Legal Dictionary of Pakistan

Steward of Chiltern Hundreds

English law. Formerly, a royal officer charged with protecting residents from robbers and thieves who hid in the hundreds' wooded areas. 0 A member of Parliament can now use the office as a way to resign from office (something forbidden by statute) by accepting in lieu of a Parliamentary seat a royal appointment as Steward of Chiltern Hundreds. By law, a member of Parliament may not accept certain Crown appointments without forfeiting his or her seat, so once a member secures an appointment as Steward of Chiltern Hundreds - an office that is now only a sinecure - he or she is removed from Parliament. A resignation from the office of Steward completes the resignation process.