The office was created in 1504, in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania where there were three such positions, compared to only one in the Crown of Poland.
In 1764, the Convocation sejm of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth rearranged the number of positions, establishing two offices for the Grand Duchy and the Crown each, and restricted it to non-clergy.
In 1775 the number of offices was doubled, and it was decided that one of the four would be staffed by a secular person while the other three were filled once again by clergy.
The responsibility of the Great Scribe was to prepare properly worded versions and announcements of new laws which were put into effect.
The scribe also was part, with veto power, of the Grand Duke of Lithuania and King of Poland Judicial Court (which ruled mostly on matters related to cities' rights and burghers).