Legal Definitions - Lord High Treasurer

The Lord High Treasurer was a significant historical official in the British government. This individual served as the chief financial officer for the Crown, responsible for managing all aspects of the monarch's finances. Their extensive duties included overseeing the collection of royal income, such as taxes and customs duties, and administering the vast lands owned by the monarch, including arranging their leases and ensuring proper revenue generation. Today, these responsibilities are no longer held by a single person but are instead carried out by a group of officials known as the lords commissioners of the treasury.

Here are some examples illustrating the role of the Lord High Treasurer:

• Funding a Military Campaign: Imagine King Edward III in the 14th century planning a military expedition to France. The Lord High Treasurer at that time would have been tasked with ensuring sufficient funds were available to equip and supply the army. This would involve meticulously tracking existing royal revenues, assessing the potential for new taxes or loans from wealthy subjects, and managing the flow of money from the treasury to support the war effort. This example demonstrates the Lord High Treasurer's critical role in overseeing royal finances for major state expenditures, such as warfare.

• Managing Crown Estates: During the reign of Queen Anne in the early 18th century, the Crown owned numerous estates and properties across Great Britain. If a wealthy landowner wished to lease a large tract of royal land for agricultural purposes or to build a new manor, the Lord High Treasurer would have been responsible for negotiating the terms of the lease, ensuring a fair rent was collected, and managing the income generated from these Crown lands. This illustrates their administrative control over the monarch's property and its revenue generation for the royal coffers.

• Overseeing National Customs and Trade: Consider the bustling port of Bristol in the 17th century, where ships arrived daily carrying goods from the Americas and Europe. The Lord High Treasurer would have been ultimately responsible for the system of collecting customs duties on these imported and exported goods. They would ensure that the revenue generated from these tariffs was accurately assessed, collected by port officials, and deposited into the royal treasury, thereby funding the monarch's government and household. This highlights their oversight of national income streams, particularly those derived from trade and taxation.