Officers of the Green Cloth: Comptroller

Officers of the Green Cloth Provisional Lists 1485 - 1646 compiled by J.C. Sainty June 1999

Comptroller

For lists of earlier holders of the office, see T.F. Tout, Chapters in the Administrative History of Medieval England (Manchester 1920-33), vi, 27-30 (to 1399); HP 1439-1509; Register, p. xlii (1439-1509). The salary was £107 17s 6d (LP, xvi, 394(5).

Henry VII

1485

Edgcumbe, Sir Richard, Kt.

First occ. 5 Dec. 1485 (Materials for a History of Henry VII, ed. W. Campbell (1873-7), i, 195).

Last occ. 1 June 1488 (ibid. ii, 321).

D., probably in office, 8 Sept. 1489 (DNB, xvi, 376).

By 1492

Tocotes, Sir Roger, Kt.

Occ. 9 July 1492 (CPR 1485-94, p. 389).

D., probably in office, 2 Nov. 1492 (HP 1439-1509; Biographies, p. 859).

 

1492

Office vacant

John Spelman, Clerk of Comptroller, accounted 1492-3 (E 101/413/9; E 101/413/8, privy seal 4 June 1494).

 

By 1494

Guildford, Sir Richard, Kt.

Accounted 30 Sept. 1494-30 Sept. 1501 (E 101/414/4; E 101/415/4).

First occ. 1495 (Rolls of Parliament, vi, 461).

Last occ. 17 June 1499 (CPR 1494-1509, p. 107).

D., probably in office, 6 Sept. 1506 (DNB, xxiii, 330).

 

By 1507

Hussey, Sir John, Kt.

Accounted 30 Sept. 1507- 1 Oct. 1508 (Add MS 28623).

Present as Comptroller at funeral of Henry VII 11 May 1509 (LP, i, 20 p.12); pardoned as such 18 May 1509 (ibid., 438(3), p. 239).

 

Henry VIII

1509

Poynings, Sir Edward, Kt.

Present as Comptroller at coronation 24 June 1509 (LP, i, 82).

Probably vac. 29 May 1519 on app. as Treasurer (ibid. iii, 223).

 

1519

Boleyn, Sir Thomas, Kt.

Probably app. 29 may 1519 in place of Poynings (LP, iii, 223).

Probably vac. Oct. 1521 on app. as Treasurer (ibid. 1712).

 

1521

Guildford, Sir Henry, Kt.

Probably app. Oct. 1521 in place of Boleyn.

First occ. 24 Apr. 1522 (LP, iii, 2214(24)).

D. in office may 1532 (ibid. v. 1069; DNB, xxiii, 327; HP 1509-58, ii, 264).

 

1532

Paulet, Sir William, Kt.

App. c.1 June 1532 in place of Guildford (LP, v, 1069).

Vac. 18 Oct 1537 on app. as Treasurer (Wriothesley's Chronicle, i, 69).

 

1537

Russell, Sir John, Kt.

App. 18 Oct. 1537 (Wriothesley's Chronicle, i, 69).

Vac. 9 Mar. 1539 (ibid. 94).

 

1539

Kingston, Sir William, Kt.

App. 9 Mar. 1539 (Wriothesley's Chronicle, i, 94; LP, xiv(1), 478-9 - Treasurer (sic)).

D., apparently in office, 14 Sept. 1540 (DNB, xxxi, 187).

 

1540

Gage, Sir John, Kt.

App. 9 Oct. 1540 (LP, xvi, 137; APC, vii, 57).

Occ. in funeral list 16 Feb. 1547 (LC 2/2 f. 28r).

 

Edward VI

1547

Gage, Sir John, Kt.

Occ. in coronation list 20 Feb. 1547 (LC 2/3/1 pp. 73-4).

 

1547

Paget, Sir William, Kt. (cr. Lord Paget 3 Dec. 1549)

App. 4 Mar. 1547 (DNB).

Vac. by 2 Feb. 1550 (Wriothesley's Chronicle, ii, 32).

 

1550

Wingfield, Sir Anthony, Kt.

App. 2 Feb. 1550 (Wriothesley's Chronicle, ii, 32).

D. in office 15 Aug. 1552 (DNB, lxii, 182; Machyn's Diary, pp. 23, 24, 326).

1552

Cotton, Sir Richard, Kt.

App. 27 Aug. 1552 (Literary Remains of Edward the Sixth, ed. J.G. Nicholls (1857), ii, 712).

Occ. in funeral list 8 Aug. 1553 (LC 2/4/1 f. 11r).

 

Mary

1553

Rochester, Sir Robert, Kt.

App. 5 Aug. 1553 (Machyn's Diary, p. 39).

D., apparently in office, 28 Nov. 1557 (DNB, xlix, 73).

 

1557

Cornwallis, Sir Thomas, Kt.

App. 25 Dec. 1557 (Machyn's Diary, p. 162).

Occ. in funeral list 14 Dec. 1558 (LC 2/4/2 f. 22r).

