Master of the Horse UK

The Master of the Horse was (and in some cases, still is) a position of varying importance in several European nations.
This project is for the United Kingdom only. Other projects will need to be set up and referenced and linked for:

• Magister Equitum (Ancient Rome)
• Grand Squire of France
• Oberststallmeister (Germany)
• Caballerizo mayor (Spain)
• Papal Master of the Horse
• Riksstallmästare (Sweden)
• Equerry (Russia)
• Koniuszy (Kingdom of Poland and Grand Duchy of Lithuania)
• amilakhvari (amir-akhori, lit.: Prince-Master of the Horse (Georgia)
• főlovászmester (Hungary)
• Asia - Similar posts were common in the imperial courts of China (See Sima as a Chinese surname) and Japan, the royal courts of Korea, and elsewhere in East Asia. The Siamese kingdom of Ayutthaya had a Master of the Royal Elephants.

The Master of the Horse in the United Kingdom was once an important official of the sovereign's household, though the role is largely ceremonial today. The master of the horse is the third dignitary of the court, and was always a member of the ministry (before 1782 the office was of cabinet rank), a peer and a privy councillor. All matters connected with the horses and formerly also the hounds of the sovereign, as well as the stables and coachhouses, the stud, mews and previously the kennels, are within his jurisdiction. The practical management of the Royal Stables and stud devolves on the chief or Crown Equerry, formerly called the Gentleman of the Horse, whose appointment was always permanent. The Clerk Marshal had the supervision of the accounts of the department before they are submitted to the Board of Green Cloth, and was in waiting on the Sovereign on state occasions only. Exclusive of the Crown Equerry there were seven regular equerries, besides extra and honorary equerries, one of whom was always in attendance on the Sovereign and rode at the side of the royal carriage. They were always officers of the army, and each of them was on duty for about the same time as the lords and grooms in waiting. There are still several pages of honour who are nominally in the master of the horse's department, who must not be confounded with the pages of various kinds who are in the department of the Lord Chamberlain. They are youths aged from twelve to sixteen, selected by the sovereign in person, to attend on him at state ceremonies. At the Coronation they assisted the groom of the stole in carrying the royal train.

The current Master of the Horse is Samuel Vestey, 3rd Baron Vestey.

Today the Master of the Horse has a primarily ceremonial office, and rarely appears except on state occasions, and especially when the Sovereign is mounted. The Crown Equerry has daily oversight of the Royal Mews, which provides vehicular transport for the Sovereign, both cars and horse-drawn carriages. Train travel is arranged by the Royal Travel Office, which also co-ordinates air transport.

The Pages of Honour, who appear only on ceremonial occasions, and the Equerries, were nominally under the authority of the Master of the Horse. The former are now controlled by the Keeper of the Privy Purse. The latter are effectively independent, and are functionally closer to the Private Secretary's Office. There are now three equerries to the Sovereign, and a larger number of extra equerries - usually retired officers with some connection to the Royal Household. The extra equerries are rarely if ever required for duty, but the Equerries are in attendance on the Sovereign on a daily basis. For some years the senior Equerry has also held the position of Deputy Master of the Household. The permanent equerry is an officer of major rank or equivalent, recruited from the three armed services in turn. Many previous equerries have gone on to reach high rank. The temporary equerry is a Captain of the Coldstream Guards, who provides part-time attendance. When not required for duty he has additional regimental or staff duties. Senior members of the Royal Family also have one or two equerries.

Masters of the Horse

14th and 15th centuries

• Sir John (de) Brocas, of Clewer. De facto Master of Horse to King Edward III. c.1360–1371
• Sir Bernard (de) Brocas 1371–
• Sir Thomas de Murriex
• Thomas de Clifford, 6th Baron de Clifford 1388–1391
• Sir John Russell 1291–1398
• Richard Redman 1399–1399
• Robert Waterton 1399–1405
• John de Waterton 1405–1421
• Sir Henry Noon
• Richard de Beauchamp, 13th Earl of Warwick
• Sir Walter Beauchamp 1429–1430
• Sir John Styward
• The Lord Beauchamp 1440–
• Sir Thomas de Burgh <1454–?1479
• Sir John Cheyney 1479–1483
• Sir Thomas Tyrrell 1483–1483
• Sir James Tyrell 1483–

