Treasurer of Calais
Encyclopedia
Calais
was in English hands from 1347 to 1558(see History of Calais
). The task of the Treasurer
, in conjunction with the Captain of Calais was keeping the defences in order, supplying victuals and paying the garrison
. The Treasurer was responsible for raising revenue from the Company of the Staple of Calais
, which was required to contribute towards the expenses of defense.
The Treasurer was perhaps the next most important member of the Council after the Captain. He was a trusty servant of the Crown, which fostered the respect accorded to him by the garrison and officials as well as by those required to pay taxes to him, namely, merchants and burgesses. The Treasurer acted on rare occasions as the delegate of the garrison in applying for their arrears of wages. The detailed functions of the Treasurer remain unknown, but included the general supervision of the royal finances at Calais. He also was responsible for the letting of certain lands, and was empowered in conjunction with the Captain to make appointments to unoccupied posts. The Treasurer was a post of honour and several holders went on to hold great offices of state on their return to England, for example Sir Edward Wotton was nominated Administrator of the Kingdom during the minority of King Edward VI
.
Calais
Calais is a town in Northern France in the department of Pas-de-Calais, of which it is a sub-prefecture. Although Calais is by far the largest city in Pas-de-Calais, the department's capital is its third-largest city of Arras....
was in English hands from 1347 to 1558(see History of Calais
History of Calais
The history of Calais dates back centuries and is chiefly influenced by its being the closest major port to Great Britain.-To the 13th century:...
). The task of the Treasurer
Treasurer
A treasurer is the person responsible for running the treasury of an organization. The adjective for a treasurer is normally "tresorial". The adjective "treasurial" normally means pertaining to a treasury, rather than the treasurer.-Government:...
, in conjunction with the Captain of Calais was keeping the defences in order, supplying victuals and paying the garrison
Garrison
Garrison is the collective term for a body of troops stationed in a particular location, originally to guard it, but now often simply using it as a home base....
. The Treasurer was responsible for raising revenue from the Company of the Staple of Calais
Merchants of the Staple
The Merchants of the Staple, also known as the Merchant Staplers, was an English company which controlled the export of wool to the continent during the late medieval period....
, which was required to contribute towards the expenses of defense.
The Treasurer was perhaps the next most important member of the Council after the Captain. He was a trusty servant of the Crown, which fostered the respect accorded to him by the garrison and officials as well as by those required to pay taxes to him, namely, merchants and burgesses. The Treasurer acted on rare occasions as the delegate of the garrison in applying for their arrears of wages. The detailed functions of the Treasurer remain unknown, but included the general supervision of the royal finances at Calais. He also was responsible for the letting of certain lands, and was empowered in conjunction with the Captain to make appointments to unoccupied posts. The Treasurer was a post of honour and several holders went on to hold great offices of state on their return to England, for example Sir Edward Wotton was nominated Administrator of the Kingdom during the minority of King Edward VI
Edward VI of England
Edward VI was the King of England and Ireland from 28 January 1547 until his death. He was crowned on 20 February at the age of nine. The son of Henry VIII and Jane Seymour, Edward was the third monarch of the Tudor dynasty and England's first monarch who was raised as a Protestant...
.
List of Treasurers of Calais
- Sir William Armyn, 1385
- Roger WaldenRoger Walden-Life:Little is now known of Walden's birth nor of his early years. He had some connection with the Channel Islands, and resided for some time in Jersey where he was rector of the Parish Church of St Helier from 1371 to 1378. He then held livings in Yorkshire and in Leicestershire before he...
, 1387 - Robert Folkingham(d.1399), 1393-4
- Robert Thorley March 1403-October 1404
- Thomas Neville, 5th. Baron FurnivallBaron FurnivallBaron Furnivall is an ancient title in the Peerage of England. It was originally created when Thomas de Furnivall was summoned to the Model Parliament of 1295 as Lord Furnivall. The barony eventually passed to Thomas Nevill, who had married the first baron's descendant Joan de Furnivall, and he...
(d.1407) 1404-1406 - Robert Thorley Easter 1406-March 1407
- John de Langton, 1442-5
- Sir Richard VernonVernon familyThe Vernon family was a wealthy, prolific and widespread English family with 11th century origins in Vernon, France.-Vernon of Shipbrook, Cheshire:...
(1391- ) 1444-1450 (Resigned in favour of son Sir William Vernon) - Sir William VernonVernon familyThe Vernon family was a wealthy, prolific and widespread English family with 11th century origins in Vernon, France.-Vernon of Shipbrook, Cheshire:...
(1418-1467) 1450- (Succeeded father Sir Richard Vernon as Treasurer) - Gervase CliftonGervase CliftonSir Gervase Clifton was a 15th century English knight and landowner.He was a junior member of the Clifton family of Nottinghamshire and possibly a younger son of Sir Gervase Clifton ....
, 1450-60 - Sir Thomas Blount -1459
- Walter Blount, 1st Baron MountjoyWalter Blount, 1st Baron MountjoySir Walter Blount, 1st Baron Mountjoy KG was an English baron and aristocrat.-Early life and family:Walter Blount was born circa 1416, the eldest son of Sir Thomas Blount and Margery Gresley and grandson of Sir Walter Blount.-Career:He was made Steward of the High Peak in Derbyshire and became a...
(d.1474) 1460-1 (Succeeded his father, Sir Thomas Blount, as treasurer of Calais in 1460, becoming governor a year later) - Thomas ThwaitesThomas ThwaitesThomas Thwaites was the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster between April 2, 1478 - July 7, 1483. He served as Treasurer of Calais until 1490....
(d.1503) -1490 - Sir Richard Nanfant, temp. Henry VII
- Sir John Turberville (Turbrevyle, Turbervyle, Trobeville, et al.), temp. Henry VII
- Hugh ConwayHugh Conway (Lord Treasurer)Sir Hugh Conway was created Lord Treasurer of Ireland in 1494 by King Henry VII of England. He replaced Sir James Ormonde as Lord Treasurer of Ireland. In 1504 he was appointed Treasurer of Calais by Henry VII . He was a son of John ‘ Aer Conwy Hen ’ by his first marriage....
, 1511 - William Sandys, 1st Baron Sandys, July 1523
- Sir Richard Weston(d.1541), 1525
- Sir Edward Wotton(1489-1551) 1540. (Brother of Nicholas WottonNicholas WottonNicholas Wotton was an English diplomat-Life:He was a son of Sir Robert Wotton of Boughton Malherbe, Kent, and a descendant of Nicholas Wotton, lord mayor of London in 1415 and 1430, and member of parliament for the city from 1406 to 1429.He early became vicar of Boughton Malherbe and of Sutton...
(d.1567) - Sir Maurice DenysMaurice DenysSir Maurice Denys was an English lawyer in London, a property speculator during the Dissolution of the Monasteries, during which period he served as a "powerful figure at the Court of Augmentations", a Member of Parliament for Malmesbury in Wiltshire, Treasurer of Calais and the builder of Siston...
(d.1563) December 1548-August 1553 - Sir Thomas Cornwallis, last Treasurer of Calais, April 1554-December 1557.
Sources
- Nichols, John Gough. The Chronicle of Calais from the Reigns of Henry VII and Henry VIII to the year 1540, London, 1846
- Sandeman, G.A.C., Calais Under English Rule, Oxford, 1908
- Grummitt, D., The Financial Administration of Calais during the reign of Henry IV, 1399-1413, English Historical Review, 133 (1988) pp.277-299