Clerk of the Green Cloth

Sir Stephen Fox was working at the Clerk of the Green Cloth for almost 30 years. His last 18 years was as First Clerk.

The Clerk of the Green Cloth was a position in the British Royal Household. The clerk acted as secretary of the Board of Green Cloth, and was therefore responsible for organising royal journeys and assisting in the administration of the Royal Household. From the Restoration, there were four clerks (two clerks and two clerks comptrollers). Two additional clerks comptrollers were added in 1761, but one of these was redesignated a clerk in 1762.

Remuneration

Each clerk had a salary of £500, with lodgings, diet, fees on the signing of contracts and ancient rights of 'Wast, Command and Remaines', i.e., leftover provisions, which was replaced with an allowance of £438 in 1701, increased to £518 in 1761 (making a total of £1018). Each clerk had a clerk or writer, who was paid £50 with other fees and allowances, fixed at £150 in 1761 and converted to a salary of £180 in 1769.[1] The offices were all abolished by statute in 1782.[2]

Duties

'All Bills of Comptrolments, &c. relating to the Office, are allotted and allow'd by the Clerks Comptrollers, and summ'd up and Audited by the Clerks of the Green-Cloth'. They also sat with the other officers as part of the board.[1]

List of Clerks

Data from 'The household below stairs: Clerks of the Green Cloth 1660-1782', Office-Holders in Modern Britain: Volume 11 (revised): Court Officers, 1660-1837 (2006), pp. 403–40.British History online.

The position was held by a number of people[3] including George Stonhouse during the 16th century, though it later became disused.

1660–1761

DateFirst ClerkSecond ClerkFirst Clerk ComptrollerSecond Clerk Comptroller
25 June 1660 Sir Robert Fenn John Crane Sir Henry Wood Sir Stephen Fox
22 August 1660 John Crane Sir Henry Wood Sir Stephen Fox George Barker
14 January 1661 Sir Henry Wood Sir Stephen Fox George Barker William Boreman
13 September 1664 William Boreman Sir Winston Churchill
26 May 1671 Sir Stephen Fox Sir William Boreman Sir Winston Churchill John Trethewy
26 June 1671 Sir Richard Mason
14 March 1685 Sir Henry Firebrace
12 July 1686 Sir Winston Churchill Sir Henry Firebrace Sir John Sparrow
10 April 1688 Sir Henry Firebrace Sir John Sparrow Thomas Morley
21 February 1689 William Forester James Forbes Peter Isaac
12/13 April 1689 Sir William Forester Sir James Forbes Peter Isaac John Fox
22 January 1690 Thomas Vivian
September 1691 Charles Isaac
1 April 1693 Charles Isaac Anthony Rowe
16/20 April 1702 Anthony Rowe Charles Scarburgh Edward Griffith
25 September 1704 Charles Scarburgh Edward Griffith vacant
1 October 1704 Charles Godfrey
18 February 1711 Charles Godfrey Sir John Walter
21 October 1714 Charles Godfrey Sir John Walter John Charlton
1 March 1715 Sir John Walter John Charlton Robert Wroth
17 February 1716 John Charlton Robert Wroth Hon. William Feilding
15 April 1717 John Charlton Robert Wroth Hon. William Feilding William Coventry
20 February 1720 Hon. William Feilding Sir Robert Corbet
17 March 1720 Hon. William Feilding Sir Robert Corbet Giles Earle Robert Bristow
10 April 1724 Sir Robert Corbet Giles Earle Robert Bristow Richard Sutton
26 July 1727 Sir Thomas Reade Sir Thomas Wynn Sir Thomas Hales Robert Bristow
1738 Robert Bristow jnr
1740 Walter Carey
8 June 1749 Sir Thomas Hales Walter Carey Sir Richard Wrottesley
20 November 1752 Sir Thomas Hales Walter Carey Sir Richard Wrottesley Sir Francis Henry Drake
2 April 1754 Sir Francis Henry Drake Hon. John Grey
6 May 1757 Sir Francis Henry Drake Hon. John Grey Humphry Morice

1761–1782

DateFirst ClerkSecond ClerkFirst Clerk ComptrollerSecond Clerk ComptrollerThird Clerk ComptrollerFourth Clerk Comptroller
17 March 1761 Thomas Townshend John Evelyn Henry Bridgeman Simon Fanshawe Sir Francis Henry Drake Hon. John Grey
DateFirst ClerkSecond ClerkThird ClerkFirst Clerk ComptrollerSecond Clerk ComptrollerThird Clerk Comptroller
24 December 1762 Sir John Evelyn Henry Bridgeman Simon Fanshawe Sir Francis Henry Drake Hon. John Grey Hon. Henry Frederick Thynne
18 April 1764 Simon Fanshawe Sir Francis Henry Drake Hon. John Grey Hon. Henry Frederick Thynne Richard Vernon
1 August 1765 George Bridges Brudenell Sir Alexander Gilmour
13 August 1767 Simon Fanshawe Sir Francis Henry Drake Hon. John Grey George Bridges Brudenell Sir Alexander Gilmour Richard Hopkins
15 January 1768 Sir Francis Henry Drake Hon. John Grey George Bridges Brudenell Sir Alexander Gilmour Richard Hopkins Richard Vernon
20 January 1771 Hon. John Grey George Bridges Brudenell Sir Alexander Gilmour Richard Hopkins Richard Vernon Hon. Richard Savage Nassau
6 June 1777 George Bridges Brudenell Sir Alexander Gilmour Richard Hopkins Richard Vernon Hon. Richard Savage Nassau Sir Ralph Payne
10 December 1777 Richard Vernon Hon. Richard Savage Nassau Sir Ralph Payne Sir Richard Worsley
1 July 1779 Richard Vernon Hon. Richard Savage Nassau Sir Ralph Payne Sir Richard Worsley Sir William Cunynghame
5 September 1780 Sir Ralph Payne Sir William Cunynghame Sir William Gordon Lovell Stanhope

In addition, several supernumerary clerks comptrollers were appointed in the 17th century:

In 1988, David Becket of Radley, Oxfordshire received the title as an honorary post.[4]

References

  1. 1 2 'The household below stairs: Clerks of the Green Cloth 1660-1782', Office-Holders in Modern Britain: Volume 11 (revised): Court Officers, 1660-1837 (2006), pp. 403-40.British History online, accessed: 9 August 2008.
  2. ↑ Statute, 22 Geo. III, c. 82.
  3. ↑ http://www.history.ac.uk/resources/office/greencloth_clerk
  4. ↑ "Radley Village: Clerk of the Green Cloth". Retrieved 2007-07-16.
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