Secretaries of State 1660-1782

The Secretaries of State were appointed by the crown. They entered office on receiving the seals from the Sovereign and, as soon as was convenient, took the required oath at a meeting of the Privy Council. In due course their appointments were embodied in letters patent under the great seal which granted the offices during pleasure. The patents conferred the offices in similar terms on all their holders. The assignment of particular areas of responsibility and any subsequent transfer from one department to another were matters for informal communication from the crown. (fn. 1) The authority of the Secretaries lasted until such time as they delivered up the seals.

The remuneration attached to the offices was derived from a number of different sources. (fn. 2) From 1660 each Secretary enjoyed a patent salary of £100 payable at the Exchequer. This salary was granted for life until the appointment of Trevor in 1668 and thereafter, like the offices themselves, during pleasure. From 1660 each Secretary also received an additional salary of £1850. (fn. 3) There were two further types of allowance which at first varied with the responsibilities of particular Secretaries. One of these was a payment at the Exchequer for secret service. The amounts were fixed from 1675 at £3000 for the Secretary who had charge of the Southern Department, who was normally the senior Secretary in length of service, and £2000 for the Secretary responsible for the Northern Department. (fn. 4) This remained the case until the appointment of Sunderland in 1706 after which the secret service allowance was £3000 for all Secretaries. (fn. 5) The other type of allowance was the board wages payable by the Cofferer of the Household. From 1689 the allowance was fixed at £730 for the Secretary for the Southern Department and £292 for the Secretary for the Northern Department. This remained the case until the establishment of the third office in 1709 when the board wages of all Secretaries were fixed at £730. (fn. 6) Thus from 1709 until the end of the period the total fixed allowances for all Secretaries amounted to £5680 a year. Secretaries were also entitled to 1000 ounces of white plate from the Jewel Office on entering office.

In addition to their fixed allowances the Secretaries enjoyed certain perquisites which yielded variable amounts. These included the profits of the London Gazette which were divided equally from 1672, fees from the Signet Office and fees arising on instruments passing through their own offices. From 1699 the product of the latter was equally divided between the two Secretaries. The question how far the third Secretary was entitled to a share in these fees was the subject of considerable dispute. Queensberry seems to have been successful in establishing that all the fees should be placed in a common pool and divided equally between the three Secretaries. Subsequent holders of the third office, whether their responsibilities covered Scotland or the Colonies, received only those fees which arose in connection with the work of their own department. (fn. 7)

In the following lists the appointments of Secretaries for the Northern and Southern Departments have been grouped together into a single chronological list; those of Secretaries for Scotland and the Colonies have been grouped in separate lists. In the case of Secretaries for the Northern and Southern Departments the letters (N) or (S) have been placed after their names to indicate the department with which they were first entrusted. Subsequent transfers to another department and instances in which a Secretary acted alone for more than a month have been noted. (fn. 8) The date of appointment given is, where possible, that on which the seals were received. Before 1700 this date cannot be established precisely except in a few cases. Thereafter it can usually be ascertained from the salary warrants. Where evidence about the reception of the seals is either lacking or unsatisfactory, the date on which the oath was taken in the Privy Council has been adopted.

