The Privy Seal of England can be traced back to the reign of King John. It has been suggested that it was originally the seal that acompanied the person of the Sovereign, while the Great Seal required to remain in Chancery.

Prior to its adoption as the Privy Seal of the United Kingdom after the Act of Union 1707, its most notable appearance in Scottish history was its capture by the Scots in the aftermath of the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314.

The Great Seal Act 1884 effectively ended the use of the Privy Seal by providing that it was no longer necessary for any instrument to be passed under the Privy Seal.

The Privy Seal of England was originally kept by the Controller of the Wardrobe, but by 1323 the distinct office of Keeper of the Privy Seal had emerged. The present-day title of this office, Lord Privy Seal is recorded in 1539.

There was also a separate Privy Seal of Scotland, which existed from at least the reign of Alexander III. The Seal was last used in 1898 to execute the commission appointing Rev James Cooper to a Regius Chair at Glasgow University, but has never been abolished. The office of Keeper of the Privy Seal has not been filled since the death of the Marquess of Breadalbane in 1922.