History of the Lieutenancy

The office of Lord-Lieutenant is of military origin and can be said to date from the reign of Henry VIII.

The office of Lord-Lieutenant is of military origin. It dates from the reign of Henry VIII, when its holder was made responsible for the maintenance of order and for all military measures necessary locally for defence. 

By 1569, provision was made for the appointment of deputies. Although by the Regulation of the Forces Act 1871 the Militia was removed from the Lord-Lieutenant's direct control. It was not until 1921 that the Lord-Lieutenant finally lost the power to call on all able-bodied men of the County to fight in case of need.

The traditional links with the armed forces have been preserved in a modern form in the association of the Lord-Lieutenant with the volunteer Reserve Forces and through links with the local armed forces, police, fire and ambulance services. 

From the earliest days, the Lord-Lieutenant was closely associated with the magistracy. Until the Nineteenth century the Lord-Lieutenant was appointed the Clerk of Peace. In the English and Welsh shires, the Lord-Lieutenant is often a magistrate, chairman of the Advisory Committee and Keeper of the Rolls.

Worcestershire Lord-Lieutenants

  • 1660 to 1662 Thomas Hickman-Windsor, Seventh Baron Windsor
  • 1662 to 1663 Thomas Wrothesley, Fourth Earl of Southampton
  • 1663 to 1687 Thomas Hickman-Windsor, First Earl of Plymouth
  • 1687 to 1689 Francis Smith, Second Viscount Carrington
  • 1689 to 1718 Charles Talbot, First Duke of Shrewsbury
  • 1719 to 1751 William Coventry, Fifth Earl of Coventry
  • 1751 to 1808 George Coventry, Sixth Earl of Coventry
  • 1808 to 1831 George Coventry, Seventh Earl of Coventry
  • 1831 to 1833 Thomas Foley, Third Baron Foley
  • 1833 to 1837 William Lyttelton, Third Baron Lyttelton
  • 1837 to 1839 Thomas Foley, Fourth Baron Foley
  • 1839 to 1876 George Lyttelton, Fourth Baron Lyttelton
  • 1876 to 1891 Frederick Lygon, Sixth Earl Beauchamp
  • 1891 to 1923 George Coventry, Nineth Earl of Coventry
  • 1923 to 1949 John Lyttelton, Nineth Viscount Cobham
  • 1950 to 1963 Adm. Sir William Tennant
  • 1963 to 1974 Charles Lyttelton, Tenth Viscount Cobham
  • 1974 to 1977 Col. John Francis Maclean (Lord-Lieutenant of Hereford and Worcestershire)
  • 1977 to 2001 Sir Thomas Dunne (Lord-Lieutenant of Hereford and Worcestershire until 1998)
  • 2001 to 2012 Michael Brinton, CVO
  • 2012 to 2023 Lt Col Patrick Holcroft CVO, OBE
  • 2023 to present Mrs Beatrice Grant