What is "master of the rolls"

Roll \Roll\, n. [F. r[^o]le a roll (in sense 3), fr. L. rotulus ? little wheel, LL., a roll, dim. of L. rota a wheel. See Roll, v., and cf. R[^o]le, Rouleau, Roulette.]

1. The act of rolling, or state of being rolled; as, the roll of a ball; the roll of waves.

2. That which rolls; a roller. Specifically:

   1. A heavy cylinder used to break clods.
      --Mortimer.

   2. One of a set of revolving cylinders, or rollers, between which metal is pressed, formed, or smoothed, as in a rolling mill; as, to pass rails through the rolls.

3. That which is rolled up; as, a roll of fat, of wool, paper, cloth, etc. Specifically:

   1. A document written on a piece of parchment, paper, or other materials which may be rolled up; a scroll.

      Busy angels spread The lasting roll, recording what we say.
      --Prior.

   2. Hence, an official or public document; a register; a record; also, a catalogue; a list.

      The rolls of Parliament, the entry of the petitions, answers, and transactions in Parliament, are extant.
      --Sir M. Hale.

      The roll and list of that army doth remain.
      --Sir J. Davies.

   3. A quantity of cloth wound into a cylindrical form; as, a roll of carpeting; a roll of ribbon.

   4. A cylindrical twist of tobacco.

4. A kind of shortened raised biscuit or bread, often rolled or doubled upon itself.

5. (Naut.) The oscillating movement of a vessel from side to side, in sea way, as distinguished from the alternate rise and fall of bow and stern called pitching.

6. A heavy, reverberatory sound; as, the roll of cannon, or of thunder.

7. The uniform beating of a drum with strokes so rapid as scarcely to be distinguished by the ear.

8. Part; office; duty; r[^o]le. [Obs.]
   --L'Estrange.

   Long roll (Mil.), a prolonged roll of the drums, as the signal of an attack by the enemy, and for the troops to arrange themselves in line.

   Master of the rolls. See under Master.

   Roll call, the act, or the time, of calling over a list names, as among soldiers.

   Rolls of court, of parliament (or of any public body), the parchments or rolls on which the acts and proceedings of that body are engrossed by the proper officer, and which constitute the records of such public body.

   To call the roll, to call off or recite a list or roll of names of persons belonging to an organization, in order to ascertain who are present or to obtain responses from those present.

   Syn: List; schedule; catalogue; register; inventory. See List.

Master \Mas"ter\ (m[.a]s"t[~e]r), n. [OE. maistre, maister, OF. maistre, mestre, F. ma[^i]tre, fr. L. magister, orig. a double comparative from the root of magnus great, akin to Gr. me`gas. Cf. Maestro, Magister, Magistrate, Magnitude, Major, Mister, Mistress, Mickle.]

1. A male person having another living being so far subject to his will, that he can, in the main, control his or its actions; -- formerly used with much more extensive application than now.

   1. The employer of a servant.

   2. The owner of a slave.

   3. The person to whom an apprentice is articled.

   4. A sovereign, prince, or feudal noble; a chief, or one exercising similar authority.

   5. The head of a household.

   6. The male head of a school or college.

   7. A male teacher.

   8. The director of a number of persons performing a ceremony or sharing a feast.

   9. The owner of a docile brute, -- especially a dog or horse.

   10. The controller of a familiar spirit or other supernatural being.

2. One who uses, or controls at will, anything inanimate; as, to be master of one's time.
   --Shak.

   Master of a hundred thousand drachms.
   --Addison.

   We are masters of the sea.
   --Jowett (Thucyd.).

3. One who has attained great skill in the use or application of anything; as, a master of oratorical art.

   Great masters of ridicule.
   --Macaulay.

   No care is taken to improve young men in their own language, that they may thoroughly understand and be masters of it.
   --Locke.

4. A title given by courtesy, now commonly pronounced m[i^]ster, except when given to boys; -- sometimes written Mister, but usually abbreviated to Mr.

5. A young gentleman; a lad, or small boy.

   Where there are little masters and misses in a house, they are impediments to the diversions of the servants.
   --Swift.

6. (Naut.) The commander of a merchant vessel; -- usually called captain. Also, a commissioned officer in the navy ranking next above ensign and below lieutenant; formerly, an officer on a man-of-war who had immediate charge, under the commander, of sailing the vessel.

