the prerequisite that a chaplain need previously have been appointed an honorary chaplain.

King George V

In 1918 the distinction between Chaplains-in-Ordinary and Honorary Chaplain was removed, and all were thenceforward referred to as Chaplains to the King.

Queen Elizabeth II

John Stott, 1959–1991, and, on his retirement in 1991, an Extra Chaplain

Noël Jones 1983–1984

Ray Jones 1984–1989

T. J. Thomas-Botwood, MBE 1 July 2022 – ?

King Charles III

S. Ashley-Emery 9 September 2024 – present

List of Chaplains in the Household in Scotland

Chaplains-in-Ordinary to the sovereign in Scotland

William Gusthart from 1727 to 1764

Robert Lee, DD 17 December 1846 – 1868

Norman Macleod ? – 1862 (deceased)

John Stuart, minister of St Andrew's church, Edinburgh 8 December 1862 – ? (replacing Macleod)

Archibald Watson, 2 May 1868 – 1881 in place of Robert Lee, deceased

Cameron Lees, 18 October 1881 - 1901 in place of Archibald Watson, deceased

Robert Herbert Story, 1886 – 1901

Archibald Charteris, 18 October 1901 – 1908

Donald Macleod, 18 October 1901 – 1910

Cameron Lees, 18 October 1901 – 1910

James MacGregor, 18 October 1901 – 1910

Robert Herbert Story, 18 October 1901 – 1907

J. R. Mitford Mitchell, 18 October 1901 – 1910

Samuel James Ramsay Sibbald, Minister of the Parish of Crathie 30 June 1903 – 1910 (in place of Charteris, deceased)

Donald Macleod, 7 May 1910 – 1916

Cameron Lees, 7 May 1910 – 1913

James MacGregor, 7 May 1910 – 1910

J. R. Mitford Mitchell, 7 May 1910 – 1925

Extra Chaplains-in-Ordinary to HM in Scotland

Malcolm C. Taylor, 18 October 1901 – ?

Malcolm C. Taylor, 7 May 1910 – ?

Charles Laing Warr 12 March 1926

George Thomson Henderson Reid 1980 – ?

Kenneth Macvicar 1991 – ?

William Bryce Johnston 1991 – ?

Gilleasbuig Macmillan 2014 – ?

Iain Torrance 2019 – ?

John Chalmers 2022 – ?

Dr. Elizabeth Lorna Hood 2023 – present

Dr. Angus Morrison 2023 – present