Lord Clerk Register

Lord Clerk Register
The Royal Coat of Arms as used in Scotland
Incumbent Lady Elish Angiolini since 5 June 2023
Department of the Registers of Scotland Scottish Courts and Tribunal Service
Nominator	The incumbent First Minister of Scotland
Appointer	Monarch on the recommendation by the First Minister
Formation	1288, as Clerk of the Rolls of the Kings Chapel
First holder	William, Bishop of St Andrews
Website	Scottish Courts and Tribunal Service

The office of Lord Clerk Register (Scottish Gaelic: Clàr Morair Clèireach) is the oldest remaining Great Officer of State in Scotland, with origins in the 13th century. It historically had important functions in relation to the maintenance and care of the public records of Scotland. Today these duties are administered by the Keeper of the National Records of Scotland and the Keeper of the Registers of Scotland.

When established originally in the 13th century, the office of Lord Clerk Register was mostly a clerical office role, but by the 15th century, the Clerk Register had become an officer of state with a seat in the Parliament of Scotland.^[1]

In their capacity as Keeper of the Signet, the Lord Clerk Register executes ceremonial functions as the senior officer of the Society of Writers to the Signet. Writers to the Signet historically had various privileges relating to the drawing up of documents which required to be signeted. These privileges have since become defunct, and the society is now an independent, non-regulatory association of solicitors who are mostly based in Edinburgh, Scotland's capital city.^[1]