7. A person holding an office of authority among the Freemasons, esp. the presiding officer; also, a person holding a similar office in other civic societies. Little masters, certain German engravers of the 16th century, so called from the extreme smallness of their prints. Master in chancery, an officer of courts of equity, who acts as an assistant to the chancellor or judge, by inquiring into various matters referred to him, and reporting thereon to the court. Master of arts, one who takes the second degree at a university; also, the degree or title itself, indicated by the abbreviation M. A., or A. M. Master of the horse, the third great officer in the British court, having the management of the royal stables, etc. In ceremonial cavalcades he rides next to the sovereign. Master of the rolls, in England, an officer who has charge of the rolls and patents that pass the great seal, and of the records of the chancery, and acts as assistant judge of the court. --Bouvier. --Wharton. Past master,

   1. one who has held the office of master in a lodge of Freemasons or in a society similarly organized.

   2. a person who is unusually expert, skilled, or experienced in some art, technique, or profession; -- usually used with at or of. The old masters, distinguished painters who preceded modern painters; especially, the celebrated painters of the 16th and 17th centuries. To be master of one's self, to have entire self-control; not to be governed by passion. To be one's own master, to be at liberty to act as one chooses without dictation from anybody. Note: Master, signifying chief, principal, masterly, superior, thoroughly skilled, etc., is often used adjectively or in compounds; as, master builder or master-builder, master chord or master-chord, master mason or master-mason, master workman or master-workman, master mechanic, master mind, master spirit, master passion, etc. Throughout the city by the master gate. --Chaucer. Master joint (Geol.), a quarryman's term for the more prominent and extended joints traversing a rock mass. Master key, a key adapted to open several locks differing somewhat from each other; figuratively, a rule or principle of general application in solving difficulties. Master lode (Mining), the principal vein of ore. Master mariner, an experienced and skilled seaman who is certified to be competent to command a merchant vessel. Master sinew (Far.), a large sinew that surrounds the hough of a horse, and divides it from the bone by a hollow place, where the windgalls are usually seated. Master singer. See Mastersinger. Master stroke, a capital performance; a masterly achievement; a consummate action; as, a master stroke of policy. Master tap (Mech.), a tap for forming the thread in a screw cutting die. Master touch.

      1. The touch or skill of a master.
         --Pope.

      2. Some part of a performance which exhibits very skillful work or treatment. ``Some master touches of this admirable piece.''
         --Tatler.

         Master work, the most important work accomplished by a skilled person, as in architecture, literature, etc.; also, a work which shows the skill of a master; a masterpiece.

         Master workman, a man specially skilled in any art, handicraft, or trade, or who is an overseer, foreman, or employer.

The Keeper or Master of the Rolls and Records of the Chancery of England, known as the Master of the Rolls, is the second most senior judge in England and Wales after the Lord Chief Justice, and serves as the presiding officer of the Civil Division of the Court of Appeal and Head of Civil Justice. The position dates from at least 1286, although it is believed that the office probably existed earlier than that.

The Master of the Rolls was initially a clerk responsible for keeping the "Rolls", or records, of the Court of Chancery, and was known as the Keeper of the Rolls of Chancery. The Keeper was the most senior of the dozen Chancery clerks, and as such occasionally acted as keeper of the Great Seal of the Realm. The post evolved into a judicial one as the Court of Chancery did; the first reference to judicial duties dates from 1520. With the Judicature Act 1873, which merged the Court of Chancery with the other major courts, the Master of the Rolls joined the Chancery Division of the High Court and the Court of Appeal, but left the Chancery Division by the terms of the Judicature Act 1881. He retained his clerical functions as the nominal head of the Public Record Office until the Public Records Act 1958 transferred responsibility for it to the Lord Chancellor. The Master of the Rolls was also previously responsible for registering solicitors, the officers of the Senior Courts.

One of the most prominent people to hold the position was Thomas Cromwell, a highly influential figure during the reign of Henry VIII. Lord Dyson succeeded Lord Neuberger of Abbotsbury as Master of the Rolls on 1 October 2012. On 26 May 2016, 10 Downing Street announced that Sir Terence Etherton will succeed Lord Dyson in the office on 3 October.