John Fane, 10th Earl of Westmorland
John Fane, 10th Earl of Westmorland,, styled Lord Burghersh between 1771 and 1774, was a British Tory politician of the late 18th and early 19th centuries, who served in most of the cabinets of the period, primarily as Lord Privy Seal ultimately spending 33 years in office.
Lord Westmorland in the parliamentary robes of an earl, by Thomas Lawrence c. 1806.
Detail of a mezzotint portrait by John Jones (circa 1745–1797) after George Romney of John Fane, 10th Earl of Westmorland, 1796.
The Lord Privy Seal is the fifth of the Great Officers of State in the United Kingdom, ranking beneath the Lord President of the Council and above the Lord Great Chamberlain. Originally, its holder was responsible for the monarch's personal (privy) seal until the use of such a seal became obsolete. Though one of the oldest offices in European governments, it has no particular function today because the use of a privy seal has been obsolete for centuries; it may be regarded as a traditional sinecure, but today, the holder of the office is invariably given a seat in the Cabinet of the United Kingdom, and is sometimes referred to as a minister without portfolio.
Lord Privy Seal
Image: Charles Spencer 3rd Earl of Sunderland
Image: 1st Duke of Kingston upon Hull
Image: Henry Grey, 1st Duke of Kent, by Charles Jervas