The King's Advocate (or Queen's Advocate when the monarch was female) was one of the Law Officers of the Crown. He represented the Crown in the ecclesiastical courts of the Church of England, where cases were argued not by barristers but by advocates (see Doctor's Commons). In the nineteenth century much of the jurisdiction of the ecclesiastical courts was transferred to other courts, firstly the Courts of Probate and Divorce and Matrimonial Causes and eventually the Probate, Divorce and Admiralty Division of the High Court of Justice. The position of Queen's Advocate remained vacant after the resignation of Sir Travers Twiss in 1872.
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Use in colonies and extraterritorial jurisdictions
In some British colonies and extraterritorial British courts, the principal British Government lawyer was called the King's Advocate, Queen's Advocate or Crown Advocate. For example, before the British Supreme Court for China and Japan and in Malta the principal British Government lawyer was called the Crown Advocate. In Cyprus, he was referred to as the King's Advocate. The Attorney General of Sri Lanka was known as the King's Advocate or Queen's Advocate between 1833 and 1884.
King's/Queen's Advocates
incomplete before 1660
3 March 1609 Sir Henry (Martin) Marten
1625: Sir Thomas Ryves
1660–1678: John Godolphin
1679–1686: Thomas Exton
1687: Sir Thomas Pinfold
1687–1688: Thomas Exton
1701–1710: Sir John Cooke
1715–1727: Sir Nathaniel Lloyd
1727–1755: George Paul
1755–1764: George Hay
1764–1778: James Marriott
1778–1788: William Wynne
1788–1798: William Scott
1798–1809: John Nicholl
1809–1828: Sir Christopher Robinson
1828–1834: Sir Herbert Jenner
1834–1852: John Dodson (knighted 29 October 1834)
1852–1862: John Dorney Harding (knighted 24 March 1852)
1862–1867: Robert Joseph Phillimore (knighted 17 September 1862)
1867–1872: Travers Twiss (knighted 4 November 1867)