Officers of the Green Cloth: Treasurer

Provisional Lists 1485 - 1646 compiled by J.C. Sainty June 1999

Treasurer

The office of Treasurer of the Household had its origin in that of Keeper of the Wardrobe of the Household by which he was occasionally known even after 1485.(1) The Treasurer ranked second after the Lord Steward and entered office on receiving a staff and taking an oath.(2) In 1485 Sir Richard Croft, who had been appointed by Richard III, was continued by Henry VII and served until 1488 after which the office was left vacant for a considerable period when its duties were undertaken by the Cofferer.(3) It was not until 1503 that a distinct Treasurer can again be identified in the person of Sir Thomas Lovell. Thereafter the office was filled continuously for the remainder of the period except the years 1560-70 and 1600-2.

While there was no question of automatic promotion from Comptroller to Treasurer this in fact occurred on eight occasions during the period. (Poynings (1519), Boleyn (1521), Paulet (1537), Parry (1559), Knollys (1602), Wotton (1616), Edmondes (1618), Vane (1638-9)). The office was held by commoners except for the years 1603-18 and 1641-5 when it was occupied by peers. If not already a privy counsellor, the Treasurer was admitted to the council as a matter of course on appointment.

In 1540 the salary was £123 14s 8d.(4)

Footnotes

1

CPR 1485-94, p.474. For lists of earlier holders of this office, see T.F. Trout, Chapters in the Administrative History of Mediaeval England (Manchester, 1920-33), vi, 25-37 (to 1399); R.L. Storey, 'English officers of state, 1399-1485', Bulletin of the Institute of Historical Research, xxxi (1958), pp. 89-92 (1399-1485); A.R. Myers, The Household of Edward IV (Manchester, 1959) pp. 288-9 (1461-85).

2

Myers, Household of Edward IV, pp. 144-7.

3

E 404/80 f. 1/249, 12 Feb. 1489 'household assignments have not been paid because there is no-one to receive them no new treasurer having been appointed; they are to be paid to John Payne Cofferer'; E 101/413/4 p.4, 2 Mar. 1490, indenture records transfer by Croft of sums remaining in his hands after exchequer year 1488-9 to Payne Cofferer.

4

LP, xvi, 394(5)

Henry VII

1485

Croft, Sir Richard, kt.

In office from 13 May 1484 (Storey, 'Officers of State', p. 92) and continued in office by Henry VII. Accounted 30 Sept. 1485-30 Sept. 1488 (E 101/412/16, 18, 19; E 101/413/4).

First occ. 19 Oct. 1485 (Materials for a History of Henry VII, ed. W. Campbell (1873-7), I, 92).

Vac. by 12 Feb. 1489 (E 404/80 f.1/249).

Pardoned 11 June 1494 as late keeper of wardrobe of household alias late treasurer of household (CPR 1485-94, p. 474).

 

1488

Office vacant; duties carried out by Cofferers as follows:

 

Payne, John 1488-92

Fisher, William 1492-4

Cope, William 1494-(?)

 

By 1503

Lovell, Sir Thomas, kt.

First occ. 7 May 1503 (CCR 1500-9, p. 77(208)).

Occ. in will of Henry VII 24 Mar. 1509 (LP, I, 1).

Probably in office 21 Apr. 1509 on d. of King.

 

Henry VIII

 

1509

Lovell, Sir Thomas, Kt.

Continued in office on accession of King.

Occ. as Treasurer at coronation 24 June 1509 (LP, i, 82).

Last occ. 11 Oct. 1518 (ibid. ii, 4494).

Probably vac. 29 May 1519 (ibid. 223).

 

1519

Poynings, Sir Edward, Kt.

Probably app. 29 may 1519 (LP, iii, 223).

Occ. 13 May 1520 (ibid. 804).

D. in office 22 Oct. 1521 (ibid. 1712; DNB, xlvi, 273; HP 1509-58, iii, 147).

 

1521

Boleyn, Sir Thomas, Kt. (cr. Viscount Rochford 18 June 1525)

Probably app. Oct 1521 in place of Poynings (LP, iii, 1712).

First occ. 24 Apr. 1522 (ibid. 2214(24)).

Last occ. 18 June 1525 (J. Stow, Annales (1631), p. 525).

 

1525

Fitzwilliam, Sir William, Kt.

First occ. Oct. 1525 (LP, iv, 1705).

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

 

1537

Paulet, Sir William, Kt.

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

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

 

1539

Cheyney, Sir Thomas, Kt.

App. 9 Mar. 1539 (Wriothesley's Chronicle, I, 94; LP, xiv(1), 478-9 - 'Comptroller' (sic), 505).

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

 

Edward VI

 

1547

Cheyney, Sir Thomas, Kt.

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

Occ. in funeral list 8 Aug. 1553 (LC 2/3/1 f. 11r).

 

Mary I

 

1553

Cheyney, Sir Thomas, Kt.

Apparently continued in office on accession of Queen.

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

 

Elizabeth I

 

1558

Cheyney, Sir Thomas, Kt.

Apparently continued in office on accession of Queen.

D. 16 Dec. 1558 (HP 1509-58, i, 637); DNB, 1st Supp., i, 422-8 or 15 Dec. 1558).

 

By 1559

Parry, Sir Thomas, Kt.

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

D. 15 Dec. 1560 (DNB, xliii, 385).

 

1560-70

Office vacant

No Treasurer named in household subsidy roll 8 Mar. 1567 (E 179/69/82).

 

1570

Knolleys, Sir Francis, Kt.

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

D. 19 July 1596 (DNB, xxxi, 278).

 

1596

North, Roger (North) 2nd Lord

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

D. 3 Dec. 1600 (DNB, xli, 172).

 

1600-02

Office vacant

No Treasurer named in household subsidy roll 29 Apr. 1602 (E 179/70/ 115).

 

1602

Knolleys, Sir William, 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

Knolleys, William (cr. Lord Knollys 13 May 1603; Viscount Wallingford 7 Nov. 1616)

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

Vac. 21 Dec. 1616 (LS 13/6; CSPD 1611-18, p.407- c. 22 Nov. 1616).

 

1616

Wotton, Edward (Wotton) 1st Lord

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

Gave up staff 28 Jan. 1618 (Chamberlain Letters, ii, 133).

Vac. 1 Feb. 1618 (LS 13/6; Camden, Annals, p. 648; CSPD 1611-18, p. 519).

 

1618

Edmondes, Sir Thomas, Kt.

App. 1 Feb. 1618 (LS 13/6; Camden, Annals, p.648; Chamberlain Letters, ii, 136; CSPD 1611-18, p. 519).

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

 

Charles I

 

1625

Edmondes, Sir Thomas, Kt.

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

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

[D. 25 Sept. 1639 (DNB, xvi, 392)]

 

1639

Vane, Sir Henry, Kt.

First occ. 24 Mar. 1639 (LS 13/251 p.123).

Last occ. 12 Nov. 1641 (ibid. p. 272).

Vac. by 25 Nov. 1641 (CSPD 1641-3, p. 178)

 

1641

Saville, Thomas (Saville) 1st Viscount (cr. Earl of Sussex 25 May 1644)

App. by 25 Nov. 1641 (CSPD 1641-3, p. 178). Vac. 11 Jan. 1645 (The Life, Diary and Correspondence of Sir William Dugdale, ed. W.Hamper (1827), p.77).

 

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