The Lord Clerk Register is the oldest surviving Great Office of State in Scotland, with origins in the 13th century. The role has been largely honorific since 1806, when a Deputy Clerk Register was appointed. Most of its remaining functions were removed by Act of Parliament in 1879, although the Lord Clerk Register remained responsible for the election of representative peers of Scotland until these were abolished in 1963.

The Lord Clerk Register is one of the guardian commissioners for Scotland's Crown Jewels. It is combined with the role of Keeper of the Signet, which was given to the Lord Clerk Register in 1817.

The current Lord Clerk Register is the Earl of Wemyss and March.