Comptroller of the Household

The Comptroller of the Household is a historical position in the British royal household, nominally the second-ranking member of the Lord Steward's department after the Treasurer of the Household. The Comptroller was an ex officio member of the Board of Green Cloth, until that body was abolished in the reform of local government licensing in 2004. In recent times, a senior government whip has invariably occupied the office. On state occasions the Comptroller (in common with certain other senior officers of the Household) carries a white staff of office, as often seen in portraits.

"Comptroller" is an alternative spelling of "controller", recorded since around 1500 in a number of British titles, and later also in the United States. The variant in spelling results from the influence of French compte "account".

History

The office of Comptroller of the Household derives from the medieval Household office of Controller of the Wardrobe, who was deputy to the Keeper (or Treasurer) of the Wardrobe, as well as an important official in his own right as keeper of the Privy Seal. Later, both these offices became high-ranking political appointments.

Modern role In modern times, the Comptroller has become a less prominent position in British politics. The holder is the third-most senior Government whips in the House of Commons and is responsible for the day-to-day activity in the House. Their responsibilities for the Royal Household are now largely ceremonial, such as serving as an usher at royal garden parties.

Known incumbents 15th century 1399–1400: Sir Robert LyttonLITTON, Sir Robert (d.c.1415), of Wennington, Essex History of Parliament 1402–1413: John SpencerSPENCER, John (d.1417), of Banham, Norf. and Burgate, Suff. History of Parliament after 1413: Sir Robert Babthorpe 1432–c1450: Thomas Stanley, 1st Baron StanleyThe history of the house of Stanley, etc p.41 1460: Thomas Charlton 1461–?1470: Sir John Scott 1471–1475: Sir William ParrThe Household of Edward IV, Manchester University Press ND Google ebookThe DNB gives Sir William Parr as Comptroller of the Household from 1471 to 1483; Household of Edward IV gives Parr's office dates as 1471–1475 and again in 1481–1483 1475–1481: Sir Robert Wingfield 1481–1483: Sir William Parr 1483–1485: Sir Robert Percy of Scotton 1485–1489: Sir Richard EdgecumbeGreen Cloth officeholders Institute of Historical Research 1489?–1492: Sir Roger Tocotes 1492–1494: vacant 1494–1506: Sir Richard Guildford

16th century 1507–1509: Sir John Hussey 1509–1519: Sir Edward Poynings Sir Thomas Parr 1519–1521: Sir Thomas Boleyn 1521–1532: Sir Henry Guildford 1532–1537: Sir William Paulet 1537–1539: Sir John Russell 1539–1540: Sir William Kingston 1540–1547: Sir John Gage 1547–1550: Sir William Paget 1550–1552: Sir Richard Wingfield 1552–1553: Sir Richard Cotton 1553–1557: Sir Robert Rochester 1557–1558: Sir Thomas Cornwallis 1558–1559: Sir Thomas Parry 1559–1568: Sir Edward Rogers 1568: Anthony Crane 1568–1570: vacant 1570–1590: Sir James Croft 1590–1596: vacant 1596–1602: William Knollys, 1st Earl of Banbury

17th century 1602–1604: Sir Edward Wotton c1604: William Pitt 1616–1618: Sir Thomas EdmondsJ. Palmer, A Biographical History of England (1824), 86–87 1618–1622: Sir Henry Cary (so created 1620) 1622–1627: Sir John Suckling 1627–1629: Sir John Savile, created a baron in 1628. 1629–1639: Henry Vane the Elder 1639–1641: Sir Thomas Jermyn 1641–1643: Sir Peter Wyche 1643–1646: Christopher Hatton, 1st Baron Hatton 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

18th century 1702–1704: Sir Edward Seymour, 4th Baronet 1704–1708: Sir Thomas Mansell, Bt 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 Lansdowne 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 Herbert, 1st Earl of Powis 1761–1762: Lord George 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: John Villiers 1790–1791: Dudley Ryder 1791–1797: George Parker, 4th Earl of Macclesfield 1797–1804: Lord Charles Somerset

19th century 1804–1812: Lord George Thynne 1812–1830: Lord George Beresford 1830–1834: Lord Robert Grosvenor 1834–1835: Hon. Henry Lowry-Corry 1835–1841: George Byng 1841: Lord Marcus Hill 1841–1846: George Dawson-Damer 1846–1847: Lord Marcus Hill 1847–1851: William Lascelles 1851–1852: George Phipps, Earl of Mulgrave 1852: George Weld-Forester 1853–1856: Archibald Douglas, Viscount Drumlanrig 1856–1858: Valentine Browne, Viscount Castlerosse 1858–1859: George Weld-Forester 1859–1866: Granville Leveson Proby, Lord Proby 1866–1868: Charles Yorke, Viscount Royston 1868–1874: Lord Otho FitzGerald 1874–1879: Lord Henry Somerset 1879–1880: Hugh Seymour, Earl of Yarmouth 1880–1885: William Edwardes, 4th Baron 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: Arthur Annesley, 11th Viscount Valentia

20th century 1905–1909: Alexander William Charles Oliphant Murray, Master of Elibank 1909–1912: Arthur Foljambe, 2nd Earl of Liverpool 1912–1915: Geoffrey Cecil Twisleton-Wykeham-Fiennes, 18th Baron 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, Bt 1935: Sir Victor Warrender, Bt 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 1946–1951: Frank Collindridge 1951–1954: Roger Conant 1954–1955: Tam Galbraith 1955–1957: Hendrie 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 1997–2008: Tommy McAvoy

21st century PortraitNameTerm of officePartyPrime MinisterTommy McAvoy2 May 19975 October 2008LabourTony BlairGordon BrownJohn Spellar5 October 200811 May 2010Alistair Carmichael11 May 20107 October 2013Liberal DemocratsDavid CameronDon Foster7 October 201311 May 2015ConservativeGavin Barwell11 May 201517 July 2016Mel Stride17 July 201612 June 2017Theresa MayChristopher Pincher15 June 20175 November 2017Christopher Heaton-Harris9 January 20189 July 2018Mark Spencer15 July 201824 July 2019Jeremy Quin28 July 201916 December 2019Boris JohnsonMike Freer16 December 201916 September 2021Marcus Jones17 September 20218 July 2022Rebecca Harris8 July 20225 July 2024Liz TrussRishi SunakChristopher Elmore10 July 20247 September 2025LabourKeir StarmerNesil Caliskan7 September 202512 May 2026Gen Kitchen12 May 2026IncumbentAndy Burnham References

External links Comptroller Etymology OnLine Database of Court Officers Loyola University Chicago Whips from 1970 Political Science Resources