The Board of Green Cloth was a board of officials belonging to the Royal Household of

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and

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. 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 Royal Household and made arrangements for royal travel. It also sat as a court upon offences committed within the verge of the palace. While it existed until modern times, its jurisdiction was more recently limited to the sale of alcohol, betting and gaming licences for premises falling within the areas attached to or governed by the Royal Palaces.

Officers

The members of the Board were: * the Lord Steward, head of the board * the Treasurer of the Household * the Comptroller of the Household * the Cofferer of the Household (abolished 1782) * the Master of the Household * the Clerks of the Green Cloth (increased in number from four to six in 1761; abolished in 1782 in favour of two Clerks of the Household, who were themselves abolished in 1815). * the Secretary to the Board (from 1813); assisted by three clerks to the Board from 1815 (who were not themselves members of the Board). In later years the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate, though not a member of the Board, was always in attendance (that office was abolished in 2000).

History

The origins of the Board are found in the

Wardrobe A wardrobe, also called armoire or almirah, is a standing closet used for storing clothes. The earliest wardrobe was a chest, and it was not until some degree of luxury was attained in regal palaces and the castles of powerful nobles that sep ...

, which had been a powerful financial office of the monarch in the 13th century, but by the 1360s its power had waned: it 'ceased to be the directive force of the Household, and remained simply as the office of Household accounts'; as such it was gradually subsumed into the Household and by the end of the century the Wardrobe's officers (the Treasurer, the Comptroller, the Cofferer and his Clerks) were firmly under the authority of the Lord Steward. The name 'Board of Green Cloth' first appears in the

Tudor period In England and Wales, the Tudor period occurred between 1485 and 1603, including the Elizabethan era during the reign of Elizabeth I (1558–1603). The Tudor period coincides with the dynasty of the House of Tudor in England, which began with ...

. The eponymous green tablecloth was later described as having depicted on it 'the Arms of the Accompting-House, '' viz.'' ''

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'', a Key '' Or'' and a Staff '' Argent

Saltire A saltire, also called Saint Andrew's Cross or the crux decussata, is a Heraldry, heraldic symbol in the form of a diagonal cross. The word comes from the Middle French , Medieval Latin ("stirrup"). From its use as field sign, the saltire cam ...

'', signifying their Power to reward or punish'. The Board's judicial functions derived from the historic authority of the Lord Steward within the

royal Court A royal court, often called simply a court when the royal context is clear, is an extended royal household in a monarchy, including all those who regularly attend on a monarch, or another central figure. Hence, the word ''court'' may also be app ...

to dispense the King's justice; it dealt with minor disputes, small debts and breaches of the peace within the Verge. (More serious cases were dealt with by other courts connected with the Lord Steward such as the Marshalsea Court). In the

early modern period The early modern period is a Periodization, historical period that is defined either as part of or as immediately preceding the modern period, with divisions based primarily on the history of Europe and the broader concept of modernity. There i ...

the Board routinely met twice a week, wherever the monarch was residing, to draw up accounts of daily expenditure, to order and pay for provisions, and 'to see to the good government of the Sovereign's household servants'. The Board's offices were at

Whitehall Whitehall is a road and area in the City of Westminster, Central London, England. The road forms the first part of the A roads in Zone 3 of the Great Britain numbering scheme, A3212 road from Trafalgar Square to Chelsea, London, Chelsea. It ...

until 1715, and afterwards at

St James's St James's is a district of Westminster, and a central district in the City of Westminster, London, forming part of the West End of London, West End. The area was once part of the northwestern gardens and parks of St. James's Palace and much of ...

and then at Buckingham Palace. In the 1720s the Board was described as 'a Court of Justice continually sitting in the King's house', to which was entrusted 'the Charge and Oversight of the King's Court-Royal, for Matters of Justice and Government, with Authority for maintaining the Peace within the Verge of the Court, and with Power of correcting all the Servants of his Majesty's House, as shall in any matter offend'. In 1924 the Lord Steward's Department (incorporating the Board of Green Cloth) was redesignated the Master of the Household's Department. The Board continued to supervise the Household accounts, purchase provisions and manage members of staff. Latterly the Board, which was chaired by the Master of the Household, met once a year to license public houses within the Verge; this meeting was usually a formality, with the licensees applying jointly and the licences being routinely awarded (unless the Metropolitan Police or the local heath authority raised an objection). Until 2004, the Board had jurisdiction as a licensing authority over a number of premises in

Westminster Westminster is the main settlement of the City of Westminster in Central London, Central London, England. It extends from the River Thames to Oxford Street and has many famous landmarks, including the Palace of Westminster, Buckingham Palace, ...

(that were within the verge of

Buckingham Palace Buckingham Palace () is a royal official residence, residence in London, and the administrative headquarters of the monarch of the United Kingdom. Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is often at the centre of state occasions and r ...

) that would have otherwise been the responsibility of the local magistrates' court, including

Carlton House Terrace Carlton House Terrace is a street in the St James's district of the City of Westminster in London. Its principal architectural feature is a pair of terraces, the Western and Eastern terraces, of white stucco-faced houses on the south side of ...

, the northern end of

and the

National Gallery The National Gallery is an art museum in Trafalgar Square in the City of Westminster, in Central London, England. Founded in 1824, it houses a collection of more than 2,300 paintings dating from the mid-13th century to 1900. The current di ...

. The Board of Green Cloth disappeared in the reform of local government licensing in 2004, brought about by the Licensing Act 2003 (section 195). However, royal palaces remained outside the scope of the Act, and do not require a premises licence to serve alcohol.

References

{{Reflist Positions within the British Royal Household Former courts and tribunals in England and Wales 2004 disestablishments in the United Kingdom Courts and tribunals disestablished in 2004