The town of

Calais Calais ( , , traditionally , ) is a port city in the Pas-de-Calais department, of which it is a subprefecture. Although Calais is by far the largest city in Pas-de-Calais, the department's prefecture is its third-largest city of Arras. Th ...

, France, was in English hands from 1347 to 1558. During this historical period the task of the

treasurer A treasurer is the person responsible for running the treasury of an organization. The significant core functions of a corporate treasurer include cash and liquidity management, risk management, and corporate finance. Government The treasury ...

, in conjunction with the Captain of Calais, was keeping the defences in order, supplying victuals and paying the

garrison A garrison (from the French ''garnison'', itself from the verb ''garnir'', "to equip") is any body of troops stationed in a particular location, originally to guard it. The term now often applies to certain facilities that constitute a mili ...

. The treasurer was responsible for raising revenue from the Company of the Staple of Calais, which was required to contribute towards the expenses of defence. The treasurer 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. He 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 (12 October 1537 – 6 July 1553) was King of England and Ireland from 28 January 1547 until his death in 1553. He was crowned on 20 February 1547 at the age of nine. Edward was the son of Henry VIII and Jane Seymour and the first E ...

List of treasurers of Calais

Thomas de Brantingham Thomas de Brantingham (died 1394) was an English clergyman who served as Lord Treasurer to Edward III and on two occasions to Richard II, and as bishop of Exeter from 1370 until his death. De Brantingham was a member of the Brantingham fam ...

, 1361–1368 *Sir William Armyn, 1385 *

Roger Walden Roger Walden (died 1406) was an English treasurer and Bishop of London. 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 ...

, 1387 *Robert Folkingham (died 1394), 1393–1394 *Richard Selby (died by November 1450), 1394- *Thomas Stanley, prior to 1401 *John Bernard, prior to 1401 *Robert Thorley March 1403 – October 1404 *Thomas Neville, 5th. Baron Furnivall (died 1407), 1404–14061406 Petition to Parliament SC 8/144/7 163
/ref> *Robert Thorley, Easter 1406 – March 1407 *John de Langton, 1442–1445 * Sir Richard Vernon (1391- ), 1444–1450 (Resigned in favour of son Sir William Vernon) * Sir William Vernon (1418–1467), 1450- (Succeeded father Sir Richard Vernon as Treasurer) * Gervase Clifton, 1450–1460 *Sir Thomas Blount, -1459 * Walter Blount, 1st Baron Mountjoy (died 1474) 1460–1461 (Succeeded his father, Sir Thomas Blount, as treasurer of Calais in 1460, becoming governor a year later) *William Slyfield, 1481–1485 (of Slyfield Manor, Great Bookham, Surrey) * Thomas Thwaites (died 1503), 1483–1490 *Sir Richard Nanfant, ''temp.'' Henry VII *Sir John Turberville (Turbrevyle, Turbervyle, Trobeville, et al.), ''temp''. Henry VII *Sir

Hugh Conway Hugh Conway, the pen name of Frederick John Fargus (26 December 1847 – 15 May 1885), was an English novelist born in Bristol, the son of an auctioneer. He had success with his fiction in the early 1880s. Life Fargus was intended for his father ...

, 1504–1517 *

William Sandys, 1st Baron Sandys William Sandys, 1st Baron Sandys (1470 – 4 December 1540), KG, of The Vyne in the parish of Sherborne St John, Hampshire, was an English diplomat and was a favourite of King Henry VIII, whom he served as Lord Chamberlain. In the 1520s he bui ...

, July 1523 * Sir Richard Weston (died 1541), 1525–1528 * Sir Edward Wotton (1489–1551), 1540–1547 (Brother of

Nicholas Wotton Nicholas Wotton (c. 1497 – 26 January 1567) was an English diplomat, cleric and courtier. Life He was a son of Sir Robert Wotton of Boughton Malherbe, Kent, and a descendant of Sir Nicholas Wotton, Lord Mayor of London in 1415 and 1430, ...

(died 1567) * Sir Maurice Denys (died 1563), December 1548 – August 1553 *

Sir Thomas Cornwallis Sir Thomas Cornwallis (1518/1519 – 1604) was an English politician. Family Thomas Cornwallis was the eldest son of Sir John Cornwallis (c. 1491–1544), steward of the household of the future King Edward VI during the years 1538–1544, ...

, last Treasurer of Calais, April 1554 – December 1557.Nichols, p.xl

Notes and references

{{reflist, 40em

Sources

* Nichols, John Gough
''The Chronicle of Calais from the Reigns of Henry VII and Henry VIII to the year 1540'', London, 1846Sandeman, 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 History of Calais