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Cofferer of the Household

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The cofferer of the Household was formerly an office in the English and British Royal Household. Next in rank to the Comptroller, the holder paid the wages of some of the servants above and below stairs, was a member of the Board of Green Cloth, and sat with the Lord Steward in the Court of the Verge.[1][2] The cofferer was usually of political rank and always a member of the Privy Council.[3]

Henry Pelham-Clinton, 2nd Duke of Newcastle served Cofferer of the Household between 1747 and 1754.

The office dates from the 13th century, when it was known as Cofferer of the Wardrobe. The Keeper of the Wardrobe was at this time increasingly occupied with matters of state, and so his chief clerk gradually took on additional responsibilities for accounting and bookkeeping, and came to be referred to as the Cofferer.[4] As such, he became in effect the working head of the Wardrobe, and acted when required as locum tenens to the Keeper. The Cofferer had his own staff of clerks, who later came to be known as the Clerks of the Green Cloth (after the green cloth covering of the table in the accounting office).[4]

By the end of the 14th century the Wardrobe had ceased to be an independent office of influence at Court; its officers were made subsidiary to the Lord Steward and duly re-designated as being 'of the Household' (rather than 'of the Wardrobe').[5] The Cofferer retained his role as principal accounting officer under the Lord Steward.[6]

The office of Cofferer was abolished by the Civil List and Secret Service Money Act 1782.[7] By the same means 'provision was made for more economical methods of keeping the accounts of Civil List expenditure under the Lords Commissioners of the Treasury':[6] thenceforward the accounts of the Lord Steward's Department were included in the Estimates.

List of incumbents

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Name Entered office Left office Notes Reference
Roger Repington In office during the reign of Empress Matilda in the 12th century [8]
William Louth 1274 1280 [9]
William March 1280 1284 [9]
Henry Wheatley 1284 1287 [9]
Walter Langton 1287 1290 Keeper of the Wardrobe, 1290 [9]
John Droxford 1290 1290 Keeper of the Wardrobe, 1295 [9]
Philip Everdon 1290 1295 [9]
Walter Barton 1295 1297 [9]
Ralph Manton 1297 1303 [9]
Walter Bedwyn 1303 1307 [9]
Peter Collingbourn 1307 1308 Keeper of the Wardrobe, 1312 [9]
John Ockham 1308 1309 [9]
Robert Wodehouse 1309 1311 Controller of the Wardrobe, 1314 [9]
John Ockham 1311 1314 [9]
Nicholas Huggate 1314 1315 Controller of the Wardrobe, 1326 [9]
Henry Hale 1316 1316 [9]
Robert Wodehouse 1317 1318 [9]
Unknown (1318–1320) [9]
Richard Ferriby 1320 1323 Controller of the Wardrobe, 1331 [9]
Unknown (1323–1327) [9]
Richard Bury 1327 1328 Keeper of the Wardrobe, 1328 [9]
John Houton 1328 1331 [9]
William Norwell 1331 1334 Keeper of the Wardrobe, 1335 [9]
John Cokham 1334 1335 [9]
John Houton 1335 1337 [9]
Richard Nateby 1337 1338 Controller of the Wardrobe, 1338 [9]
William Dalton 1338 1344 Controller of the Wardrobe, 1344 [9]
Richard Eccleshall 1334 1349 or 1350 [9]
Unknown (1350–1359) [9]
Thomas Brantingham 1359 1361 Keeper of the Wardrobe, 1368 [9]
Unknown (1361–1369) [9]
Richard Beverley 1369 1376 Keeper of the Wardrobe, 1376 [9]
John Carp 1376 1390 Keeper of the Wardrobe, 1390 [9]
John Stacy 1390 1395 [9]
Thomas More 1395 1399 Keeper of the Wardrobe, 1401 [9]
Unknown
John Spencer 1413 1413 Keeper of the Great Wardrobe, 1413 [10][11]
William Kinwolmarsh In office during the reign of Henry V [12]
Unknown
John Kendale 1461 1470 [13]
John Elrington 1471 1474 Keeper of the Wardrobe, 1474 [13]
Richard Jeny 1479 [13]
James Blundell 1479 1481 [13]
John Belle 1483 1485 [13]
Laurence Warham In office in 1485 [14]
John Payne 1486 1492 [14]
William Fisher 1492 1494 [14]
William Cope 1494 1505 [14]
Edward Cheseman by 1508 [14]
John Shurley 1509 1527 [14]
Sir Edmund Peckham 1524 or 1527 1547 [14][15]
John Ryther 1547 1552 [14][16]
Thomas Weldon 1552 1553 [14][17]
Sir Richard Freeston 1553 1557 [14]
Michael Wentworth 1558 1558 [14][18]
Thomas Weldon and Richard Ward 1558 1559 [14][17][19]
Thomas Weldon 1559 1567 [14][17]
Richard Ward 1567 1578 [14][19]
Anthony Crane 1578 1580 [14]
John Abingdon 1580 1582 [14]
Gregory Lovell 1582 1597 [14]
Sir Henry Cocke 1597 1610 [14][20]
Sir Robert Vernon 1610 1615 [14][20]
Sir Arthur Ingram 1615 1615 Suspended [14][20]
Sir Marmaduke Dayrell 1615 cont. [14][20]
Sir Marmaduke Dayrell and Sir Henry Vane 1625 1632 [14][20]
Sir Henry Vane and Sir Roger Palmer 1632 1632 [14][20]
Sir Roger Palmer 1632 1643 [14]
William Ashburnham 1642 1646 [3][21]
Commonwealth (1649–1660) [21]
William Ashburnham 1660 1679 [7]
Lord Brouncker, from 1684 The Viscount Brouncker 1679 1685 [7]
Sir Peter Apsley 1685 1689 [7]
The Viscount Newport, from 1694 The Earl of Bradford 1689 1702 [7]
Sir Benjamin Bathurst 1702 1704 [7]
Francis Godolphin, from 1706 Viscount Rialton 1704 1711 First period in office; succeeded as The Earl of Godolphin in 1712 [7]
Samuel Masham, from 1712 The Lord Masham 1711 1714 [7]
The Earl of Godolphin 1714 1723 Second period in office [7]
William Pulteney 1723 1725 Created The Earl of Bath in 1742 [7]
The 7th Earl of Lincoln 1725 1728 [7]
Vacant (1728–1730) [7]
Horatio Walpole 1730 1741 Created The Lord Walpole in 1756 [7]
Thomas Winnington 1741 1744 [7]
The Lord Sandys 1744 1744 [7]
Edmund Waller 1744 1747 [7]
The 9th Earl of Lincoln 1747 1754 Succeeded as The Duke of Newcastle in 1768 [7]
Sir George Lyttelton, 5th Baronet 1754 1756 Created The Lord Lyttelton in 1756 [7]
The Duke of Leeds 1756 1761 [7]
James Grenville 1761 1761 [7]
The Earl of Thomond 1761 1765 [7]
The Earl of Scarbrough 1765 1766 [7]
Hans Stanley 1766 1774 [7]
Jeremiah Dyson 1774 1776 [7]
Hans Stanley 1776 1780 [7]
Viscount Beauchamp 1780 1782 Succeeded as The Marquess of Hertford in 1794 [7]

