Lord High Steward of Ireland

The Lord High Steward of Ireland is a hereditary Great Officer of State in the United Kingdom, sometimes known as the Hereditary Great Seneschal. The Earls of Shrewsbury (Earls of Waterford in the Peerage of Ireland) have held the office since the 15th century. Although the Irish Free State, later the state of Ireland, became independent in 1922, the title remained the same, rather than reflecting the region of Northern Ireland, which remains within the United Kingdom.

The 1st Earl of Shrewsbury was created Earl of Waterford and Lord High Steward of Ireland on 17 July 1446 by letters patent of King Henry VI. The current Lord High Steward is his heir, the 22nd Earl of Shrewsbury.

It was the Lord High Steward of Ireland, the Earl of Shrewsbury, who performed the responsibility of the curtana, and carrying the Sword of State at the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in June 1953. Four Swords of State are used, and the Lord High Steward of Ireland carries one of these, the Sword of Mercy, which has a blunt tip, and is called thus the Curtana. The others are the Swords respectively of Spiritual Justice, and of Temporal Justice, and the Great Sword of State, or the Sword of Offering. The Curtana is also known as the Sword of King Edward the Confessor.

The Lord High Steward of England ceased to be hereditary; for example it was conferred on the Duke of Northumberland for the Coronation in 1911. It is considered the first of the Great Officers of State, and a supreme judge in parliament. The Lord High Steward walks in front of the new Sovereign, carrying the Crown of St. Edward, on a velvet cushion. He wears robes of white satin and gold under-garment, with a long red mantle and ermine tippet.

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