CHAPTER VII. THE COURT. Lord Steward of the Household.—Treasurer.—Comptroller.-Master of the Household.-Secretary of the Board of Green Cloth.-Mistress of the Robes.-Master of the Horse.-Bishop of London.-Chaplains.-Hereditary Offices. THE Court of the sovereign is thus composed : I. (1.) The Lord Steward of the Household, whose jurisdiction is now very limited, and with reference to civil matters, has been wholly taken away by 12 and 13 Vict., cap. 101. (2.) The Treasurer of the Household, and (3.) The Comptroller of the Household; the Lord Steward and the Treasurer always sit in the Privy Council, but the Comptroller only occasionally-all three offices change with the ministry; (4.) The Master of the Household, and (5.) The Secretary of the Board of Green Cloth, do not change with the ministry they have the supervision of the servants, and control of the household generally. II. The Lord Chamberlain, Vice-Chamberlain, the Lords in Waiting, the Captain of the Bodyguard (Gentlemen-at-Arms), the Captain of the Yeomen of the Bodyguard, change with the ministry. They exercise control over the royal apartments. The Comptroller of Accounts, and the Master of the Ceremonies, are permanent appointments. The Mistress of the Robes is the chief of the court ladies. There are besides, eight ladies of the bedchamber, eight bed-chamber women, and eight maids of honourthe latter being companions to the Queen, and bearing the title of "Honourable." The Lord Chamberlain presents to the Queen. those who appear at court. III. The Master of the Horse and the Clerk-Marshal (the office of Chief Equerry being combined with the latter) as well as the Master of the Buckhounds, change with the ministry. There are besides, four equeries in ordinary, and four pages of honour in this department. IV. The Bishop of London is the "Dean in Ordinary" of the Chapel-Royal. He nominates a sub-dean. The royal domestic chaplain is the "Clerk of the Closet ;" and has the right to say grace at table. With him officiate forty-eight other chaplains who celebrate divine service daily in the Chapel-Royal. V. Of the hereditary offices the following have remained from the times of the Normans: (1.) The Earl Marshal; this office is hereditary in the family of the Duke of Norfolk. He has to regulate the ceremonial at all the great state festivals, such as coronations and marriages, is the head of the "Court of Chivalry," and supervises the "heralds" and the "college of arms." (2.) The office of Lord Grand Chamberlain, honorary governor of the castle of Windsor, is now discharged by the Marquess of Cholmondely. (3.) The Marquess of Exeter is hereditary GrandAlmoner, and has the function of distributing largesse amongst the crowd at the coronation. (4.) A title purely hereditary is that of "Grand Falconer of England." It is now inherited by the family of St. Albans.* Gneist. i. 566. |