Messengers of the Receipt and Messengers to First Lord 1660-1870: Office Keeper to First Lord 1836-70

Office-Holders in Modern Britain: Volume 1, Treasury Officials 1660-1870. Originally published by University of London, London, 1972.

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'Messengers of the Receipt and Messengers to First Lord 1660-1870: Office Keeper to First Lord 1836-70', in Office-Holders in Modern Britain: Volume 1, Treasury Officials 1660-1870, (London, 1972) pp. 88-89. British History Online https://www.british-history.ac.uk/office-holders/vol1/pp88-89 [accessed 28 March 2024]

In this section

Messengers of the Receipt and Messengers to First Lord 1660-1870; Office Keeper to First Lord 1836-70

The Messengers of the Receipt were four in number and were appointed by the crown by letters patent under the great seal, for life from 1660 to 1689 (fn. 1) and during pleasure thereafter. They were authorised by their patents to exercise their functions by deputy. Their offices formed part of the establishment of the Receipt of the Exchequer. As such they were subordinate to the Treasurer and, when the Treasury was in commission, came under the nominal authority of the Board. (fn. 2) The Messengers of the Receipt and their deputies were included in the Treasury establishment list of 1715 but they proved of little practical utility and the Board was obliged to make other arrangements to secure an adequate messengerial service. (fn. 3) In the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries such functions as they did perform appear to have been undertaken for the First Lord rather than for the Board as a whole. (fn. 4)

In 1831 the right of appointment to these offices passed from the crown to the Treasury and in 1836 the Messengers were reorganised. They were obliged to exercise their duties in person and were placed under a Superintendent who bore the additional title of Office Keeper to the First Lord. (fn. 5) Thereafter the designation 'Messenger of the Receipt' passed out of currency being replaced by that of 'Messenger to the first Lord'.

The remuneration received by the Messengers of the Receipt was derived from a variety of sources. As officers of the receipt they received salaries of £60 0s 4½d in 1715 (fn. 6) and a total income of £232 7s 10d in 1786. (fn. 7) During the eighteenth century the allowances which had originally been provided for additional Messengers were attached to their offices. (fn. 8) In 1793 these allowances were discontinued. (fn. 9) In 1836 salaries of £150 were provided for the Messengers to the First Lord. At the same time £200 was provided for the Superintendent and Office Keeper. (fn. 10) This was increased to £220 in 1860. (fn. 11)

LISTS OF APPOINTMENTS

Messengers Of Receipt And Messengers To First Lord

By 1660 Benbow, T.
Benbow, R.
1660 18 July Kipps, T.
1660 3 Aug. Sturgeon, J.
1662 13 Nov. Benbow, T.
1665 7 Dec. Seymour, E.
1668 14 Feb. Vine, G.
1668 18 Nov. Oneby, G.
1674 5 Sept. Wright, N.
1674 5 Sept. Wright, E.
1674 5 Sept. King, J.
1674 5 Sept. King, B.
By 1689 Vincent, G.
1689 30 July Barrett, W.
1689 30 July Taylor, J.
1689 30 July Wekett, W.
1689 29 Aug. Richards, J.
1690 5 Nov. Clerke, S.
1698 22 Jan. Barrett, J.
1718 14 Feb. Lowther, T.
1723 22 May Grantham, E.
1732 23 Feb. Wright, J.
1742 11 Feb. Oswald, G.
1742 12 Feb. Jones, J.
1742 16 Dec. Sheen, J.
1743 4 Aug. Oldnal, J.
1746 29 March Dubourg, P.
1749 21 Nov. Walker, J.
1762 21 May Harrison, T.
1765 29 June Ross, W.
1767 25 Feb. Schaller, B.
1769 27 Nov. Gibbons, T.
1783 12 Sept. Bailey, A.
1791 14 Dec. Carter, C.
1798 11 Dec. Wood, J.
1799 9 Nov. Croft, J.
1801 23 May Andrews, T.
1801 23 May Betty, R.
1802 11 Nov. Cotterell, S.
1805 22 July Salter, R.
1812 31 Oct. Barfoot, H.
1825 29 Sept. Ruffe, W.
1836 20 May Masser, T. W.
1836 1 June Appleton, T.
1836 25 July Harvey, R.
1836 12 Aug. Kelly, T.
c. 1836 Tyler, J.
1838 12 April Colburn, J.
1838 2 Aug. Samways, J.
1839 12 Feb. Fitness, J.
1847 19 March Johnson, C.
c. 1855 Doe, G.
1859 9 May Hollier, S.

Superintendent And Office Keeper To First Lord

c. 1836 Foggo, P.
1839 12 Feb. Appleton, T.

Footnotes

  • 1. the exception of the grant to Oneby (1668) which was during pleasure.
  • 2. the functions of the Messengers of the Receipt in the later seventeenth century, see Baxter, Treasury, 210-11.
  • 3. For an unsuccessful attempt to place the Messengers on a more satisfactory footing, see TM 8 March and 8 Aug. 1783 (T 29/53 pp. 213-14; T 29/54 pp. 271-2).
  • 4. Certain of the Messengers were in the personal service of the First Lord; for example, J. Wright (1732) (Gent. Mag. (1732), ii, 10) and Betty (1801) (ibid. (1805), lxxv (1), 588).
  • 5. Treasury warrant 7 April 1831 (T 54/56 p. 84); TM 8 Feb. 1831 (T 29/314 pp. 165-6), 19 Jan. 1836 (T 29/373 pp. 347-51).
  • 6. TM 17 Oct. 1715 (CTB, xxix, 297-8).
  • 7. 2nd Rept. on Fees, 162-3.
  • 8. The allowances were in the first instance granted to J. Wright in 1737 (T 53/39 p. 204), Harrison in 1770 (T 53/51 p. 409) and Walker and Ross in 1772 (T 53/52 p. 63).
  • 9. TM 22 June 1793 (T 29/66 p. 22) following a recommendation of the Commissioners on Fees 1786 (2nd Rept. on Fees, 58).
  • 10. TM 19 Jan. 1836 (T 29/373 pp. 347-51).
  • 11. TM 23 Feb. 1860 (AB, iv, 95-6).