Clerk of the Green Cloth
# Clerk of the Green Cloth

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. The offices were all abolished by statute in 1782.

## 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.

## 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 including George Stonhouse during the 16th century, though it later became disused.

### 1660–1761

| Date | First Clerk | Second Clerk | First Clerk Comptroller | Second 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 | Sir Henry Wood | Sir Stephen Fox | William Boreman | Sir Winston Churchill |
| 26 May 1671 | Sir Stephen Fox | Sir William Boreman | Sir Winston Churchill | John Trethewy |
| 26 June 1671 | Sir Stephen Fox | Sir William Boreman | Sir Winston Churchill | Sir Richard Mason |
| 14 March 1685 | Sir Stephen Fox | Sir William Boreman | Sir Winston Churchill | Sir Henry Firebrace |
| 12 July 1686 | Sir Stephen Fox | Sir Winston Churchill | Sir Henry Firebrace | Sir John Sparrow |
| 10 April 1688 | Sir Stephen Fox | Sir Henry Firebrace | Sir John Sparrow | Thomas Morley |
| 21 February 1689 | Sir Stephen Fox | William Forester | James Forbes | Peter Isaac |
| 12/13 April 1689 | Sir William Forester | Sir James Forbes | Peter Isaac | John Fox |
| 22 January 1690 | Sir William Forester | Sir James Forbes | Peter Isaac | Thomas Vivian |
| September 1691 | Sir William Forester | Sir James Forbes | Peter Isaac | Charles Issac |
| 1 April 1693 | Sir William Forester | Sir James Forbes | Charles Issac | Anthony Rowe |
| 16/20 April 1702 | Sir William Forester | Anthony Rowe | Charles Scarburgh | Edward Griffith |
| 25 September 1704 | Sir William Forester | Charles Scarburgh | Edward Griffith | vacant |
| 1 October 1704 | Sir William Forester | Charles Scarburgh | Edward Griffith | Charles Godfrey |
| 18 February 1711 | Sir William Forester | Charles Scarburgh | Charles Godfrey | Sir John Walter |
| 21 October 1714 | Sir William Forester | Charles Godfrey | Sir John Walter | John Charlton |
| 1 March 1715 | Sir William Forester | Sir John Walter | John Charlton | Robert Wroth |
| 17 February 1716 | Sir William Forester | John Charlton | Robert Wroth | William Feilding |
| 15 April 1717 | John Charlton | Robert Wroth | William Feilding | William Coventry |
| 20 February 1720 | John Charlton | William Feilding | Sir Robert Corbet | William Coventry |
| 17 March 1720 | 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 | Sir Thomas Reade | Sir Thomas Wynn | Sir Thomas Hales | Robert Bristow jnr |
| 1740 | Sir Thomas Reade | Sir Thomas Wynn | Sir Thomas Hales | Walter Carey |
| 8 June 1749 | Sir Thomas Reade | 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 Thomas Hales | Walter Carey | Sir Francis Henry Drake | John Grey |
| 6 May 1757 | Sir Thomas Hales | Sir Francis Henry Drake | John Grey | Humphry Morice |

### 1761–1782

| Date | First Clerk | Second Clerk | First Clerk Comptroller | Second Clerk Comptroller | Third Clerk Comptroller | Fourth Clerk Comptroller |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 17 March 1761 | Thomas Townshend | John Evelyn | Henry Bridgeman | Simon Fanshawe | Sir Francis Henry Drake | John Grey |
| Date | First Clerk | Second Clerk | Third Clerk | First Clerk Comptroller | Second Clerk Comptroller | Third Clerk Comptroller |
| 24 December 1762 | Sir John Evelyn | Henry Bridgeman | Simon Fanshawe | Sir Francis Henry Drake | John Grey | Henry Frederick Thynne |
| 18 April 1764 | Sir John Evelyn | Simon Fanshawe | Sir Francis Henry Drake | John Grey | Henry Frederick Thynne | Richard Vernon |
| 1 August 1765 | Sir John Evelyn | Simon Fanshawe | Sir Francis Henry Drake | John Grey | George Bridges Brudenell | Sir Alexander Gilmour |
| 13 August 1767 | Simon Fanshawe | Sir Francis Henry Drake | John Grey | George Bridges Brudenell | Sir Alexander Gilmour | Richard Hopkins |
| 15 January 1768 | Sir Francis Henry Drake | John Grey | George Bridges Brudenell | Sir Alexander Gilmour | Richard Hopkins | Richard Vernon |
| 20 January 1771 | John Grey | George Bridges Brudenell | Sir Alexander Gilmour | Richard Hopkins | Richard Vernon | Richard Savage Nassau |
| 6 June 1777 | George Bridges Brudenell | Sir Alexander Gilmour | Richard Hopkins | Richard Vernon | Richard Savage Nassau | Sir Ralph Payne |
| 10 December 1777 | George Bridges Brudenell | Sir Alexander Gilmour | Richard Vernon | Richard Savage Nassau | Sir Ralph Payne | Sir Richard Worsley |
| 1 July 1779 | George Bridges Brudenell | Richard Vernon | Richard Savage Nassau | Sir Ralph Payne | Sir Richard Worsley | Sir William Cunynghame |
| 5 September 1780 | George Bridges Brudenell | Richard Vernon | Sir Ralph Payne | Sir William Cunynghame | Sir William Gordon | Lovell Stanhope |

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

* 31 August 1660: William Boreman
* 22 November 1670: John Trethewy
* 23 March 1674: Henry Firebrace
* 11 April 1688: John Fox
* 28 April 1691: Charles Isaac

In 1988, David Becket of Radley, Oxfordshire obtained Royal consent to revive the title as an honorary post.

