Windsor Castle
Windsor Castle, from above

The Constable and Governor of Windsor Castle is in charge of Windsor Castle in England on behalf of the sovereign. The day-to-day operations are under the Superintendent, who is an officer of the Master of the Household's Department of the Royal Household.

The Constable receives no salary, but has a residence in the Castle. From 1833-1957, the office was mostly filled by a member of the Royal Family, but now it is held by a senior retired officer of the armed forces of the Crown. He is the representative of the Lord Chamberlain within the Castle. The Constable also has nominal charge of its garrison, including the Windsor Castle Guard of the Foot Guards of the Household Division, as well as of the Military Knights of Windsor. The posts of Constable and Governor have been joined since 1660. A special uniform is prescribed for the Constable and Governor (similar to the full dress uniform of a General officer, but with scarlet collar and cuffs on a blue tunic rather than vice versa);[1] alternatively (and more often than not) service uniform may be worn.

There was a Deputy Constable and Lieutenant-Governor from 1833 to 1989. From 1964, he was also Governor of the Military Knights of Windsor until the office was abolished in 1989. At one time there was also a separate Constable of the Round Tower. From 1928 to 1935 this was held jointly with the post of Deputy Constable.

The following is a list, as complete as can be compiled from sources at present available, of the castellans, keepers and constables of Windsor Castle:

List of Constables and Governors of Windsor Castle

Name From To Notes
Walter FitzOther 1086 1100
William FitzWalter de Windsor (son) 1100 c.1153
Richard de Luci 1153 1179
Hugh de Puiset 1190 1190 Earl of Northumberland and Bishop of Durham
William de Longchamp 1191 (seized office) 1191 Bishop of Ely and Chancellor of England
William d'Aubigny, 2nd Earl of Arundel 1191 1191
William de Longchamp 1191 (again seized office) 1191 Bishop of Ely and Chancellor of England
Hubert Walter 1191 1193 Bishop of Salisbury then Archbishop of Canterbury
Hubert de Burgh 1200 1200
John FitzHugh 1201 1204
Robert de Vipont 1204 1205
John FitzHugh 1205 1216
Engelard de Cigogné 1216 1223
Stephen Langton 1223 1224 Archbishop of Canterbury
William de Rughedon 1224 1224
Osbert Giffard 1224 1224
Ralph Tirel 1224 1225
Hubert de Burgh, 1st Earl of Kent 1226 1233
William de Millers 1228
Waleran Tyes 1231
Alan de Crepping 1231
Stephen de Segrave 1232
Henry de Passelewe 1233
Engelard de Cigogné 1234
Bernard of Savoy 1242
Pierre de Genève 1248
Maud de Lacy 1249 widow of Peter of Geneva
Aymon Thurumbert 1257 1261
John de Sancta Elena 1261 1263
Sir Giles de Argentine 1263
Drew de Barentyne 1264
Geoffrey de Langley 1264
John FitzJohn 1264
John of London 1266
Ebulo de Montibus 1266
Nicholas de Yattendon 1269
Hugh de Dyne 1269
Geoffrey de Pickford 1272
John of London 1298
Roger le Sauvage 1305 1308
Robert de Haustede 1308
Warin de Lisle 1309 1319
Oliver de Bordeaux 1319
Ralph de Camoys, 3rd Baron Camoys 1319 1326
Thomas de Huntercombe 1326 1327 Also known as de Hodeng of Eton and Burnham
John de Lisle 1327
Thomas Foxley 1328 1360 Also known as de Foxle; of Foxley Manor at Bray and Bramshill Castle
Richard de la Vache 1360
Thomas Cheyne of Drayton Beauchamp 1365
Helming Legatte 1369
Sir Simon de Burley 1377
Thomas Tyle 1389
Sir Peter Courtenay 1390
Sir Hugh Waterton 1405
Sir John Stanley 1408 1413
John Wintershull 1413 deputy constable
John Waterton 1414 1417 Master of the Horse
Edmund Beaufort, 2nd Duke of Somerset 1438 1455
Admiral William Nevill jointly with John Bourchier, 1st Baron Berners 1455 Neville: Baron Fauconberg and Earl of Kent
John Bourchier, 1st Baron Berners jointly with his son Sir Humphrey Bourchier 1466 1471
John Bourchier, 1st Baron Berners 1471 1474
Walter Hungerford, 1st Baron Hungerford 1474 1477
Sir John Elrington 1483 1484
Thomas Windsor of Stanwell 1484 1485
Sir Thomas Bourchier 1485
Sir Thomas Bourchier jointly with Giles Daubeney, 1st Baron Daubeney 1495
Sir Thomas Bourchier jointly with Henry Bourchier, 2nd Earl of Essex 1511
Henry Courtenay, 1st Marquess of Exeter 1525 1539
Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester 1559 KG
Charles Howard, 2nd Baron Howard of Effingham 1590 later 1st Earl of Nottingham
George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham 1624 1628
Henry Rich, 1st Earl of Holland 1628 1648
Philip Herbert, 5th Earl of Pembroke and 2nd Earl of Montgomery 1648
Colonel John Venn 1648 1653
Sir Bulstrode Whitelocke 1653 1657
Colonel Sir John Lenthall 1657 1660
John Mordaunt, 1st Viscount Mordaunt 1660 1668
HRH Prince Rupert of the Rhine 1668 1682
Henry Howard, 7th Duke of Norfolk 1682 1701
George FitzRoy, 1st Duke of Northumberland 1701 1716
Richard Temple, 1st Viscount Cobham 1716 1723
Charles Howard, 3rd Earl of Carlisle 1723 1730
Charles Beauclerk, 2nd Duke of St Albans 1730 1751
George Montagu, 1st Duke of Montagu 1752 1790
James Brudenell, 5th Earl of Cardigan 1791 1811
Charles Stanhope, 3rd Earl of Harrington 1812 1829
Henry Conyngham, 1st Marquess Conyngham 1829 1832
Major General George FitzClarence, 1st Earl of Munster 1833 1842
HRH Prince Augustus Frederick, Duke of Sussex 1842 1843
HRH Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha 1843 1861 The Prince Consort
Vice Admiral HSH Prince Victor of Hohenlohe-Langenburg 1867 1891
John Campbell, 9th Duke of Argyll 1892 1914
Adolphus Cambridge, 1st Marquess of Cambridge 1914 1927
Reginald Brett, 2nd Viscount Esher 1928 1930
Major General Alexander Cambridge, 1st Earl of Athlone 4 Aug 1931 1957 Gazette Entry
vacant 1957 18 Jun 1964 Gazette Entry
Field Marshal William Slim, 1st Viscount Slim 18 Jun 1964 1970 Gazette Entry
Marshal of the Royal Air Force Charles Elworthy, Baron Elworthy 1971 11 Aug 1978 Gazette Entry
Marshal of the Royal Air Force Sir John Grandy 11 Aug 1978 9 Feb 1988 Gazette EntryGazette Entry
Admiral Sir David John Hallifax 9 Feb 1988 1992 Gazette Entry
General Sir Patrick Palmer 1992 2000
Air Chief Marshal Sir Richard Johns 2000 2008
Surgeon Vice-Admiral Ian L. Jenkins 1 Feb 2008 19 Feb 2009 Died in post
Air Marshal Sir Ian Macfadyen 10 Aug 2009 2014 Court & Social
Admiral Sir James Perowne 2014 2022
Lieutenant General Philip Jones 2022


