Solicitor General for England and Wales

Updated on Dec 31, 2023

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Appointer The Sovereign on the advice of the Prime Minister Term length At Her Majesty's Pleasure Website Attorney General's Office

Her Majesty's Solicitor General for England and Wales, known informally as the Solicitor General, is one of the Law Officers of the Crown, and the deputy of the Attorney General, whose duty is to advise the Crown and Cabinet on the law. He or she can exercise the powers of the Attorney General in the Attorney General's absence.

There is also a Solicitor General for Scotland, who is the deputy of the Lord Advocate. As well as the Sovereign's Solicitor General, the Prince of Wales and a Queen consort (when the Sovereign is male) are also entitled to have an Attorney and Solicitor General, though the present Prince of Wales has only an Attorney General and no Solicitor General.

The Solicitor General is addressed in court as "Mr Solicitor" or ''Ms Solicitor''. Despite the title, the position is usually held by a barrister. Robert Buckland, MP for South Swindon, was confirmed in the post on 15 July 2014, replacing Sir Oliver Heald.

15th century

incomplete

Richard Fowler 1461–1470

Richard Page 1470-1483

Thomas Lynon 1483–1485

Andrew Dimmock 1485–1503

16th century

Thomas Lucas 1503–1507

John Ernley 1507–1514

John Port 1514–1521

Richard Lyster 1521–1525

Christopher Hales 1525–1531

Baldwin Mallet 1531–1533

Richard Rich 1533–1536

William Whorwood 1536–1540

Henry Bradshaw 1540–1545

Edward Griffin 1545–1552

John Gosnel 1552–1553

William Cordell 1553–1557

Richard Weston 1557–1559

William Rosewell 1559–1566

Richard Onslow 1566–1569

Sir Thomas Bromley 1569–1579

Sir John Popham 1579–1581

Sir Thomas Egerton 1581–1592

Sir Edward Coke 1592–1594

Thomas Fleming 1595–1604

17th century

Sir John Doderidge 1604–1607

Sir Francis Bacon 1607–1613

Henry Yelverton 1613–1617

Sir Thomas Coventry 1617–1621

Sir Robert Heath 1621–1625

Sir Richard Shelton 1625–1634

Sir Edward Littleton 1634–1640

Sir Edward Herbert 1640–1641

Oliver St John 1641–1643 (continued to 1648 under parliament)

