COMPTROLLER OF THE HOUSEHOLD

The 'Comptroller of the Household' is an ancient position in the English royal household, currently the second-ranking member of the Lord Steward's department, and often a cabinet member. He was an ''ex officio'' member of the Board of Green Cloth, until that body was abolished in the reform of the local government licensing in 2004.

Contents

History

Known incumbents

Sources

History

"Comptroller" is the archaic spelling of "controller", recorded since c.1500 (in a number of British titles, later also in the USA). The variant in spelling results from to contaminating influence (so-called popular etymology) of French ''compte'' "account".
In modern times, the Comptroller has become a less prominent position in British politics. He is one of the Government whips in the House of Commons, and his responsibilities for the Royal Household are now purely nominal, except being occasionally called upon to act as an usher at Royal Garden Parties. The current Comptroller of the Household is Thomas McAvoy.

Known incumbents

★ 1487–aft. 1509: Sir John Hussey

★ bef. 1526–1532: Sir Henry Guilford

★ 1532–1537: William Paulet, 1st Marquess of Winchester

★ 1537–1539: John Russell, 1st Earl of Bedford

★ 1539–1540: Sir William Kingston

★ ?–1547: Sir John Gage

★ 1547–1550: William Paget, 1st Baron Paget

★ 1550?–1553: Sir John Gage

★ 1553–1557: Sir Robert Rochester

★ 1557–1558: Sir Thomas Cornwallis

★ 1558–1559: Sir Thomas Parry

★ 1570–?: Sir James Croft

★ 1596–1600: William Knollys, 1st Earl of Banbury

★ 1629 : Henry Vane the Elder

★ bef. 1643: Christopher Hatton, 1st Baron Hatton of Kirkby

★ 1660–1662: Sir Charles Berkeley

★ 1662–1666: Sir Hugh Pollard, 2nd Baronet

★ 1666–1668: Sir Thomas Clifford

★ 1668–1672: Francis Newport, 2nd Baron Newport

★ 1672–1687: William Maynard, 2nd Baron Maynard

★ 1687–1688: Henry Waldegrave, 1st Baron Waldegrave

★ 1689–1702: Thomas Wharton, 5th Baron Wharton

★ 1702–1704: Sir Edward Seymour, 4th Baronet

★ 1704–1708: Sir Thomas Mansell, 5th Baronet

★ 1708: Hugh Cholmondeley, 1st Earl of Cholmondeley

★ 1708–1709: Sir Thomas Felton, 4th Baronet

★ 1709–1711: Sir John Holland, 2nd Baronet

★ 1711–1712: George Granville, 1st Baron Lansdown

★ 1713–1714: Sir John Stonhouse, 3rd Baronet

★ 1714–1720: Hugh Boscawen

★ 1720–1725: Paul Methuen

★ 1725–1730: Daniel Finch, Lord Finch

★ 1730–1754: Sir Conyers Darcy

★ 1754–1756: Wills Hill, 1st Earl of Hillsborough

★ 1756: John Hobart, Lord Hobart

★ 1756–1761: Richard Edgcumbe, 2nd Baron Edgcumbe

★ 1761: Henry Arthur Herbert, 1st Earl of Powis

★ 1761–1762: Lord George Augustus Cavendish

★ 1762–1763: Humphry Morice

★ 1763–1765: Lord Charles Spencer

★ 1765–1774: Thomas Pelham

★ 1774–1777: Sir William Meredith, 3rd Baronet

★ 1777–1779: George Onslow, 4th Baron Onslow

★ 1779–1782: Sir Richard Worsley, 7th Baronet

