SOLICITOR GENERAL FOR ENGLAND AND WALES

'Her Majesty's Solicitor General for England and Wales', often known 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 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". Despite the title, the position is usually held by a barrister.

Contents

Solicitors-General of England (and Wales), 1461-present

15th century

16th century

17th century

18th century

19th century

20th century

21st century

Solicitors-General of England (and Wales), 1461-present

15th century

''incomplete''

★ Richard Fowler 1461-1470

★ Richard Page 1470-1483

★ Thomas Lynom 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 Whorwode 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

★ Robert Heath 1621-1625

★ Sir Richard Sheldon 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

★ Geoffrey Palmer 1645-1649

★ Edmund Prideaux 1648-1649

★ John Cook 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 Powis 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 1726-1734

★ Sir Dudley Ryder 1726-1734

★ 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

★ Sir William Webb Follett 1834-1835

★ Sir 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

★ Sir Henry Singer Keating 1857-1858

★ Sir Hugh McCalmont Cairns 1858-1859

★ Sir 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 (May 7, 1900 - December 4, 1905)

★ Sir William Robson (December 12, 1905 - January 28, 1908)

★ Sir Samuel Evans (January 28, 1908 - March 6, 1910)

★ Sir Rufus Isaacs (March 6, 1910 - October 7, 1910)

★ Sir John Simon (October 7, 1910 - October 19, 1913)

★ Sir Stanley Buckmaster (October 19, 1913 - June 2, 1915)

★ Sir F. E. Smith (June 2, 1915 - November 8, 1915)

★ Sir George Cave (November 8, 1915 - December 10, 1916)

★ Sir Gordon Hewart (December 10, 1916 - January 10, 1919)

★ Sir Ernest Pollock (January 10, 1919 - March 6, 1922)

★ Sir Leslie Scott (March 6, 1922 - October 19, 1922)

★ Sir Thomas Inskip (October 31, 1922 - January 22, 1924)

★ Sir Henry Slesser (January 23, 1924 - November 3, 1924)

★ Sir Thomas Inskip (November 11, 1924 - March 28, 1928)

★ Sir Frank Merriman (March 28, 1928 - June 5, 1929)

★ Sir James Melville (June 7, 1929 -October 22, 1930)

★ Sir Stafford Cripps (October 22, 1930 - August 24, 1931)

★ Sir Thomas Inskip (September 3, 1931 - January 26, 1932)

★ Sir Frank Merriman (January 26, 1932 - September 29, 1933)

★ Sir Donald Somervell (September 29, 1933 - March 19, 1936)

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

★ Sir William Jowitt (May 15, 1940 - March 4, 1942)

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

★ Sir Walter Monckton (May 25, 1945 - July 26, 1945)

★ Sir Frank Soskice (August 4, 1945 - April 24, 1951)

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

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

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

★ Sir Jocelyn Simon (October 22, 1959 - February 8, 1962)

★ Sir John Hobson (February 8, 1962 - July 19, 1962)

★ Sir Peter Rawlinson (July 19, 1962 - October 16, 1964)

★ Sir Dingle Foot (October 18, 1964 - August 24, 1967)

★ Sir Arthur Irvine (August 24, 1967 - June 19, 1970)

★ Sir Geoffrey Howe (June 23, 1970 - November 5, 1972)

★ Sir Michael Havers (November 5, 1972 - March 4, 1974)

★ Peter Archer (March 7, 1974 - May 4, 1979)

★ Sir Ian Percival (May 5, 1979 - June 13, 1983)

★ Sir Patrick Mayhew (June 13, 1983 - June 13, 1987)

★ Sir Nicholas Lyell (June 13, 1987 - April 15, 1992)

★ Sir Derek Spencer (April 15, 1992 - May 2, 1997)

★ Lord Falconer of Thoroton (May 6, 1997 - July 28, 1998)

★ Ross Cranston (July 28, 1998 - June 11, 2001)

21st century

★ Harriet Harman (June 11, 2001 - 10 May 2005)

★ Mike O'Brien (May 11, 2005 - June 29, 2007)

★ Vera Baird (June 29, 2007 -