List of Deputy Constables and Lieutenant-Governors of Windsor Castle

Please note this list is incomplete.

Name From To Notes
Major General George Scott c.1782 Deputy Governor
Major-General Sir John Clayton Cowell 1866 1894 [2]
The Viscount Esher 23 Jul 1901 19 Jan 1928 [3]
Major The Lord Sysonby 9 Jan 1928 20 October 1935 [4]
Colonel The Lord Wigram 20 July 1936 6 April 1945 [5]
Brigadier General The Earl of Gowrie 6 Apr 1945 1 Mar 1953 [6]
Lieutenant General The Lord Freyberg VC 1 Mar 1953 4 Jul 1963 [7]
Field Marshal The Viscount Slim 5 Jul 1963 4 Sep 1964 [8]
Major General Sir Edmund Hakewill-Smith 4 Sep 1964 31 Dec 1972 [9][10]
Major General Sir Peter Bernard Gillett 1978 1989

References

  1. ^ "Army Dress Regulations part 12" (PDF). What do they know?. Ministry of Defence. 8 March 2017. Retrieved 12 July 2018.
  2. ^ "Sir John Cowell". Obituaries. The Times. No. 34356. London. 30 August 1894. col E, p. 8.
  3. ^ London Gazette, issue no.27336, 23 July 1901
  4. ^ London Gazette, issue no.33346, 10 January 1928
  5. ^ London Gazette, issue no.34306, 20 July 1936
  6. ^ London Gazette, issue no.37019, 6 April 1945
  7. ^ London Gazette, issue no.39731, 3 March 1953
  8. ^ London Gazette, issue no.43098, 3 September 1963
  9. ^ London Gazette, issue no.39791, 4 September 1964
  10. ^ London Gazette, issue no.45868, 2 January 1973
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