The Comptroller of the Household is an ancient 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 the 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 archaic spelling of "controller", recorded since around 1500 in a number of British titles, and later also in the USA. The variant in spelling results from the influence of French compte "account".
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.
In modern times, the Comptroller has become a less prominent position in British politics. The holder is one of the Government whips in the House of Commons, and their responsibilities for the Royal Household are now largely ceremonial. The current Comptroller of the Household is Mel Stride, appointed 17 July 2016.
1399–1400: Sir Robert Lytton 1402–1413: John Spencer 1432–c1450: Thomas Stanley, 1st Baron Stanley1460: Thomas Charlton1461–?1470: Sir John Scott1471–1475: Sir William Parr, 1st Baron Parr of Kendal1475–1481: Sir Robert Wingfield1481–1483: Sir William Parr, 1st Baron Parr of Kendal1483–1485: Sir Robert Percy of Scotton1485–1489: Sir Richard Edgecumbe1489?–1492: Sir Roger Tocotes1492–1494: vacant1494–1506: Sir Richard Guildford1507–1509: Sir John Hussey1509–1519: Sir Edward PoyningsSir Thomas Parr1519–1521: Sir Thomas Boleyn1521–1532: Sir Henry Guildford1532–1537: Sir William Paulet1537–1539: Sir John Russell1539–1540: Sir William Kingston1540–1547: Sir John Gage1547–1550: Sir William Paget1550–1552: Sir Richard Wingfield1552–1553: Sir Richard Cotton1553–1557: Sir Robert Rochester1557–1558: Sir Thomas Cornwallis1558–1559: Sir Thomas Parry1559–1568: Sir Edward Rogers1568: Anthony Crane1568–1570: vacant1570–1590: Sir James Croft1590–1596: vacant1596–1602: William Knollys, 1st Earl of Banbury1602-1604: Sir Edward Wottonc1604: William Pitt1616–1618: Sir Thomas Edmonds1618–1622: Sir Henry Cary, 1st Viscount Falkland (so created 1620)1622–1627: Sir John Suckling1627–1629: Sir John Savile, created a baron in 1628.1629–1639: Henry Vane the Elder1639–1641: Sir Thomas Jermyn1641–1643: Sir Peter Wyche1643–1646: Christopher Hatton, 1st Baron Hatton1660–1662: Sir Charles Berkeley1662–1666: Sir Hugh Pollard, 2nd Baronet1666–1668: Sir Thomas Clifford1668–1672: Francis Newport, 2nd Baron Newport1672–1687: William Maynard, 2nd Baron Maynard1687–1688: Henry Waldegrave, 1st Baron Waldegrave1689–1702: Thomas Wharton, 5th Baron Wharton1702–1704: Sir Edward Seymour, Bt1704–1708: Sir Thomas Mansell, Bt1708: The Earl of Cholmondeley1708–1709: Sir Thomas Felton, Bt1709–1711: Sir John Holland, Bt1711–1712: The Lord Lansdowne1713–1714: Sir John Stonhouse, Bt1714–1720: Hugh Boscawen1720–1725: Paul Methuen1725–1730: Lord Finch1730–1754: Sir Conyers Darcy1754–1756: The Earl of Hillsborough1756: Lord Hobart1756–1761: The Lord Edgcumbe1761: The Earl of Powis1761–1762: Lord George Cavendish1762–1763: Humphry Morice1763–1765: Lord Charles Spencer1765–1774: Thomas Pelham1774–1777: Sir William Meredith, Bt1777–1779: The Lord Onslow1779–1782: Sir Richard Worsley, Bt1782–1784: The Earl Ludlow1784–1787: The Viscount Galway1787–1790: Hon. John Villiers1790–1791: Hon. Dudley Ryder1791–1797: The Earl of Macclesfield1797–1804: Lord Charles Somerset1804–1812: Lord George Thynne1812–1830: Lord George Beresford1830–1834: Lord Robert Grosvenor1834–1835: Hon. Henry Lowry-Corry1835–1841: Hon. George Byng1841: Lord Marcus Hill1841–1846: Hon. George Dawson-Damer1846–1847: Lord Marcus Hill1847–1851: Hon. William Lascelles1851–1852: Earl of Mulgrave1852: Hon. George Weld-Forester1853–1856: Viscount Drumlanrig1856–1858: Viscount Castlerosse1858–1859: Hon. George Weld-Forester1859–1866: Lord Proby1866–1868: Viscount Royston1868–1874: Lord Otho FitzGerald1874–1879: Lord Henry Somerset1879–1880: Earl of Yarmouth1880–1885: The Lord Kensington1885–1886: Lord Arthur Hill1886: Edward Marjoribanks1886–1892: Lord Arthur Hill1892–1895: George Leveson-Gower1895–1898: Lord Arthur Hill1898–1905: The Viscount Valentia1905–1909: Master of Elibank1909–1912: The Earl of Liverpool1912–1915: The Lord Saye and Sele1915–1916: Charles Henry Roberts1916–1919: Sir Edwin Cornwall1919–1921: George Frederick Stanley1921–1924: Harry Barnston1924: John Allen Parkinson1924–1928: Sir Harry Barnston1928–1929: Sir William Cope1929–1931: Thomas Henderson1931: Goronwy Owen1931–1932: Walter Rea1932–1935: Sir Frederick Penny, Bt1935: Sir Victor Warrender, Bt1935: George Bowyer1935–1937: Sir Lambert Ward1937: Sir George Frederick Davies1937–1939: Charles Waterhouse1939–1940: Charles Kerr1940–1942: William Whiteley1942–1945: William John1945: George Mathers1945: Leslie Pym1945–1946: Arthur Pearson1946: Michael Stewart1946–1951: Frank Collindridge1951–1954: Roger Conant1954–1955: Tam Galbraith1955–1957: Hendrie Oakshott1957–1958: Gerald Wills1958–1959: Edward Wakefield1959–1961: Harwood Harrison1961–1964: Robin Chichester-Clark1964–1966: Charles Grey1966–1967: William Whitlock1967–1968: William Howie1968–1970: Ioan Evans1970: Walter Elliot1970–1972: Reginald Eyre1972–1973: Bernard Weatherill1973–1974: Walter Clegg1974–1978: Joseph Harper1978–1979: James Hamilton1979–1981: Spencer le Marchant1981–1983: Anthony Berry1983–1986: Carol Mather1986–1988: Robert Boscawen1988–1989: Tristan Garel-Jones1989–1990: Alastair Goodlad1990: Sir George Young, 6th Baronet1990–1995: David Lightbown1995–1997: Timothy Wood1997–2008: Tommy McAvoy2008–2010: John Spellar2010–2013: Alistair Carmichael2013–2015: Don Foster2015–2016: Gavin Barwell2016–present: Mel Stride
