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For other uses, see The Remembrancer.
Paul Double (left) presenting Ion Jinga with the Freedom of the city, 13 June 2014

The Remembrancer is one of the City of London Corporation’s Chief Officers; the role dates back to 1571. His traditional role is as the channel of communications between the Lord Mayor and the City of London on the one hand and the Sovereign, Royal Household and Parliament on the other. The Remembrancer is also the city's Ceremonial Officer and Chief of Protocol.

Since 2023, the Remembrancer has been Paul Wright. [1]

Origins

On 6 February 1571 the Corporation of the City of London created the office of Remembrancer, appointing Thomas Norton to the position. The record of the decision reads: [2]: v 

This daye Thomas Norton, Gent., is admytted to be Remembrauncer of this Cittye, accordinge to th' articles followinge, as was sworne officer according to the othe followinge.

He shall keepe all the Bookes of the Cittye, suche as to his custodie shall be delivered by indenture between Mr. Chamblem, Mr. Towne Clerk, and him.

All suche matters concerninge the Cittye as usually have been entred by ——, he shall cause to be entred and engrossed with convenyent spede. All the matters conteyned in the Bookes concerninge th' affayres of thee Cittye, wch Bookes shalbe in form aforesaid comytted to his custodie, he shall gather together and reduce the same into Indices, Tables, or Kalendars, wherby they may be more easily, readily, and orderly founded.

All like matters hereafter to be engrossed he shall likewise reduce into Tables, and so contynewe the same from tyme to tyme during his enjoyeinge th'office.

The said officer shalbe called the Remembrauncer of the Cittye, and shall have place next ——.

It is ordered that he shall not make any Copies of any bookes or Recordes of this Cittye, for that the same apperteynith to the Towne Clerk, and the foure Clerkes of the L. Maior's Court, nor shall not doe anythinge that shall or may be in any wise prejudiciall to th' office of the Towne Clerk, or entermeddle with the same.

The title 'remembrancer' was used for the office as it was responsible for keeping in remembrance the important affairs of the corporation – to act as the corporation's memory. [3]: 177 

Remembrancer's role and department

The Remembrancer's department at the City of London is broken into three distinct branches of work: parliamentary, ceremonial and private events. [4] The parliamentary office is responsible for looking after the City of London's interests in Parliament with regard to all public legislation, and the ceremonial office's objectives are to enable the Lord Mayor and City of London to welcome high-profile visitors both domestically and internationally. Functions staged range from small receptions to major state dinners. Finally, the private events team co-ordinate the hiring of Guildhall for private banquets, receptions or conferences. The Remembrancer's department had a budget of £6 million in 2011, and employed six lawyers to scrutinise prospective legislation and give evidence to select committees. [5]

Relationship with Parliament

The Remembrancer is a parliamentary agent and so can observe House of Commons proceedings from the under-gallery next to the entrance to the chamber reserved for visitors, near the chair of the Sergeant at Arms (the opposite end of the chamber from the Speaker's chair) [4] [6] [7] and has no access beyond the bar of the house, [1] which marks the area of the chamber where only MPs are allowed and visitors may not enter during sessions. [8] The House of Commons Commission have stated that the Remembrancer does not have any access to the floor of the House of Commons. [6]

Access to the under-gallery does not give any ability to participate in or influence the proceedings, [1] and the Remembrancer has no access to sit in this area by right, but rather by permission of the Speaker extended to parliamentary agents. [9]

The Corporation in general, and the Remembrancer in particular, have no power to overrule Parliament, which has the right to make legislation affecting the City. For example, the Corporation needed to request a private Act of Parliament in 2002 to modernise its system of local elections; the Act notes, "The objects of this Act cannot be attained without the authority of Parliament". [10]

The Remembrancer does not have any entitlement to see parliamentary bills or other papers before they are publicly available, or to amend laws. [1] The Remembrancer's responsibilities include monitoring legislation introduced into Parliament, and reporting to the Corporation anything that is likely to influence the City of London's interests. [4] The Remembrancer also offers briefings to MPs and submits evidence when select committees are investigating matters of interest to the corporation, [4] but does not have any special rights or privileges in this regard, having the same access as that of any other individual or body. [1] The Remembrancer does not have any privileged access to view legislation during the drafting process, [1] and is not even notified of public bills that impact the City, but is notified of the introduction of private bills that impact the City. [11]