★ 1782–1784: Peter Ludlow, 1st Earl Ludlow

★ 1784–1787: Robert Monckton-Arundell, 4th Viscount Galway

★ 1787–1790: Hon. John Charles Villiers

★ 1790–1791: Hon. Dudley Ryder

★ 1791–1797: George Parker, 4th Earl of Macclesfield

★ 1797–1804: Lord Charles Henry Somerset

★ 1804–1812: Hon. George Thynne

★ 1812–1830: Lord George Thomas Beresford

★ 1830–1834: Lord Robert Grosvenor

★ 1834–1835: Henry Thomas Lowry-Corry

★ 1835–1841: George Stevens Byng

★ 1841: Lord Arthur Hill

★ 1841–1846: George Dawson-Damer

★ 1846–1847: Lord Arthur Hill

★ 1847–1851: William Saunders Sebright Lascelles

★ 1851–1852: Earl of Mulgrave

★ 1852: George Weld-Forester

★ 1853–1856: Viscount Drumlanrig

★ 1856–1858: Viscount Castlerosse

★ 1858–1859: George Weld-Forester

★ 1859–1866: Lord Proby

★ 1866–1868: Viscount Royston

★ 1868–1874: Lord Otho Fitzgerald

★ 1874–1879: Lord Henry Somerset

★ 1879–1880: Earl of Yarmouth

★ 1880–1885: Lord Kensington

★ 1885–1886: Lord Arthur Hill

★ 1886: Edward Marjoribanks

★ 1886–1892: Lord Arthur Hill

★ 1892–1895: George Leveson-Gower

★ 1895–1898: Lord Arthur Hill

★ 1898–1905: Viscount Valentia

★ 1905–1909: Master of Elibank

★ 1909–1912: Earl of Liverpool

★ 1912–1915: Lord Saye and Sele

★ 1915–1916: Charles Henry Roberts

★ 1916–1919: Sir Edwin Cornwall

★ 1919–1921: George Frederick Stanley

★ 1921–1924: Harry Barnston

★ 1924: John Allen Parkinson

★ 1924–1928: Sir Harry Barnston

★ 1928–1929: Sir William Cope

★ 1929–1931: Thomas Henderson

★ 1931: Goronwy Owen

★ 1931–1932: Walter Rea

★ 1932–1935: Sir Frederick Penny

★ 1935: Victor Warrender

★ 1935: George Bowyer

★ 1935–1937: Sir Lambert Ward

★ 1937: Sir George Frederick Davies

★ 1937–1939: Charles Waterhouse

★ 1939–1940: Charles Kerr

★ 1940–1942: William Whiteley

★ 1942–1945: William John

★ 1945: George Mathers

★ 1945: Leslie Pym

★ 1945–1946: Arthur Pearson

★ 1946: Michael Stewart, Baron Stewart of Fulham

★ 1946–1951: Frank Collindridge

★ 1951–1954: Roger Conant

★ 1954–1955: Tam Galbraith

★ 1955–1957: Hendrie Dudley Oakshott

★ 1957–1958: Gerald Wills

★ 1958–1959: Edward Wakefield

★ 1959–1961: Harwood Harrison

★ 1961–1964: Robin Chichester-Clark

★ 1964–1966: Charles Grey

★ 1966–1967: William Whitlock

★ 1967–1968: William Howie

★ 1968–1970: Ioan Evans

★ 1970: Walter Elliot

★ 1970-1972: Reginald Eyre

★ 1972-1973: Bernard Weatherill

★ 1973–1974: Walter Clegg

★ 1974–1978: Joseph Harper

★ 1978–1979: James Hamilton

★ 1979–1981: Spencer le Marchant

★ 1981-1983: Anthony Berry

★ 1983–1986: Carol Mather

★ 1986-1988: Robert Boscawen

★ 1988-1989: Tristan Garel-Jones

★ 1989-1990: Alastair Goodlad

★ 1990: Sir George Young, 6th Baronet

★ 1990–1995: David Lightbown

★ 1995–1997: Timothy Wood

★ 1997–present : Tommy McAvoy

Sources

(incomplete)

★ Etymology OnLine

★ Database of Court Officers

★ Whips from 1970