Cofferer of the Household

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

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. The cofferer was usually of political rank and always a member of the Privy Council.

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. 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).

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'). The Cofferer retained his role as principal accounting officer under the Lord Steward.

The office of Cofferer was abolished by the Civil List and Secret Service Money Act 1782. 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': thenceforward the accounts of the Lord Steward's Department were included in the Estimates.

List of incumbents

NameEntered officeLeft officeNotesReference
Roger RepingtonIn office during the reign of Empress Matilda in the 12th century
William Louth12741280
William March12801284
Henry Wheatley12841287
Walter Langton12871290Keeper of the Wardrobe, 1290
John Droxford12901290Keeper of the Wardrobe, 1295
Philip Everdon12901295
Walter Barton12951297
Ralph Manton12971303
Walter Bedwyn13031307
Peter Collingbourn13071308Keeper of the Wardrobe, 1312
John Ockham13081309
Robert Wodehouse13091311Controller of the Wardrobe, 1314
John Ockham13111314
Nicholas Huggate13141315Controller of the Wardrobe, 1326
Henry Hale13161316
Robert Wodehouse13171318
Unknown(1318–1320)
Richard Ferriby13201323Controller of the Wardrobe, 1331
Unknown(1323–1327)
Richard Bury13271328Keeper of the Wardrobe, 1328
John Houton13281331
William Norwell13311334Keeper of the Wardrobe, 1335
John Cokham13341335
John Houton13351337
Richard Nateby13371338Controller of the Wardrobe, 1338
William Dalton13381344Controller of the Wardrobe, 1344
Richard Eccleshall13341349 or 1350
Unknown(1350–1359)
Thomas Brantingham13591361Keeper of the Wardrobe, 1368
Unknown(1361–1369)
Richard Beverley13691376Keeper of the Wardrobe, 1376
John Carp13761390Keeper of the Wardrobe, 1390
John Stacy13901395
Thomas More13951399Keeper of the Wardrobe, 1401
Unknown
John Spencer14131413Keeper of the Great Wardrobe, 1413
William KinwolmarshIn office during the reign of Henry V
Unknown
John Kendale14611470
John Elrington14711474Keeper of the Wardrobe, 1474
Richard Jeny1479
James Blundell14791481
John Belle14831485
Laurence WarhamIn office in 1485
John Payne14861492
William Fisher14921494
William Cope14941505
Edward Chesemanby 1508
John Shurley15091527
Sir Edmund Peckham1524 or 15271547
John Ryther15471552
Thomas Weldon15521553
Sir Richard Freeston15531557
Michael Wentworth15581558
Thomas Weldon and Richard Ward15581559
Thomas Weldon15591567
Richard Ward15671578
Anthony Crane15781580
John Abingdon15801582
Gregory Lovell15821597
Sir Henry Cocke15971610
Sir Robert Vernon16101615
Sir Arthur Ingram16151615Suspended
Sir Marmaduke Dayrell1615cont.
Sir Marmaduke Dayrell and Sir Henry Vane16251632
Sir Henry Vane and Sir Roger Palmer16321632
Sir Roger Palmer16321643
William Ashburnham16421646
Commonwealth(1649–1660)
William Ashburnham16601679
Henry Brouncker, 3rd Viscount Brouncker, from 1684 Viscount Brouncker16791685
Sir Peter Apsley16851689
Francis Newport, 1st Viscount Newport, from 1694 Earl of Bradford16891702
Sir Benjamin Bathurst17021704
Francis Godolphin, from 1706 Viscount Rialton17041711First period in office; succeeded as Earl of Godolphin in 1712
Samuel Masham, from 1712 Baron Masham17111714
Francis Godolphin, 2nd Earl of Godolphin17141723Second period in office
William Pulteney17231725Created Earl of Bath in 1742
Henry Clinton, 7th Earl of Lincoln17251728
Vacant(1728–1730)
Horatio Walpole17301741Created Baron Walpole in 1756
Thomas Winnington17411744
Samuel Sandys, 1st Baron Sandys17441744
Edmund Waller17441747
Henry Pelham-Clinton, 9th Earl of Lincoln17471754Succeeded as Duke of Newcastle in 1768
Sir George Lyttelton, 5th Baronet17541756Created Baron Lyttelton in 1756
Thomas Osborne, 4th Duke of Leeds17561761
James Grenville17611761
Percy Wyndham-O'Brien, 1st Earl of Thomond17611765
Richard Lumley-Saunderson, 4th Earl of Scarbrough17651766
Hans Stanley17661774
Jeremiah Dyson17741776
Hans Stanley17761780
Francis Ingram-Seymour-Conway, Viscount Beauchamp17801782Succeeded as Marquess of Hertford in 1794

References

  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. pp. 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. 1 2 Haydn, Joseph (1851). The Book of Dignities. London: Longman, Brown, Green, and Longmans. pp. 213–214. OL 7005826M.
  4. 1 2 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. 1 2 Guide to the Contents of the Public Record Office (volume II). London: H. M. Stationery Office. 1963. p. 211.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 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. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 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, Wikipedia Library access or UK public library membership required.)
  13. 1 2 3 4 5 Myers, Alec Reginald (1959). The Household of Edward IV. Manchester University Press.
  14. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 "Officers of the Green Cloth: Cofferer". Institute of Historical Research. 24 March 2008. 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. 1 2 3 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. 1 2 Baker, T. F. T. "Ward, Richard I (by 1511–78), of Hurst, Berks". The History of Parliament Online. Retrieved 24 December 2012.
  20. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Thrush, Andrew. "Principal officeholders 1603–29". The History of Parliament Online. Retrieved 24 December 2012.
  21. 1 2 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.