Northern and Southern Departments

Scottish Department

Colonial Department

Under Secretaries and Assistant Under Secretaries 1660-1782

Although it occurs as early as 1672 and passed increasingly into current use thereafter, it was only towards the end of the period covered by these lists that the title 'Under Secretary' finally superseded other designations. (fn. 1) The offices which it denoted were those filled by the principal subordinates of the Secretaries of State. At the Restoration each Secretary appears to have followed earlier practice in appointing a single individual, ranking above his other officials, to whom he entrusted the running of his department. However, before the end of the reign of Charles II, it had become customary for this principal subordinate to have a colleague of comparable standing and from at least 1689 it was the convention for there to be two Under Secretaries of equal standing in each of the older offices. This convention was only varied between 1759 and 1768 when it was the practice in one of these offices for the Secretary of State to appoint one Under Secretary and two or three Assistant Under Secretaries instead of two Under Secretaries. With the exception of Bute (1761-2) who appointed two Under Secretaries, this practice was observed between 1759 and 1763 by the successive Secretaries for the Northern Department, Holdernesse, Grenville and Halifax. After 1763, when Halifax was transferred to the Southern Department, Secretaries for the Northern Department reverted to the older convention of appointing two Under Secretaries. As Secretary for the Southern Department Halifax retained the Under Secretary and two Assistant Under Secretaries who had served him in the Northern and appointed another full Under Secretary with specific responsibility for American affairs. Halifax's successors in the Southern Department, Seymour Conway and Richmond, each appointed an Under Secretary and two Assistant Under Secretaries. Shelburne, shortly after succeeding Richmond in 1766, replaced one of his Assistant Under Secretaries by two Assistant Under Secretaries with specific responsibilities for American affairs. Until 1768 he was thus served by one Under Secretary and three Assistant Under Secretaries. In July of that year he reverted to the older convention of appointing two Under Secretaries and was followed in this by succeeding Secretaries for the Southern Department.

Queensberry, the first Secretary of State for the Scottish Department, appointed two Under Secretaries in 1709; his successors, however, employed only one. In the Colonial Department one Under Secretary was at first appointed in 1768; a second was added in 1770.

The remuneration attached to these offices was derived mainly from official fees. Until 1689 these fees appear to have been enjoyed by the Secretary of State's principal subordinate alone while his colleague received a fixed salary. From about this year it was the practice for the two Under Secretaries in each office to divide the product of the fees equally between them. The effect of the agreement of 1699 to divide the fees between the two offices appears to have been to make the receipts of all four Under Secretaries equal. From at least 1702 each of the Under Secretaries in the older offices received £50 a year from the Irish concordatum fund. (fn. 2) In 1770 salaries of £500 were made available by the crown for two Under Secretaries in each of the three offices. (fn. 3) The Assistant Under Secretaries received their remuneration either in the form of equal shares in the product of one of the Under Secretaries' fees or of a salary from the Secretary of State. (fn. 4)

While there is no evidence on the point, it is likely that the Under Secretaries in the Scottish Department received fees like their colleagues in the older departments. In the Colonial Department Phelps (1768) and his successor, Pownall (1768-76), received all the Under Secretaries' fees, the Secretary of State making up the deficiency in the event of the product amounting to less than £452 11s. Knox, appointed in 1770, at first received only his salary of £500 from the crown. When Pownall left office in 1776 a new arrangement was made according to which the two Under Secretaries, in addition to their salaries from the crown, shared equally in the fees, the Secretary of State making up the deficiency in the event of the product amounting to less than £250 each. (fn. 5)

Northern and Southern Departments

Scottish Department

Colonial Department

Clerks 1660-1782

The Secretaries of State appear to have employed salaried Clerks as early as 1628. (fn. 1) In all probability the practice was resumed at the Restoration. It was certainly observed from the close of the seventeenth century until the end of the period. By 1702 it seems to have been accepted in principle that Clerks, once appointed, were entitled to remain in office until their death or resignation. Formally the Secretaries retained the power of dismissal but they exercised it only rarely and in practice their freedom of action was limited to the making of new appointments. Subject to this consideration the Secretaries were able to fix the number of Clerks in their offices at whatever level they wished. The practice of employing salaried Clerks was followed in the Scottish and Colonial Departments. In the latter part of the eighteenth century certain of the more senior Clerks in each department were distinguished by the designation 'Senior Clerks'. (fn. 2)

