A sinecure (from Latin sine, without, and cura, care) means an office which requires or involves little or no responsibility, labour, or active service. Examples are the Lord Privy Seal and the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster in the British cabinet. Sinecures have historically provided a potent tool for governments or monarchs to distribute patronage, while recipients are able to store up titles and easy salaries. The Lord Privy Seal or Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal is one of the traditional sinecure offices in the British Cabinet. ... The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster is, in modern times, a sinecure office in the British government. ... Generally, patronage is the act of supporting or favoring some person, group, or institution. ...

A sinecure should not be confused with a figurehead, as the latter office actually requires active participation in government, albeit with a lack of power. A sinecure, by contrast, has no real day-to-day responsibilities, but may have de jure power. In politics, a figurehead, by metaphor with the carved figurehead at the prow of a sailing ship, is a person who holds an important title or office yet executes little actual power. ...

List of sinecures

• Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports
• Lord President of the Council
• Lord Privy Seal
• First Secretary of State
• Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
• Lord Clerk Register
• Crown Steward and Bailiff of the Chiltern Hundreds
• Crown Steward and Bailiff of the Manor of Northstead

Flag of the Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports The Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports is a ceremonial official in the United Kingdom. ... The Office of Lord President of the Council is a British cabinet position, the holder of which acts as presiding officer of the Privy Council. ... The Lord Privy Seal or Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal is one of the traditional sinecure offices in the British Cabinet. ... First Secretary of State is a title within the British government, principally regarded as purely honorific, currently held by the Deputy Prime Minister, John Prescott. ... The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster is, in modern times, a sinecure office in the British government. ... The Lord Clerk Register is the oldest surviving Great Office of State in Scotland, with origins in the 13th century. ... Members of Parliament of the House of Commons in the United Kingdom are technically forbidden to resign. ... Members of Parliament of the House of Commons in the United Kingdom are technically forbidden to resign. ...

See also

• Minister without Portfolio