Despite statements to the contrary by the parliamentary and City authorities, beliefs persist that the Remembrancer has special access to or authority over the Commons, for example that they sit behind or near the Speaker, [12] [13] [14] that the Remembrancer can access the floor of the Commons, [15] that the Remembrancer can intervene in proceedings, [16] or that the Remembrancer has special privileges to view draft legislation. [9] For example, in an article in The Guardian in 2011 about the unreformed nature of the City of London Corporation, George Monbiot wrote:

The City of London is the only part of Britain over which parliament has no authority. In one respect at least the Corporation acts as the superior body: it imposes on the House of Commons a figure called the remembrancer: an official lobbyist who sits behind the Speaker’s chair and ensures that, whatever our elected representatives might think, the City’s rights and privileges are protected. [12]

In a further example, in 2013 Green Party MP Caroline Lucas wrote to the Speaker of the House of Commons, John Bercow, asking him to consider removing the Remembrancer from the floor of the House of Commons, and to end privileges she claimed the Remembrancer had to view legislation during the drafting process. [9]

List of city remembrancers

List of city remembrancers [3] [2]
Term City remembrancer
1571–1584 d. Thomas Norton [3]: 184  [2]: x 
1584–1587 no appointment [a] [3]: 184 
1587–1605 Giles Fletcher DCL [b] [3] [2]: x 
1605–1609 Clement Edmonds [3]: 184  [2] [3]: 184  [2]: xi 
1609–1619 William Dyos [3]: 184  [2]: xi 
1619–1633 d. Robert Bacon [3]: 184  [2]: xi 
1633–1643 Thomas Wiseman [3]: 184  [2]: xii 
1643–1646 no appointment [c] [3]: 184 
1646–1647 Thomas Skinner [3]: 184  [2]: xii 
1647–1657 d. William Pullen [3]: 184  [2]: xii 
1657–1659 John Hind [3]: 184  [2]: xii 
1659–1660 John Topham [3]: 184  [2]: xii 
1660–1662 John Wright [3]: 184  [2]: xii 
1662 (January–July) Richard Lightfoot [3] [2]: xii 
1662–1664 John Lightfoot [3]: 184  [2]: xii 
1664–1665 d. George Dalton [3]: 184  [2]: xiii 
1665–1666 John Burrowes [3]: 184  [2]: xiii 
1666–1667 Edward Manning [3]: 184  [2]: xiii 
1667–1673 Richard Brawne [3]: 184  [2]: xiii 
1673–1677 George Doe [3]: 184  [2]: xiii 
1677–1681 Sir Richard Dearham [3]: 184  (or Dearam) [2]: xiii 
1681–1696 Abraham Clarke [3]: 184  (or Clerke) [2]: xiii 
1696–1698 John Sandsford [3]: 184  [2]: xiv 
1698–1708 William Bellamy [3]: 184  [2]: xiv 
1708–1719 John Johnson [3]: 184  [2]: xiv 
1719–1727 John Preston [3]: 184  [2]: xiv 
1727–1743 John Lethieullier [3]: 184  [2]: xiv 
1743–1745 William Hamilton [3]: 184  [2]: xiv 
1745–1760 Richard Cheslyn [3]: 184  [2]: xiv 
1760–1761 Brass Crosby [3]: 184  [2]: xiv 
1761–1793 d. Peter Roberts [3]: 184  [2]: xv 
1793–1832 d. Timothy Tyrrell [3]: 184  [2]: xv 
1832–1863 Edward Tyrrell [3]: 184  [2]: xv 
1864–1878 William Corrie [3]: 184  [2]: xv 
1878–1881 Charles Henry Robarts [3]: 184  [2]: xv 
1882–1903 Sir Gabriel Prior Goldney [3]: 184 
1903–1913 Adrian Donald Wilde Pollock [3]: 184 
1913–1927 Colonel Herbert Stuart Sankey [3]: 184 
1927–1932 John Bridge Aspinall [3]: 184 
1932–1953 Sir Leslie Blackmore Bowker [3]: 184 
1953–1967 Sir Paul Christopher Davie [3]: 184 
1968–1981 Sir Geoffrey Arden Peacock CVO [17]
1981–1986 Anthony Douglas Howlett [18]
1986–2003 Adrian Francis Patrick Barnes CVO [19]
2003–2023 Paul Double CVO [20]
2023–present Paul Wright [1]