In the absence of satisfactory evidence it is impossible to give a complete account of the salaries paid by the Secretaries to their Clerks. They evidently varied considerably in amount at different times. Those in Middleton's office in 1684 received from £40 to £60 a year. (fn. 3) Trumbull and Vernon paid their Clerks £50 between 1695 and 1702. (fn. 4) Harley (1704-8) paid one of his Clerks £60 and the other four £50. In 1710 and 1717-18 Sunderland paid one of his Clerks £100 and the other four £50. (fn. 5) During his second term of office (1718-21) Stanhope paid one of his Clerks £100, three £50 and one £40. (fn. 6) Newcastle's usual practice between 1724 and 1733 was to pay his Clerks £30 or £40 on appointment and to increase these sums later to £50. A few received as much as £100 and one was eventually paid £150. (fn. 7) In 1737 one of Newcastle's Clerks claimed that the Secretaries of State in both departments had 'always distinguished their Senior Clerks by an additional £50'. (fn. 8) As a result of action taken by Egremont and Halifax at the beginning of the reign of George III salary scales in both the offices were considerably improved. (fn. 9) Egremont (1761-3) paid four of his Clerks £100, two £80 and one £60. (fn. 10) In 1767 Seymour Conway paid two of his Clerks £170, two £100, two £80 and three £50. In 1768 Shelburne paid three of his Clerks £120, two £100, one £80, four £50 and two £40. (fn. 11) There do not appear to have been any substantial changes in salary levels between this date and 1782. (fn. 12) Nothing is known of the salaries paid in the Scottish Department except that in 1746 Tweeddale paid his only Clerk, apart from his Chief Clerk, £50. (fn. 13) In the Colonial Department Dartmouth in 1774 paid his Clerks £170, £120, £80, £60, £50 and £40; while Ellis in 1782 paid one £170, one £120, two £60 and three £50. (fn. 14)

Originally the Clerks, like certain others of the Secretaries' officials, enjoyed the privilege of franking mail. This constituted a valuable addition to their salaries. The privilege was greatly curtailed in 1764. (fn. 15) After representations had been made on their behalf compensation was provided in 1769 in the form of £500 which was paid annually out of Post Office funds to each of the three Secretaries of State for distribution amongst their Clerks. (fn. 16)

Northern and Southern Departments

Scottish Department

Colonial Department

Chief Clerks c. 1689-1782

In the eighteenth century it was the established practice for there to be a First or Chief Clerk in each of the Secretaries' offices, ranking immediately after the Under Secretaries. Considerable obscurity surrounds the origins of this office. (fn. 1) Such evidence as exists suggests that it evolved from the earlier position of Entering or Writing Clerk and that the Chief Clerks acquired their distinctive position at the head of each office about 1689. The term 'First' Clerk is not actually used until 1700 and the Chief Clerks were not regularly distinguished from their colleagues in lists until 1718. In consequence their identification in the earlier part of the period, and particularly in the years before 1700, must in many cases be tentative.

At first there was a tendency for the Chief Clerks, like the Under Secretaries, to go out of office with the Secretaries whom they were serving. However, from the time of the appointments of Jones in one office (1704) and Wace in the other (1717) it was accepted that the tenure of the Chief Clerks should not be affected by changes of Secretary and that they should remain in office until death or retirement.

In both the Scottish and the Colonial Departments Chief Clerks were appointed with the same rank and function as their counterparts in the older offices.

Unlike the other Clerks the Chief Clerks in the older offices received no salary from the Secretary of State. Their remuneration consisted principally in official fees. At some point during the eighteenth century they were accorded annual allowances of £25 from the Irish concordatum fund. (fn. 2) Since the Chief Clerks in the third office did not share in the arrangement for the pooling of the fees, their incomes from this source were smaller than those of their colleagues. It was probably for this reason that Tweeddale paid his Chief Clerk a salary of £100 and that successive Colonial Secretaries undertook to make up the deficiency in the event of the product of their Chief Clerk's fees falling below £250. (fn. 3) After 1769 the Chief Clerks in each of the three offices received shares of the money made available from Post Office funds. (fn. 4)