 

Elizabeth I

1558

Parry, Sir Thomas, Kt.

App. 20 Nov. 1558 (APC 1558-70, p. 3).

Vac. by 15 Jan. 1559 on app. as Treasurer (LC 2/4/3 p.81).

 

By 1559

Rogers, Sir Edward, Kt.

Occ. in coronation list 15 Jan. 1559 (LC 2/4/3 p. 81).

Last occ. 17 Feb. 1568 (CPR 1566-9, p. 171 (1018A).

D. 3 May 1568 (HP 1558-1603, iii, 301; DNB, xlix, 118) - by 21 May 1567 (sic)).

 

1568-70

Office vacant

 

1570

Croft, Sir James, Kt.

Received staff 7 Jan. 1570 (State Papers and Letters of Sir Ralph Sadler, ed. A. Clifford (Edinburgh, 1809), ii, 98(45)).

D. 4 Sept. 1590 (DNB, xiii, 112).

 

1590-6

Office vacant

 

1596

Knollys, Sir William, Kt.

Sworn PC as Comptroller 30 Aug. 1596 (APC 1596-7, p.135).

Vac. 22 Dec. 1602 on app. as Treasurer (APC 1601-4, p.490).

 

1602

Wotton, Sir Edward, Kt.

App. 22 Dec. 1602 (APC 1601-4, p.490; Chamberlain Letters, i, 179).

Occ. in funeral list 28 Apr. 1603 (LC 2/4/4 f. 37r).

 

James I

1603

Wotton, Sir Edward, Kt. (cr. Lord Wotton 13 May 1603)

Continued in office 24 Mar. 1603 on accession of King.

Vac. 21 Dec. 1616 on app. as Treasurer (LS 13/6).

 

1616

Edmondes, Sir Thomas, Kt.

App. 21 Dec. 1616 (LS 13/6; Camden, Annals, p. 646; Chamberlain Letters, ii, 47; CSPD 1611-18, p. 407-c. 22 Nov. 1616).

Vac. 1 Feb. 1618 on app. as Treasurer (LS 13/6; Camden, Annals, p. 648).

 

1618

Cary, Sir Henry, Kt. (cr. Viscount Falkland 10 Nov. 1620)

App. 1 Feb. 1618 (LS 13/6; APC 1618-19, p. 30; Camden, Annals, p. 648; Chamberlain Letters, ii, 136).

Vac. by 15 Aug. 1622 (LS 13/6; CSPD 1619-23, p. 442 - c. 24 Aug. 1622).

 

1622

Suckling, Sir John, Kt.

App. 15 Aug. 1622 (LS 13/6; CSPD 1619-23, p. 442- c. 24 Aug. 1622).

Occ. in funeral list 20 May 1625 (LC 2/6 f. 27r).

 

Charles I

1625

Suckling, Sir John, Kt.

Continued in office 27 Mar. 1625 on accession of King.

D. in office 27 Mar. 1627 (DNB, lv, 141; Court and Times of Charles I, ed. T. Birch (1848), i, 213).

 

1627

Savile, Sir John, Kt. (cr. Lord Savile 21 July 1628)

App. 4 Dec. 1627 (Court and Times of Charles I, ed. T. Birch (1848), i, 304; letter of 15 Dec. 1627 from Rev. Joseph Mead to Sir Martin Stuteville refers to 'Thursday' last week (6 Dec.) which has been altered in ink in BL copy to 'Tuesday' (4 Dec.); the latter date appears to be correct as Savile is described in Privy Council Register as 'Sir John Savile' until 3 Dec. and as Mr. Comptroller from 4 Dec. (APC 1627-8, p. 163).

Ret. By 31 May 1630 (LS 13/169 p. 186).

 

1630

Vane, Sir Henry, Kt.

Addressed as Comptroller 31 May 1630 (LS 13/169 p. 186; LS 13/251 p. 44).

Sworn PC as Comptroller 1 June 1630 (APC 1630-1, p. 5).

Last occ. 30 Dec. 1638 (LS 13/169 p. 333).

[Treasurer 1638-9]

 

1638-9

Jermyn, Sir Thomas, Kt.

App. Jan. 1639 (DNB Missing Persons, p. 353).

First occ. 31 Jan. 1639 (CSPD 1638-9, p. 389).

Vac. by 5 Aug. 1641 (CSPD 1641-3, pp. 73, 77).

'In 1640 he surrendered his comptrollership to Sir Peter Wyche, reportedly for £2,000 compensation' (DNB Missing Persons, p. 353).

 

1641

Wyche, Sir Peter, Kt.

App. by 5 Aug. 1641 (CSPD 1641-3, pp. 73, 77).

D. in office 5 Dec. 1643 (Life, Diary and Correspondence of Sir William Dugdale, ed. W. Hamper (1857), p. 56).

 

1643

Hatton, Christopher (Hatton) 1st Lord

App. 29 Dec. 1643 (Life of Dugdale, p. 57).

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