See also

Footnotes

  1. ^ On 21 July 1584 the Court of Aldermen decreed that nobody should be appointed to fill the position of Remembrancer following Norton's death "for that same was never before hys tyme any offyce and ys thought by thys Courte for to be needeles and superfluous. [3]: 178 
  2. ^ Appointed at the request of Elizabeth I [2]: x 
  3. ^ Remembrancer "discharged by the Court of Common Council, it being conceived an unnecessary charge to the City." [2]: xii 

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g "Key officers". City of London Corporation. Archived from the original on 7 December 2023. Retrieved 20 November 2023.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al Analytical Index to the Series of Records Known as the Remembrancia. Preserved Among the Archives of the City of London A.D. 1579–1664. E. J. Francis & Co. 1878.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am an ao ap aq ar as Jones, P. E. (30 October 1967). "The Office of City Remembrancer" (PDF). Guildhall Historical Association. Retrieved 12 December 2020.
  4. ^ a b c d Royal Commission on the Amalgamation of the City and County of London (October 1893). Statement as to the Origin, Position, Powers, Duties, and Finance of the Corporation of London. pp. 161–163.
  5. ^ Mathiason, Nick; Newman, Melanie (9 July 2012). "City of London Corporation: a lesson in lobbying". The Guardian. Retrieved 27 October 2014.
  6. ^ a b "Written Answers to Questions – City of London Remembrancer". Hansard. UK Parliament. 3 March 2014. 3 Mar 2014 : Column 593W. Retrieved 28 October 2014.
  7. ^ "City Remembrancer". UK Parliament. 2018.
  8. ^ "Bar of the House". UK Parliament.
  9. ^ a b c "Green Party calls for Remembrancer to be expelled from the House of Commons". Green Party of England and Wales. 29 April 2013. Retrieved 27 October 2014.
  10. ^ "City of London (Ward Elections) Act 2002" (PDF). Her Majesty's Stationery Office. 7 November 2002.
  11. ^ Pulling, Alexander (1854). The City of London Corporation Inquiry (Second ed.). London: Butterworths. p. 13.
  12. ^ a b Monbiot, George (31 October 2011). "The medieval, unaccountable Corporation of London is ripe for protest". The Guardian. Retrieved 10 December 2011.
  13. ^ Jones, Ros Wynne (8 May 2013). "Kick privileged bankers' man The Remembrancer out of Parliament". The Mirror. When Parliament is sitting The Remembrancer has a special seat to the right of the Speaker in the House of Commons
  14. ^ Morrison, James (2017). "Parliamentary democracy in the UK". Essential Public Affairs for Journalists (Fifth ed.). Oxford University Press. p. 68. ISBN  978-0-19-878551-4. The 'City Remembrancer'—who has a chair reserved for him or her behind the Speaker's 'throne'—occupies an abscure office of state dating back to 1571.
  15. ^ "Green Party calls for Remembrancer to be expelled from the House of Commons". Green Party of England and Wales. 29 April 2013. Retrieved 27 October 2014. The fact that the City Remembrancer is the only non-MP allowed on the floor of the House of Commons is an historical anachronism.
  16. ^ "Kick bankers out of Parliament", Azaaz, 27 March 2013, ...bankers from the City of London have a special seat in Parliament to use for their special pleading.
  17. ^ "Obituary for Sir Geoffrey Peacock". The Times. 10 April 1991 – via Christopher Long.
  18. ^ "Obituary for Anthony Howlett". The Daily Telegraph. 27 August 2003.
  19. ^ "Adrian Francis Patrick Barnes CVO". People of Today 2017. Debrett's. 2017.
  20. ^ "Key officers". City of London Corporation. Archived from the original on 30 November 2021. Retrieved 20 November 2023.
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