Northern and Southern Departments

Scottish Department

Colonial Department

Senior Clerks c. 1763-1782

During the second half of the eighteenth century it was the practice, in each of the Secretaries' offices, for certain of the more senior Clerks below the rank of Chief Clerk to be designated 'Senior Clerks'. The reason for the introduction of this term is obscure and there is no evidence to suggest that the Senior Clerks undertook duties or responsibilities that were significantly different from those of other Clerks. (fn. 1) The term is first used in 1763 to distinguish two Clerks in one of the older offices. (fn. 2) There is no trace of its use in the other office until 1772 after which it was the practice for there to be two Senior Clerks in the Northern Department and three in the Southern. Two Senior Clerks were appointed in the Colonial Department on its establishment in 1768. Senior Clerks, like other Clerks below the rank of Chief Clerk, received their salaries from the Secretaries of State. After 1769 they received shares of the money made available from Post Office funds. (fn. 3)

Northern and Southern Departments

Colonial Department

Office Keepers c. 1689-1782

In 1684 the 'Office Keeper' was amongst those of the Secretaries' officials who were entitled to fees. (fn. 1) Although Office or Chamber Keepers had undoubtedly been employed at an earlier date it is not until the reign of William III that they can be identified. Before 1698 their number seems to have varied. The poll tax assessment of 1689 suggests that there were then three in Shrewsbury's office and two in Nottingham's. (fn. 2) Trumbull appears to have employed three during his term of office 1695-7. (fn. 3) From 1698 it was the regular practice for there to be two in each of the older departments. (fn. 4) Only one was appointed in the Scottish and Colonial Departments. The Office Keepers appear to have enjoyed a tenure similar to that of the Clerks and to have remained in employment until death or voluntary resignation. On occasion they exercised their functions by deputy. (fn. 5)

In addition to their fees, the Office Keepers received salaries from the Secretaries of State. These were already fixed at £20 16s in 1695 and remained unchanged until the end of the period. (fn. 6)

Northern and Southern Departments

Scottish Department

Colonial Department

Necessary Women c. 1695-1782

The earliest evidence of the employment of a Necessary Woman or Cleaner dates from 1695 and relates to Trumbull's office. (fn. 1) From at least 1698 it was the regular practice for there to be one Necessary Woman in each of the older departments. (fn. 2) One was probably employed in the Scottish Department from the first although there is no evidence on the point until the time of Tweeddale's secretaryship (1742-6). (fn. 3) There was one Necessary Woman in the Colonial Department throughout its existence. Necessary Women held their places on a tenure that was similar to that of the Office Keepers.

The Necessary Women received their remuneration, which included a salary and an allowance for incidents, from the Secretaries of State. During the secretaryships of Trumbull and Vernon (1695-1702) this amounted to £9 10s a year. (fn. 4) Harley (1704-8) paid his Necessary Woman £12 a year. Sunderland and Stanhope paid theirs £14 between 1717 and 1720 as did Carteret and Newcastle between 1724 and 1733 and Egremont between 1761 and 1763. (fn. 5) In 1766 the Necessary Women in the offices of Shelburne and Seymour Conway were receiving £14 and £48 respectively. (fn. 6) The Necessary Woman in the Colonial Department was paid £48. (fn. 7)

Northern and Southern Departments

Scottish Department

Colonial Department

Embellisher of Letters 1660-c. 1800

The employment of individuals to embellish diplomatic letters and other documents, particularly those addressed to eastern princes, occurred during the early Stuart period and was continued after the Restoration. (fn. 1) From 1662 payments were made to a series of Embellishers for this work. These payments, usually at the rate of £10 a document, were made by the Treasurer of the Chamber on the authority of a warrant from one of the Secretaries of State. From 1707 to 1782 a regular salary of £60 was paid by the Treasurer of the Chamber. (fn. 2) Although in fact in the employment of the Secretaries of State, the Embellisher was from at least 1714 sworn by the Lord Chamberlain as an official of the Royal Household. (fn. 3) By 1797 the salary had been reduced to £25 16s carried on the Stationer's bill of the Foreign Office. (fn. 4) The last trace of the office occurs in 1800. (fn. 5)

Writer of Gazette 1665-1863, Deputy Writer of Gazette c. 1751-1828 and French Translator of Gazette 1666-c. 1710