References

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  1. ^ The Present State of the British Court, or, an Account of the Civil and Military Establishment of England. London: printed for A. Bell. W. Taylor; and J. Osborn. 1720. p. 7.
  2. ^ Rogers, R. (2012). Who Goes Home: A Parliamentary Miscellany. Biteback Publishing. p. 33–34. ISBN 978-1-84954-480-1. Retrieved 30 April 2019. The Board of Green Cloth audited the accounts of the Royal Household and sat as a court on offences committed on ... for premises controlled by the Royal Palaces, and did not finally disappear until 2004, following the Licensing Act 2004.
  3. ^ a b Haydn, Joseph (1851). The Book of Dignities. London: Longman, Brown, Green, and Longmans. pp. 213–214. OL 7005826M.
  4. ^ a b Tout, T. F. (1920). Chapters in the administrative history of mediaeval England: the wardrobe, the chamber, and the small seals (Volume II). Manchester University Press. pp. 39–41. Retrieved 22 July 2024.
  5. ^ Tout, T. F. (1928). Chapters in the administrative history of mediaeval England: the wardrobe, the chamber, and the small seals (Volume IV). Manchester University Press. pp. 160–161. Retrieved 22 July 2024.
  6. ^ a b Guide to the Contents of the Public Record Office (volume II). London: H. M. Stationery Office. 1963. p. 211.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z Bucholz, Robert (1782). "Household Below Stairs: Cofferer of the Household 1660" (PDF). Database of Court Officers. Department of History, Loyola University of Chicago. pp. 4–5. Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 March 2009. Retrieved 24 December 2012.
  8. ^ Burke, John (1835). A Genealogical and Heraldic History of the Commoners of Great Britain and Ireland, Enjoying Territorial Possessions or High Official Rank: But Uninvested with Heritable Honours, Volume 2. London: R. Bentley. p. 473.
  9. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah Tout, T. F. (1933). Chapters in the Administrative History of Medieval England: The Wardrobe, the Chamber, and the Small Seals. Vol. 6. Manchester: University Press. pp. 30–32. OL 7212073M.
  10. ^ Woodger, L. S. "Spencer, John (d.1417), of Banham, Norf. and Burgate, Suff". The History of Parliament Online. Retrieved 24 December 2012.
  11. ^ Roskell, J. S. "The Composition of the Parliament of May 1413". The History of Parliament Online. Retrieved 24 December 2012.
  12. ^ Kirby, J. L. (January 2008). "Killamarsh , William (d. 1422)". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/50138. Retrieved 24 December 2012. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
  13. ^ a b c d e Myers, Alec Reginald (1959). The Household of Edward IV. Manchester University Press.
  14. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x "Officers of the Green Cloth: Cofferer". Institute of Historical Research. Retrieved 24 December 2012.
  15. ^ Dale, M. K. "Peckham, Sir Edmund (by 1495–1564), of the Blackfriars, London and Denham, Bucks". The History of Parliament Online. Retrieved 24 December 2012.
  16. ^ Coros, D. F. "Ryther (Ryder), John (by 1514–52), of London". The History of Parliament Online. Retrieved 24 December 2012.
  17. ^ a b c Baker, T. F. T. "Weldon, Thomas (by 1499–1567), of Cookham, Berks". The History of Parliament Online. Retrieved 24 December 2012.
  18. ^ Swales, R. J. W. "Wentworth, Michael (by 1512–58), of Whitley, Yorks., Mendham, Suff. and Cannon Row, Westminster, Mdx". The History of Parliament Online. Retrieved 24 December 2012.
  19. ^ a b Baker, T. F. T. "Ward, Richard I (by 1511–78), of Hurst, Berks". The History of Parliament Online. Retrieved 24 December 2012.
  20. ^ a b c d e f Thrush, Andrew. "Principal officeholders 1603–29". The History of Parliament Online. Retrieved 24 December 2012.
  21. ^ a b Henning, Basil Duke Henning. "Ashburnham, William (c.1604-79), of Ashburnham House, Little Dean's Yard, Westminster". The History of Parliament Online. Retrieved 24 December 2012.
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