自1736年以来，英国陆军元帅一直是英国陆军中最高的军衔。陆军元帅的徽章由两个交叉的权杖、圣爱德华王冠和叶片纹组成。陆军元帅和皇家空军的空军元帅和皇家海军的海军元帅一样，都是终身职位，即使他不在其位，他亦能领取薪金的一半（Half-pay）。陆军元帅军衔创设以来，颁授次数并不多。第二次世界大战后，英国政府通常会授予英帝国总参谋长（英国陆军总参谋长的前身）陆军元帅军衔。隶属陆军的国防参谋长都晋升为陆军元帅，此惯例持续至1997年为止。
军衔创设至今一共有141名陆军元帅。长期于英军或英属印度陆军服役，最终被擢升为陆军元帅者占大多数。一些英国王室成员，于军队服役一段短时间后获得此军衔，例子有肯特公爵爱德华亲王和威尔士亲王查尔斯。英国君主方面，乔治五世、爱德华八世和乔治六世登基即位时获颁陆军元帅军衔，而爱德华七世登基即位前已经拥有陆军元帅军衔。此外，两位王夫阿尔伯特亲王和菲利普亲王均被授予陆军元帅军衔。
出于外交考量，英国当局亦授予外国君主、军官和政治家陆军元帅军衔。12位外国君主获得了此军衔，其中德意志皇帝威廉二世、奥地利皇帝弗朗茨·约瑟夫一世和日本天皇裕仁因代表敌对国而被褫夺军衔。同样被授予此军衔的还有分别于第一次世界大战和第二次世界大战立下战功的法国军官费迪南·福煦和澳洲军官托马斯·布莱梅爵士。另外，南非政治家和军事领袖扬·史末资亦获授陆军元帅军衔。
1995年，英国国防部发表报告，提出节省军队支出的建议，当中包括取消陆军元帅军衔。国防部认为陆军元帅军衔无实际功用，而且英国盟友军队亦无相近军衔。但是，该建议并未得到充分采纳，但英国军队停止授予参谋长陆军元帅军衔的做法，现时此军衔仅在特殊情况下颁发。 彼得·英奇爵士（后为勋爵）于1994年任命为英国国防参谋长时获授予此军衔，是为最后一位经内部晋升的陆军元帅。英奇爵士于1997年辞去英国国防参谋长一职，其继任者查尔斯·葛思里爵士（Sir Charles Guthrie，后为勋爵）是第一位被任命时拒绝接受陆军元帅军衔的英国国防参谋长。
2012年，伊丽莎白二世授予威尔士亲王查尔斯三军元帅军衔，以表彰查尔斯对她英国三军总司令（Commander-in-chief of the British Armed Forces）工作上的支持。与此同时，于2001年退役的葛思里爵士被授予陆军元帅军衔，军衔为荣誉性质。2014年6月，前国防参谋长阿特灵汉姆的沃克勋爵（Lord Walker of Aldringham）亦获授荣誉陆军元帅军衔。
英国陆军元帅肩章由橡叶环、两个交叉的权杖和王冠组成。一些曾受英国管治的国家的陆军元帅肩章与通常与英国陆军元帅肩章有着相近的设计，不过王冠本来的位置则换上了其文化象征或国徽。 英国陆军元帅将获得金头权杖，可以在正式场合随身携带。
英国陆军元帅多为英军资深军官，亦有11名陆军元帅曾于英属印度陆军服役。 至少有57名陆军元帅曾于战时负伤，其中24人负伤多于一次，此外有8名陆军元帅曾经为战俘。15位参与维多利亚战役的军官之后成为了陆军元帅，包括威灵顿公爵。另外，10位陆军元帅曾经参与滑铁卢战役，并为威灵顿公爵部下。但是，只有38位陆军元帅曾于战场中独自指挥军队，也只有12人曾于主要战争期间出任陆军总司令（Commander-in-Chief of the Forces，1904年以前的陆军专职首长）或帝国总参谋长。
伊夫林·伍德爵士（Sir Evelyn Wood）、乔治·怀特爵士（Sir George White）、罗伯茨伯爵和戈特子爵此前曾获得维多利亚十字勋章。其中伊夫林·伍德于1858年因平定印度哗变与拯救线人有功而被授予维多利亚十字勋章。乔治·怀特凭着1879年于查拉西阿布（Charasiab）击败阿富汗军和于坎大哈击溃阿富汗军而获勋。戈特子爵在北方运河战役（Battle of the Canal du Nord）期间的表现获勋。罗伯茨伯爵亦因平定印度哗变而被授予此勋章。
威灵顿公爵以44岁之龄晋升陆军元帅，是史上最年轻非王室成员成为英国陆军元帅。德罗赫达侯爵（Marquess of Drogheda）则是在91岁时晋升为陆军元帅，成为史上最老的陆军元帅。另外，有23名陆军元帅则于80岁或以后获衔。陆军元帅亦有于政府担任要职，包括内阁大臣职位。威灵顿更是唯一一位成为英国首相的陆军元帅。
所有英国陆军出身陆军元帅均曾于骑兵、步兵、皇家装甲兵团、皇家炮兵团或皇家工程兵团服役。法国的费迪南·福煦和澳大利亚的托马斯·布莱梅爵士被任命为英军陆军元帅，以分别表彰他们在一战和二战期间的贡献。威廉·罗伯特森爵士（Sir William Robertson）是唯一一位于服役期间获得所有军衔的陆军元帅。
George Hamilton, 1st Earl of Orkney
John Campbell, 2nd Duke of Argyll
Richard Boyle, 2nd Viscount Shannon
François de La Rochefoucauld, Marquis de Montandre
John Dalrymple, 2nd Earl of Stair
Richard Temple, 1st Viscount Cobham
George Wade
Sir Robert Rich, 4th Baronet
Richard Molesworth, 3rd Viscount Molesworth
John Ligonier, 1st Earl Ligonier
James O'Hara, 2nd Baron Tyrawley
Henry Seymour Conway
Prince William Henry, Duke of Gloucester and Edinburgh
Sir George Howard
Prince Frederick, Duke of York and Albany
John Campbell, 5th Duke of Argyll
Jeffery Amherst, 1st Baron Amherst
John Griffin, 4th Baron Howard de Walden
Studholme Hodgson
George Townshend, 1st Marquess Townshend
Lord Frederick Cavendish
Charles Lennox, 3rd Duke of Richmond
Prince Edward, Duke of Kent and Strathearn
Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington
Prince Ernest Augustus, Duke of Cumberland and Teviotdale
Prince Adolphus, Duke of Cambridge
Prince William Frederick, Duke of Gloucester and Edinburgh
Prince Leopold of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
Charles Moore, 1st Marquess of Drogheda
