Rolls, MASTER OF THE

Rolls, MASTER OF THE, was formerly the chief of the twelve Masters in Chancery, entrusted with the care of grants passed under the great seal, and of all the records of the Chancery; he also sat on the equity side of the court as an independent though subordinate judge; doubts having been raised as to his jurisdiction, his powers were confirmed by act of parliament in 1730. The official residence of the Master of the Rolls in Chancery Lane, with the chapel, &c. thereto attached, form the Liberty of the Rolls. The Master of the Rolls was formerly permitted to sit in the House of Commons, and this usage was defended in a well-known speech by Macaulay. By the Judicature Act of 1873 the Master of the Rolls was excluded from the House of Commons; he has since been transferred, by an act passed in 1881, to the Court of Appeal, but he continues to perform administrative duties as head of the Record Office. For the Rolls Series, see RECORDS.