The publication of the London Gazette began in 1665. (fn. 1) It was at first prepared under the auspices of Williamson, Under Secretary to Arlington. On the appointment of Coventry as Secretary in 1672 an arrangement was made whereby the profits from its sale were equally divided between the two offices and from this date the Gazette may be regarded as common to the secretariat as a whole. The compilation of the Gazette was at first undertaken for brief periods by Muddiman and Perrott. By 1673 it had been entrusted to Yard, originally a Clerk in Arlington's office, during whose period of service the writership came to be recognised as a distinct office with a regular salary attached to it. Yard's successor, C. Delafaye, was placed under the supervision of the four Under Secretaries who were responsible for the contents of the Gazette. (fn. 2) This arrangement did not prove satisfactory and on the appointment of Steele in 1707 the Writer regained his former position. Originally the Writer was appointed by the Secretaries of State. In 1719, however, Buckley, who had originally been appointed in 1714, had the office conferred upon him by the crown by letters patent under the great seal. (fn. 3) Thereafter it was granted for life and the principal was empowered to exercise his functions by deputy. Between 1714 and 1828 the office was held by persons who were either officials or former officials of the Secretaries' offices who appointed Clerks in those offices as their deputies. Rolleston (1803-28), however, exercised his duties in person and was responsible for reorganising the office in 1811 following the expiry of the Printer's patent. (fn. 4) Gregson, the last Writer of the Gazette, also took an active part in the work at the beginning of his period of office (1829-63). During the course of the year 1848 a series of reforms were carried out with the object of transferring the business connected with the printing and publishing of the Gazette from the Secretaries of State to the Treasury. The immediate direction of the Gazette was placed wholly in the hands of a Superintendent. Gregson was allowed to continue to receive his salary as Writer until his death when the office was finally abolished. (fn. 5)

The salary of the Writer of the Gazette was paid by the Printer who was responsible to the Secretaries of State for keeping the accounts of its sales. Yard's salary was £60 in 1679 and 1684. By 1695 it had risen to £100. (fn. 6) C. Delafaye received £60. Steele was appointed at £300 in 1707 and King and Ford at £200 in 1711 and 1712. (fn. 7) From the time of Buckley's appointment in 1714 the salary remained fixed at £300. (fn. 8) The salary of the deputy was £30 paid by the principal. (fn. 9)

In 1666 a French version of the Gazette began to be published, being prepared by a distinct official known as the French Translator who received a salary of £52 from the same source as the Writer. There is no trace of this office after 1710. (fn. 10)

Writer of Gazette

Deputy Writer of Gazette

French Translator of Gazette

Law Clerk 1743-74

This office was created in 1743. (fn. 1) Appointments were made by the crown by letters patent under the great seal granting it during pleasure. The function of its holders was 'to attend the Secretaries of State in order to take the depositions of such persons whom it may be necessary to examine upon affairs which may concern the Public and to do and perform all such matters relating thereto as may be committed to (their) care'. (fn. 2) The office was discontinued in 1774 on the resignation of Stanhope. It was, however, revived in 1791 and attached to the Home Office. (fn. 3)

The salary attached to the office in 1743 was £200, payable by the Paymaster of Pensions. (fn. 4) In 1747 it was raised to £300 payable by the Treasury Solicitor. It was further increased to £500 in 1761. (fn. 5)

Secretary for Latin Tongue 1660-1832

This office originated in the early sixteenth century. (fn. 1) Appointments were made by the crown by letters patent under the great seal. It was held on a life tenure from 1661 to 1681 and during pleasure thereafter except for the years 1722-30 when it was again held for life. (fn. 2) The office appears to have become a sinecure by the beginning of the eighteenth century and it was discontinued on the revocation of Hobhouse's patent in 1832.

The patent salary attached to the office was £80. An additional salary of £200 was granted to Lee in 1722 (fn. 3) and was continued to his successors. Both salaries were paid at the Exchequer.

Secretary for French Tongue 1660-1700

This office originated in the fifteenth century. (fn. 4) Appointments were made by the crown by letters patent under the great seal. De Vic was appointed for life; Henshaw was at first appointed for life, in 1662, but received a new grant during pleasure in 1693. (fn. 5) The office appears to have been a sinecure from the Restoration until the death of Henshaw in 1700 when it was discontinued. The salary was £66 13s 4d payable at the Exchequer.