William Harcourt, 3rd Earl Harcourt
Sir Alured Clarke
Sir Samuel Hulse
Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
William II
Sir George Nugent, 1st Baronet
Thomas Grosvenor
Henry Paget, 1st Marquess of Anglesey
FitzRoy Somerset, 1st Baron Raglan
Stapleton Cotton, 1st Viscount Combermere
John Byng, 1st Earl of Strafford
Henry Hardinge, 1st Viscount Hardinge
John Colborne, 1st Baron Seaton
Sir Edward Blakeney
Hugh Gough, 1st Viscount Gough
Prince George, Duke of Cambridge
Colin Campbell, 1st Baron Clyde
Sir Alexander Woodford
Sir William Gomm
Sir Hew Ross
Sir John Burgoyne
Sir George Pollock, 1st Baronet
Sir John FitzGerald
George Hay, 8th Marquess of Tweeddale
Edward VII
Sir William Rowan
Sir Charles Yorke
Hugh Rose, 1st Baron Strathnairn
Robert Napier, 1st Baron Napier of Magdala
Sir Patrick Grant
Sir John Michel
Sir Richard Dacres
Lord William Paulet
George Bingham, 3rd Earl of Lucan
Sir Lintorn Simmons
Sir Frederick Haines
Sir Donald Stewart, 1st Baronet
Garnet Wolseley, 1st Viscount Wolseley
Frederick Roberts, 1st Earl Roberts
Prince Edward of Saxe-Weimar
Sir Neville Bowles Chamberlain
Wilhelm II
Sir Henry Norman
Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn
Sir Evelyn Wood
Sir George White
Franz Joseph I of Austria
Francis Grenfell, 1st Baron Grenfell
Sir Charles Brownlow
Herbert Kitchener, 1st Earl Kitchener
George V
Paul Methuen, 3rd Baron Methuen
William Nicholson, 1st Baron Nicholson
John French, 1st Earl of Ypres
Nicholas II of Russia
Douglas Haig, 1st Earl Haig
Sir Charles Egerton
Emperor Taishō
Ferdinand Foch
Herbert Plumer, 1st Viscount Plumer
Edmund Allenby, 1st Viscount Allenby
Sir Henry Wilson, 1st Baronet
Sir William Robertson, 1st Baronet
Sir Arthur Barrett
Albert I of Belgium
William Birdwood, 1st Baron Birdwood
Sir Claud Jacob
George Milne, 1st Baron Milne
Alfonso XIII of Spain
Emperor Shōwa
Julian Byng, 1st Viscount Byng of Vimy
Rudolph Lambart, 10th Earl of Cavan
Philip Chetwode, 1st Baron Chetwode
Sir Archibald Montgomery-Massingberd
Edward VIII
Sir Cyril Deverell
George VI
Edmund Ironside, 1st Baron Ironside
Jan Smuts
Sir John Dill
John Vereker, 6th Viscount Gort
Archibald Wavell, 1st Earl Wavell
Alan Brooke, 1st Viscount Alanbrooke
Harold Alexander, 1st Earl Alexander of Tunis
Bernard Montgomery, 1st Viscount Montgomery of Alamein
Henry Maitland Wilson, 1st Baron Wilson
Sir Claude Auchinleck
William "Bill" Slim, 1st Viscount Slim
Sir Thomas Blamey
Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh
John Harding, 1st Baron Harding of Petherton
Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester
Sir Gerald Templer
Sir Francis Festing
Mahendra Bir Bikram Shah
Haile Selassie I
Sir Richard Hull
Sir James Cassels
Sir Geoffrey Baker
Michael Carver, Baron Carver
Sir Roland Gibbs
Birendra Bir Bikram Shah
Edwin Bramall, Baron Bramall
Sir John Stanier
Sir Nigel Bagnall
Richard Vincent, Baron Vincent of Coleshill
Sir John Chapple
Prince Edward, Duke of Kent
Peter Inge, Baron Inge
Charles, Prince of Wales
Charles Guthrie, Baron Guthrie of Craigiebank
Michael Walker, Baron Walker of Aldringham
