City Remembrancer

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.

Paul Double (left) presenting Ion Jinga with the Freedom of the City, 13 June 2014

Since 2003, the Remembrancer has been Paul Double.[1] He joined the City of London from the Bar and earlier government service. His work in Parliament has centred on the legislation to implement the changes to the City's electoral system.

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 extends 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]
TermCity remembrancer
1571-1584 d.Thomas Norton[3]:184[2]:x
1584-1587no appointment[lower-alpha 1][3]:184
1587-1605Giles Fletcher DCL[lower-alpha 2][3][2]:x
1605-1609Clement Edmonds[3]:184[2][3]:184[2]:xi
1609-1619William Dyos[3]:184[2]:xi
1619-1633 d.Robert Bacon[3]:184[2]:xi
1633-1643Thomas Wiseman[3]:184[2]:xii
1643-1646no appointment[lower-alpha 3][3]:184
1646-1647Thomas Skinner[3]:184[2]:xii
1647-1657 d.William Pullen[3]:184[2]:xii
1657-1659John Hind[3]:184[2]:xii
1659-1660John Topham[3]:184[2]:xii
1660-1662John Wright[3]:184[2]:xii
1662 (January–July)Richard Lightfoot[3][2]:xii
1662-1664John Lightfoot[3]:184[2]:xii
1664-1665 d.George Dalton[3]:184[2]:xiii
1665-1666John Burrowes[3]:184[2]:xiii
1666-1667Edward Manning[3]:184[2]:xiii
1667-1673Richard Brawne[3]:184[2]:xiii
1673-1677George Doe[3]:184[2]:xiii
1677-1681Sir Richard Dearham[3]:184 (or Dearam)[2]:xiii
1681-1696Abraham Clarke[3]:184 (or Clerke)[2]:xiii
1696-1698John Sandsford[3]:184[2]:xiv
1698-1708William Bellamy[3]:184[2]:xiv
1708-1719John Johnson[3]:184[2]:xiv
1719-1727John Preston[3]:184[2]:xiv
1727-1743John Lethieullier[3]:184[2]:xiv
1743-1745William Hamilton[3]:184[2]:xiv
1745-1760Richard Cheslyn[3]:184[2]:xiv
1760-1761Brass Crosby[3]:184[2]:xiv
1761-1793 d.Peter Roberts[3]:184[2]:xv
1793-1832 d.Timothy Tyrrell[3]:184[2]:xv
1832-1863Edward Tyrrell[3]:184[2]:xv
1864-1878William Corrie[3]:184[2]:xv
1878-1881Charles Henry Robarts[3]:184[2]:xv
1882-1903Sir Gabriel Prior Goldney[3]:184
1903-1913Adrian Donald Wilde Pollock[3]:184
1913-1927Colonel Herbert Stuart Sankey[3]:184
1927-1932John Bridge Aspinall[3]:184
1932-1953Sir Leslie Blackmore Bowker[3]:184
1953-1967Sir Paul Christopher Davie[3]:184
1968-1981Sir Geoffrey Arden Peacock CVO[17]
1981-1986Anthony Douglas Howlett[18]
1986-2003Adrian Francis Patrick Barnes CVO[19]
2003–presentPaul Double[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. "Key officers". City of London Corporation. Retrieved 19 May 2015.
  2. Analytical Index to the Series of Records Know as the Remembrancia. Preserved Among the Archives of the City of London A.D. 1579-1664. E. J. Francis & Co. 1878.
  3. Jones, P. E. (30 October 1967). "The Office of City Remembrancer" (PDF). Guildhall Historical Association. Retrieved 12 December 2020.
  4. 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. "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. "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. 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.
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