The cofferer of the Household was formerly an office in the English and British Royal Household. Next in rank to the

Comptroller A comptroller (pronounced either the same as ''controller'' or as ) is a management-level position responsible for supervising the quality of accountancy, accounting and financial reporting of an organization. A financial comptroller is a senior- ...

, the holder paid the wages of some of the servants above and below stairs, was a member of the

Board of Green Cloth The Board of Green Cloth was a board of officials belonging to the Royal Household of England and Great Britain. It took its name from the tablecloth of green baize that covered the table at which its members sat. It audited the accounts of the ...

, and sat with the

Lord Steward The Lord Steward or Lord Steward of the Household is one of the three Great Officers of the Household of the British monarch. He is, by tradition, the first great officer of the Court and he takes precedence over all other officers of the househ ...

in the Court of the Verge. The cofferer was usually of political rank and always a member of the Privy Council. The office dates from the 13th century, when it was known as Cofferer of the Wardrobe. The

Keeper of the Wardrobe The King's Wardrobe, together with the Chamber, made up the personal part of medieval English government known as the King's household. Originally the room where the king's clothes, armour, and treasure were stored, the term was expanded to des ...

was at this time increasingly occupied with matters of state, and so his chief

clerk A clerk is a white-collar worker who conducts record keeping as well as general office tasks, or a worker who performs similar sales-related tasks in a retail environment. The responsibilities of clerical workers commonly include Records managem ...

gradually took on additional responsibilities for accounting and bookkeeping, and came to be referred to as the Cofferer. As such, he became in effect the working head of the Wardrobe, and acted when required as ''

locum tenens A locum, or locum tenens, is a person who temporarily fulfills the duties of another; the term is especially used for physicians or clergy. For example, a ''locum tenens physician'' is a physician who works in the place of the regular physician. ...

'' to the Keeper. The Cofferer had his own staff of clerks, who later came to be known as the Clerks of the Green Cloth (after the green cloth covering of the table in the accounting office). By the end of the 14th century the Wardrobe had ceased to be an independent office of influence at Court; its officers were made subsidiary to the

and duly re-designated as being 'of the Household' (rather than 'of the Wardrobe'). The Cofferer retained his role as principal accounting officer under the Lord Steward. The office of Cofferer was abolished by the

Civil List and Secret Service Money Act 1782 The Civil List and Secret Service Money Act 1782 ( 22 Geo. 3. c. 82) was an Act of the Parliament of Great Britain. The power over the expenditure in the King's household was transferred to the Treasury, and branches of which were regulated. No ...

. By the same means 'provision was made for more economical methods of keeping the accounts of

Civil List A civil list is a list of individuals to whom money is paid by the government, typically for service to the state or as honorary pensions. It is a term especially associated with the United Kingdom, and its former colonies and dominions. It was ori ...

expenditure under the

Lords Commissioners of the Treasury In the United Kingdom there are at least six Lords (or Ladies) Commissioners of His Majesty's Treasury, serving as a Government agency, commission for the ancient office of Lord High Treasurer, Treasurer of the Exchequer. The board consists of the ...

': thenceforward the accounts of the Lord Steward's Department were included in the

Estimates In the Westminster system of government, the ''Estimates'' are an outline of government spending for the following fiscal year presented by the Cabinet (government), cabinet to parliament. The Estimates are drawn up by bureaucrats in the finance ...

List of incumbents

References

{{British Monarchy Household Positions within the British Royal Household Ceremonial officers in the United Kingdom 1782 disestablishments in Great Britain Government accounting officials