Sir Thomas Gardiner 1643–1645

Sir Geoffrey Palmer 1645–1649

Edmund Prideaux 1648–1649

John Cooke 1649–1650

Robert Reynolds 1650–1654

William Ellis 1654–1660

Sir Heneage Finch 1660–1670

Sir Edward Turnor 1670–1671

Sir Francis North 1671–1673

Sir William Jones 1673–1674

Sir Francis Winnington 1674–1679

Heneage Finch 1679–1686

Sir Thomas Powys 1686–1687

Sir William Williams 1687–1689

Sir George Treby 1689

Sir John Somers 1689–1692

Sir Thomas Trevor 1692–1695

Sir John Hawles 1695–1702

18th century

Sir Simon Harcourt 1702–1707

Sir James Montagu 1707–1708

Robert Eyre 1708–1710

Sir Robert Raymond 1710–1714

Nicholas Lechmere 1714–1715

John Fortescue Aland 1715–1717

Sir William Thomson 1717–1720

Sir Philip Yorke 1720–1724

Sir Clement Wearg 1724–1725

Charles Talbot 1726–1733

Sir Dudley Ryder 1733–1737

John Strange 1737–1742

William Murray 1742–1754

Sir Richard Lloyd 1754–1756

Charles Yorke 1756–1762

Sir Fletcher Norton 1762–1763

William de Grey 1763–1766

Edward Willes 1766–1768

John Dunning 1768–1770

Edward Thurlow 1770–1771

Alexander Wedderburn 1771–1778

James Wallace 1778–1780

James Mansfield 1780–1782

John Lee 1782

Richard Pepper Arden 1782–1783

John Lee 1783

James Mansfield 1783

Richard Pepper Arden 1783–1784

Archibald Macdonald 1784–1788

Sir John Scott 1788–1793

Sir John Mitford 1793–1799

Sir William Grant 1799–1801

19th century

Spencer Perceval 1801–1802

Sir Thomas Manners-Sutton 1802–1805

Sir Vicary Gibbs 1805–1806

Sir Samuel Romilly 1806–1807

Sir Thomas Plumer 1807–1812

Sir William Garrow 1812–1813

Sir Robert Dallas 1813

Sir Samuel Shepherd 1813–1817

Sir Robert Gifford 1817–1819

Sir John Singleton Copley 1819–1824

Sir Charles Wetherell 1824–1826

Sir Nicholas Conyngham Tindal 1826–1829

Sir Edward Burtenshaw Sugden 1829–1830

Sir William Horne 1830–1832

Sir John Campbell 1832–1834

Sir Charles Christopher Pepys 1834

Sir Robert Monsey Rolfe 1834

William Webb Follett 1834–1835

Robert Monsey Rolfe 1835–1839

Sir Thomas Wilde 1839–1841

Sir William Webb Follett 1841–1844

Sir Frederic Thesiger 1844–1845

Sir Fitzroy Kelly 1845–1846

John Jervis 1846

Sir David Dundas 1846–1848

Sir John Romilly 1848–1850

Sir Alexander Cockburn 1850–1851

Sir William Page Wood 1851–1852

Sir Fitzroy Kelly 1852

Sir Richard Bethell 1852–1856

James Archibald Stuart-Wortley 1856–1857

Henry Singer Keating 1857–1858

Sir Hugh McCalmont Cairns 1858–1859

Henry Singer Keating 1859

Sir William Atherton 1859–1861

Sir Roundell Palmer 1861–1863

Sir Robert Porrett Collier 1863–1866

Sir William Bovill 1866

Sir John Burgess Karslake 1866–1867

Sir Charles Jasper Selwyn 1867–1868

Sir William Baliol Brett 1868

Sir Richard Baggallay 1868

Sir John Duke Coleridge 1868–1871

Sir George Jessel 1871–1873

Sir Henry James 1873

Sir William Vernon Harcourt 1873–1874

Sir Richard Baggallay 1874

Sir John Holker 1874–1875

Sir Hardinge Giffard 1875–1880

Sir Farrer Herschell 1880–1885

Sir John Eldon Gorst 1885–1886

Sir Horace Davey 1886

Sir Edward George Clarke 1886–1892

Sir John Rigby 1892–1894

Sir Robert Threshie Reid 1894

Sir Frank Lockwood 1894–1895

Sir Robert Finlay 1895–1900

20th century

Sir Edward Carson (7 May 1900 – 4 December 1905)

Sir William Robson (12 December 1905 – 28 January 1908)

Sir Samuel Thomas Evans (28 January 1908 – 6 March 1910)

Sir Rufus Isaacs (6 March 1910 – 7 October 1910)

Sir John Simon (7 October 1910 – 19 October 1913)

Sir Stanley Buckmaster (19 October 1913 – 2 June 1915)

Sir F. E. Smith (2 June 1915 – 8 November 1915)

Sir George Cave (8 November 1915 – 10 December 1916)

Sir Gordon Hewart (10 December 1916 – 10 January 1919)

Sir Ernest Pollock (10 January 1919 – 6 March 1922)

Sir Leslie Scott (6 March 1922 – 19 October 1922)

Sir Thomas Inskip (31 October 1922 – 22 January 1924)

Sir Henry Slesser (23 January 1924 – 3 November 1924)

Sir Thomas Inskip (11 November 1924 – 28 March 1928)

Sir Boyd Merriman (28 March 1928 – 5 June 1929)

Sir James Melville (7 June 1929 – 22 October 1930)

Sir Stafford Cripps (22 October 1930 – 24 August 1931)

Sir Thomas Inskip (3 September 1931 – 26 January 1932)

Sir Boyd Merriman (26 January 1932 – 29 September 1933)

Sir Donald Somervell (29 September 1933 – 19 March 1936)

Sir Terence O'Connor (19 March 1936 – 7 May 1940) (died in office)

Sir William Jowitt (15 May 1940 – 4 March 1942)

Sir David Maxwell-Fyfe (4 March 1942 – 25 May 1945)

Sir Walter Monckton (25 May 1945 – 26 July 1945)

Sir Frank Soskice (4 August 1945 – 24 April 1951)

Sir Lynn Ungoed-Thomas (24 April 1951 – 26 October 1951)

Sir Reginald Manningham-Buller (3 November 1951 – 18 October 1954)

Sir Harry Hylton-Foster (18 October 1954 – 22 October 1959)

Sir Jocelyn Simon (22 October 1959 – 8 February 1962)

Sir John Hobson (8 February 1962 – 19 July 1962)

Sir Peter Rawlinson (19 July 1962 – 16 October 1964)

Sir Dingle Foot (18 October 1964 – 24 August 1967)

Sir Arthur Irvine (24 August 1967 – 19 June 1970)

Sir Geoffrey Howe (23 June 1970 – 5 November 1972)

Sir Michael Havers (5 November 1972 – 4 March 1974)

Peter Archer (7 March 1974 – 4 May 1979)

Sir Ian Percival (5 May 1979 – 13 June 1983)

Sir Patrick Mayhew (13 June 1983 – 13 June 1987)

Sir Nicholas Lyell (13 June 1987 – 15 April 1992)

Sir Derek Spencer (15 April 1992 – 2 May 1997)

Lord Falconer of Thoroton (6 May 1997 – 28 July 1998)

Ross Cranston (28 July 1998 – 11 June 2001)

2001–present

Colour key (for political parties):
Conservative Labour

References

Solicitor General for England and Wales Wikipedia

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