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More than 5000 entries on the history, culture and life of Britain (published in 1993 by Macmillan, now out of print)
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Lord Chancellor
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(in full Lord High Chancellor) The most historic of the surviving great offices of state. From the 12C he was the right-hand man of the monarch, charged with keeping the Great Seal (a metal matrix of an image of the sovereign, used for making an impression in wax for attachment to royal documents). Usually held in earlier times by clerics, the post has become exclusively the preserve of lawyers; Thomas *Becket, Cardinal *Wolsey and Thomas *More are among past holders of the office.
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Today the lord chancellor is a member of the *cabinet, head of the judiciary and Speaker of the House of Lords – where, unlike his counterpart in the Commons, his chairmanship is largely formal. He sits on the *Woolsack, but can step aside from it to address the House; and he does not have the task of maintaining order during a debate, considered unnecessary in the upper chamber. Traditionally no Roman Catholic could be lord chancellor (seen as keeper of the conscience of the monarch, head of the Church of England), but this restriction was abolished in 1974.
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