16th century

• Sir Thomas Brandon c.1485–1510
• Sir Thomas Knyvet 1510–1512
• The Duke of Suffolk 1513–1515
• Sir Henry Guildford 1515–1522
• Sir Nicholas Carew 1522–1539
• Sir Anthony Browne 1539–1548
• The Earl of Pembroke 1548–1552
• The Earl of Warwick 1552–1553
• Sir Edward Hastings 1553–1556
• Sir Henry Jerningham 1556–1558
• Lord Robert Dudley 1558–1587, created Earl of Leicester in 1564
• The Earl of Essex 1587–1601

17th century

• The Earl of Worcester (c. 1601–1616)
• Sir George Villiers (1616–1628), created Duke of Buckingham in 1623
• Henry Rich, 1st Earl of Holland (1628)
• The Marquess of Hamilton (1628–c. 1644), created Duke of Hamilton in 1643
• Prince Rupert of the Rhine (1653–1655), in exile
• John Claypole (1653–?1660), appointed by Oliver Cromwell during the Commonwealth
• The Duke of Albemarle (1660–1668)
• The Duke of Buckingham (1668–1674)
• The Duke of Monmouth (1674–1679)
• In commission (1679–1681):
• Sir Stephen Fox
• Sir Richard Mason
• Sir Nicholas Armorer
• Thomas Wyndham
• Roger Pope
• The Duke of Richmond (1681–1685)
• Commissioners appointed during the Duke of Richmond's minority (1682–1685):
• Henry Guy
• Theophilus Oglethorpe
• Charles Adderley
• The Lord Dartmouth (1685–1689)
• Henry Overkirke (1689–1702)

18th century

• In commission (1702):
• Sir Stephen Fox
• Sir Benjamin Bathurst
• Hugh Chudleigh
• The Duke of Somerset (1702–1712)
• In commission (1712–1714):
• Conyers Darcy
• George Feilding
• The Duke of Somerset (1714–1715)
• In commission (1715–1717):
• Conyers Darcy
• Francis Negus
• In commission (1717–1727):
• Francis Negus
• The Earl of Scarbrough (1727–1735)
• The Duke of Richmond (1735–1750)
• vacant
• Marquess of Hartington (1751–1755)
• The Duke of Dorset (1755–1757)
• The Earl Gower (1757–1760)
• The Earl of Huntingdon (1760–1761)
• The Duke of Rutland (1761–1766)
• The Earl of Hertford (1766)
• The Duke of Ancaster and Kesteven (1766–1778)
• The Duke of Northumberland (1778–1780)
• The Duke of Montagu (1780–1790)
• The Duke of Montrose (1790–1795)
• The Earl of Westmorland (1795–1798)
• The Earl of Chesterfield (1798–1804)

19th century

• The Marquess of Hertford (1804–1806)
• The Earl of Carnarvon (1806–1807)
• The Duke of Montrose (1807–1821)
• The Duke of Dorset (1821–1827)
• The Duke of Leeds (1827–1830)
• The Earl of Albemarle (1830–1834)
• The Duke of Dorset (1835)
• The Earl of Albemarle (1835–1841)
• The Earl of Jersey (1841–1846)
• The Duke of Norfolk (1846–1852)
• The Earl of Jersey (1852)
• The Duke of Wellington (1853–1858)
• The Duke of Beaufort (1858–1859)
• The Marquess of Ailesbury (1859–1866)
• The Duke of Beaufort (1866–1868)
• The Marquess of Ailesbury (1868–1874)
• The Earl of Bradford (1874–1880)
• The Duke of Westminster (1880–1885)
• The Earl of Bradford (1885–1886)
• The Earl of Cork (1886)
• The Duke of Portland (1886–1892)
• The Viscount Oxenbridge (1892–1894)
• The Earl of Cork (1894–1895)
• The Duke of Portland (1895–1905)

20th century

• The Earl of Sefton (1905–1907)
• The Earl of Granard (1907–1915)
• The Earl of Chesterfield (1915–1922)
• The Marquess of Bath (1922–1924)[1][2]
• The Earl of Granard (1924–1936)[3][4]
• The Duke of Beaufort (1936–1978)
• The Earl of Westmorland (1978–1991)[5]
• The Lord Somerleyton (1991–1999)[6]
• The Lord Vestey (1999–present)[7]