Interpreter of Oriental Languages 1723-1835

This office originated in 1723. (fn. 1) Its holder was principally concerned with translation from Arabic. Appointments were made by the crown. Until 1782 it was attached to the secretariat generally. In that year it passed under the general authority of the Home Office, being transferred to the Colonial Office in 1804. (fn. 2) It was abolished in 1816 but was temporarily revived between 1823 and 1835. (fn. 3)

The salary attached to the office was paid by the Paymaster of Pensions from 1723 to 1770 and after 1784 from the contingent funds of the Home and Colonial Offices. (fn. 4) Until 1816 it was fixed at £80. The salary of Salamé, the last holder of the office, was £150 from 1823 to 1828 and £200 from 1828 to 1835. (fn. 5)

Translator of German Language 1735-1802

This office originated in 1735 with the appointment of a Decipherer, Zolman, who by the time of his death in 1748 had acquired the title of Translator of the German Language. (fn. 1) Until 1782 it was attached to the secretariat generally. From that date it passed under the authority of the Foreign Office, being formally included in its establishment in 1797. The office, which had probably become a sinecure by 1760, was abolished in 1802 on the death of Fraser. (fn. 2)

Until 1782 the salary attached to the office was, like those of the Decipherers, disbursed by the Secretary of the Post Office out of secret service money. From that year the Foreign Secretary was responsible for paying it out of the secret service money provided for his department. Zolman's salary, originally £200, was raised to £300 in 1744. (fn. 3) Wallace was appointed at £200 in 1748, his salary being increased to £400 between 1761 and 1763. (fn. 4) From the time of Howard's appointment in 1772 the salary remained fixed at £300. (fn. 5)

Translator of Southern Languages 1755-c. 1765

The office of Translator of Southern, or Italian and Spanish, Languages originated in 1755. It seems to have been created principally with the object of providing an allowance for Rivers who was temporarily removed from the position of Under Secretary in that year. (fn. 1) Rivers continued to hold it after his reappointment as under Secretary in 1756.

The salary attached to the office was, like those of the Decipherers, disbursed by the Secretary of the Post Office out of secret service money. Originally £200 it was raised to £400 at some time between 1763 and 1765. (fn. 2) The last evidence of the payment of the salary is of the latter year although it is possible that Rivers continued to receive it as a form of retiring allowance until his death in 1807. (fn. 3)

Appointment

Decipherers 1701-1844

Although cryptography and translation were amongst the general responsibilities of the Secretaries of State from the Tudor period, it was only in the early eighteenth century that settled arrangements were made for the decipherment of letters and dispatches. (fn. 1) After the Restoration much of the work was entrusted to Wallis, who, until 1701, had no established position, being paid by the Secretaries of State for each commission that he executed. In that year, however, the Decipherers' office was placed on a permanent basis, Wallis and his grandson, Blencowe, being granted a regular salary by privy seal. (fn. 2) Blencowe was succeeded in 1713 by Keill who was himself succeeded in 1716 by the elder E. Willes. Between 1716 and the abolition of the office there were invariably between one and three members of this family serving as Decipherers. In 1715 a second salaried position was established and conferred upon Corbiere who at first appears to have worked under the immediate supervision of the Treasury. (fn. 3) Corbiere was succeeded by Scholing (1743-8) and he in turn by the brothers Neubourg (1750-3; 1753-62). (fn. 4)

Until 1722 the salaries of the Decipherers were paid at the Exchequer. From that year until 1782 they were disbursed by the Secretary of the Post Office from secret service money in the same manner as those of the officials of the secret department of that office with whom the Decipherers came to be closely associated. (fn. 5) Since no regular accounts of these disbursements exist it is in many cases impossible for the periods of service of Decipherers to be determined precisely. New appointments and changes in salary appear usually to have been a matter of oral communication of the King's pleasure to the Secretary of the Post Office. (fn. 6)

