Online Encyclopedia

Search over 40,000 articles from the original, classic Encyclopedia Britannica, 11th Edition.

PRIVY SEAL

Online Encyclopedia
Originally appearing in Volume V22, Page 373 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
» Make a correction to this article.
» Add information or comments to this article.
Spread the word: del.icio.us del.icio.us it!

PRIVY See also:

SEAL , a seal of the See also:United See also:Kingdom, next in importance to the See also:great seal, and occupying an intermediate position between it and the signet. The authority of the privy seal was principally of a two-See also:fold nature. It was a See also:warrant to the See also:lord See also:chancellor to affix the great seal to such See also:patents, charters, &c., as must necessarily pass the great seal (more particularly letters patent (q.v.). It was also the authority required for the issue of See also:money from the See also:exchequer, and was appended to documents of See also:minor importance which did not require the great seal. Previous to the Great Seal See also:Act 1884, all letters patent conferring any dignity, See also:office, See also:monopoly, See also:franchise or other See also:privilege were always passed under the privy seal before passing under the great seal. Lord Privy Seal is the See also:title of the officer who had the custody of the privy seal. He was originally known as the " keeper of the privy seal." The importance of the office was due to the See also:desire of the privy See also:council and the See also:parliament in the 14th and 15th centuries to See also:place some check on the issue of public money, as well as to prevent the use of the great seal by the See also:sovereign without any intermediary except the lord chancellor. The lord privy seal first appears as a See also:minister of See also:state in the reign of See also:Edward III. Until 1537 he was always an ecclesiastic, but is now more usually a temporal lord. He is the fifth great officer of state, and takes See also:rank next after the See also:president of the council and before all See also:dukes. See See also:Anson, See also:Law and See also:Custom of the Constitution (1896).

End of Article: PRIVY SEAL

Additional information and Comments

There are no comments yet for this article.
» Add information or comments to this article.
Please link directly to this article:
Highlight the code below, right click, and select "copy." Then paste it into your website, email, or other HTML.
Site content, images, and layout Copyright © 2006 - Net Industries, worldwide.
Do not copy, download, transfer, or otherwise replicate the site content in whole or in part.

Links to articles and home page are always encouraged.

[back]
PRIVY PURSE 		[next]
PRIZE, or PRIZE OF WAR (Fr. prise, from prendre, to...

Site © 2006 - Net Industries