| Serjeant at Arms of the House of Commons | |
|---|---|
 | |
.jpg) | |
| Parliament of the United Kingdom | |
| Reports to | Clerk of the Parliaments |
| Appointer | The Crown (de jure) Clerk of the Parliaments (de facto) |
| Formation | 1415 |
| First holder | Nicholas Maundit |
| Website | Serjeant at Arms |
The Serjeant at Arms of the House of Commons is a parliamentary official responsible for order in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom. The office dates to 1415 and traditionally included responsibility for security. The role is now mainly ceremonial.
The House of Lords also had a Serjeant-at-Arms (the title was often distinguished by the use of hyphens), dating also from the 15th century. His duties were merged in 1971 with those of Black Rod.[2]
Traditionally the post of Serjeant-at-Arms was filled by a retired military officer, but in 2008 a civil servant, Jill Pay, was selected as the first woman to hold the appointment.[3] At the same time the job was split, with many of the duties transferred to the new post of chief executive.[citation needed]
Ugbana Oyet holds the post as of October 2022[update].[1]
- ^ a b Appointment confirmed by BBC Parliament.
- ^ "House of Lords; Serjeant-at-Arms". parliament.uk.
- ^ Walker, Peter (3 December 2008). "Profile: Jill Pay, serjeant at arms | Damian Green". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 21 March 2022.