By 1723 a third salaried post of Decipherer had come into existence and was held by Ashfield who was succeeded by Lampe in 1729. On Lampe's death in 1755 his salary was divided between one of the Clerks in the secret department of the Post Office and the former Under Secretary, Rivers, who was given the title of Translator of the Southern, or Italian and Spanish, Languages. (fn. 7) In 1735 a salary was made available from secret service money for Zolman who was given particular responsibility for the translation of the German language. (fn. 8) From 1762 the Decipherers' office was staffed exclusively by members of the Willes family. (fn. 9) Having been common to the secretariat as a whole until 1782 it passed in that year under the authority of the Foreign Secretary who became responsible for paying the salaries out of the secret service money provided for that department. The office was abolished on 1 October 1844. (fn. 10)

The salaries of the Decipherers varied considerably in amount. Wallis and Blencowe were granted £100 in 1701, Blencowe's salary being raised to £200 in 1709. (fn. 11) Keill was appointed at £100 in 1713. (fn. 12) The elder E. Willes' salary, originally £200, was raised to £250 in 1721. (fn. 13) Corbiere's salary began at £100 in 1715 and was raised to £200 in 1716, to £400 in 1721 and to £500 in 1722. (fn. 14) In 1742 the elder and the younger E. Willes were sharing £1000, Corbiere was receiving £800 and Lampe £500. (fn. 15) Scholing was appointed at £300 in 1743 and the elder W. Willes at £100 in 1744, the younger E. Willes also being granted an additional £100 in the latter year. (fn. 16) The two Neubourgs were successively appointed at £300 in 1750 and 1753. (fn. 17) In 1761 the elder E. Willes, now Bishop of Bath and Wells, was being paid £800, the younger E. Willes £300, G. W. Neubourg £300 and the elder W. Willes £200. (fn. 18) In 1763 the Bishop and the younger E. Willes were both receiving £500 and the elder F. Willes £300. (fn. 19) In 1775 the latter was advanced from £400 to £700 in consideration of his services as Under Secretary 1772-5. (fn. 20) In 1801-4 the salaries of the elder F. and the youngest E. Willes remained fixed at £700 and £500 respectively while the younger F. Willes was receiving £200. (fn. 21) In 1806 the elder F. Willes was receiving £900 and the younger F. Willes £500. (fn. 22) The salaries of the last Decipherers, the younger F. Willes and Lovell were £700 and £200 in 1844. (fn. 23)

Keeper of State Papers 1660-1854

This office originated in 1578. (fn. 1) Appointments were made by the crown by letters patent under the great seal. The tenure of the office varied. It was held for life 1660- 1701, during pleasure 1702-22, for life 1722-38, (fn. 2) during pleasure 1739-1800 and for life 1800-54. (fn. 3) Power to act by deputy was included in patents from 1702. (fn. 4) The office was practically a sinecure for much of the eighteenth century. With the appointment of Bruce in 1792, however, the Keeper became active and in 1800 the office was reorganised and given a new establishment. (fn. 5) The office was abolished on the death of Hobhouse in 1854 when its functions were transferred to the Public Record Office.

In 1660 the Keeper was receiving a salary of 3s 4d a day and an additional allowance of £100 a year. In 1661 a consolidated salary of £160 was provided payable at the Exchequer. (fn. 6) At the time of the reorganisation of 1800 this was increased to £500. (fn. 7)

Collector of State Papers 1725-1848

This office, the full title of which was Collector and Transmitter of State Papers, was created in 1725. (fn. 1) Appointments were made by the crown by letters patent under the great seal. Except for the years 1739-41 when it was granted during pleasure the office was always held for life. Between 1739 and 1751 it was occupied by joint holders. The nominal function of the office, which was a sinecure almost from the time of its creation, was to collect records from the offices of the Secretaries of State and to transmit them to the Keeper of State Papers. It passed under the general authority of the Foreign Office in 1782 and was formally included in its establishment in 1795. (fn. 2) It was discontinued on the death of Goddard in 1848.

The remuneration attached to the office was £500, composed of a salary of £400 and an allowance of £100 for Clerks and incidents. This sum was disbursed by the Secretary of the Post Office until 1782 when the Foreign Secretary became responsible for its payment. (fn. 3)

Methodisers of State Papers 1764-1800

The offices of Methodisers of State Papers, which were usually three in number, were created in 1764. (fn. 1) Appointments were made by the crown by warrant under sign manual. The Methodisers of State Papers also held the distinct offices of Methodisers of the records of the Court of Exchequer which had been created in 1763 and which were abolished in 1789. (fn. 2) The offices of Methodisers of State Papers were abolished in 1800 when that of Keeper of State Papers was reorganised. (fn. 3)

In 1764 the Methodisers were accorded salaries of £100 each, an allowance of £100 for Clerks and a further allowance of £100 for incidents. (fn. 4) This was in addition to their remuneration for their work in the Exchequer. When this work was discontinued in 1789 a new arrangement was adopted. One Methodiser, the elder Astle, served without salary and the remaining two, Topham and the younger Astle, were given salaries of £200 each. At the same time allowances of £100 for Clerks, £100 for incidents and £50 for a Housekeeper were also provided. (fn. 5) In addition to their ordinary remuneration the Methodisers also shared £1000 from the secret service money. This payment does not appear to have been continued after 1782. (fn. 6)

Clerks of the Signet, Deputy Clerks of the Signet and Office Keepers of the Signet Office 1660-1851

The number of the Clerks of the Signet was fixed at four from the sixteenth century. (fn. 1) The Clerks were appointed by the crown by letters patent under the great seal. (fn. 2) Between 1660 and 1807 grants of the offices were invariably for life and until 1678 reversionary in character. (fn. 3) After 1678 appointments were usually made only when one of the offices fell vacant. (fn. 4) Although the patents did not authorise the Clerks to act by deputy, it is clear that by the end of the seventeenth century most of the work had in fact been delegated to deputies or 'Clerks for the Business of the Office'. (fn. 5) From the early eighteenth century it was the usual practice for those Clerks who wished to act by deputy to secure from the crown a commission under the privy seal authorising them to do so. (fn. 6) Deputies, who occasionally acted for more than one principal at the same time, were frequently selected from amongst the Clerks in the Secretaries' offices.

In 1817 the offices were regulated by act which required that Clerks appointed thereafter should exercise their duties in person subject to such conditions as the Treasury should lay down. (fn. 7) In 1832 the Treasury was given statutory authority to reduce the number of clerkships when it saw fit. (fn. 8) Under this authority one office was abolished in 1833 and another in 1846. (fn. 9) The remaining two clerkships were abolished by act in 1851 which transferred to the Home Office the residual functions connected with the signet. (fn. 10)

Originally the Clerks of the Signet received no salary, being dependent on dividends of the fees arising from signet business for the greater part of their remuneration. During the Tudor and early Stuart period they had been entitled to diet as members of the Household. In the latter part of the seventeenth century this privilege was commuted for board wages of £30 a year each payable by the Cofferer. (fn. 11) In 1825, under the authority of the act of 1817, the Treasury substituted a fixed salary of £300 in place of all other emoluments for Clerks appointed thereafter. (fn. 12) Until the early nineteenth century the remuneration of the deputies appears to have been a matter for private negotiation between them and their principals. From at least 1834, however, the deputies received a recognised share of the fees arising from signet business. (fn. 13)

An Office Keeper of the Signet Office first occurs in 1689. Until 1790 he was also Office Keeper of the Privy Seal Office. During the eighteenth century he occasionally acted as a Deputy Clerk of the Signet as well. In 1814 the Office Keeper was also appointed Receiver of Fees. (fn. 14) A second Office Keeper was appointed about 1828 and from about 1833 these two officials were described as Record Keepers and Receivers of Fees.

Clerks of the Signet

Deputy Clerks of the Signet

Office Keepers of the Signet Office

Footnotes