Groom of the Chamber


Groom of the Chamber was a position in the Household of the monarch in early modern England. Other Ancien Régime royal establishments in Europe had comparable officers, often with similar titles. In France, the Duchy of Burgundy, and in England while French was still the language of the court, the title was varlet or valet de chambre. In German, Danish and Russian the term was "Kammerjunker" and in Swedish the similar "Kammarjunkare".
In England after the Restoration, appointments in the King's Household included Groom of the Great Chamber, Groom of the Privy Chamber and Groom of the Bedchamber. The first two positions were appointed by Lord Chamberlain's warrant; the third, of greater importance, was a Crown appointment.

Medieval and early-modern England

Traditionally, the English Court was organized into three branches or departments:
  1. the Household, primarily concerned with fiscal more than domestic matters, the "royal purse";
  2. the Chamber, concerned with the Presence Chamber, the Privy chamber, and other more public rooms of the royal palaces, as the Bedchamber was concerned with the innermost;
  3. the Bedchamber, focused on the most direct and intimate aspects of the lives of the royal family, with its own offices, like the Groom of the Body and the Squire of the Body.
The Chamber organization was controlled by the Lord Chamberlain; if he was the general of a small army of servitors, the Grooms of the Chamber were his junior officers, with ushers and footmen the footsoldiers. The Grooms wore the royal livery, served as general attendants, and fulfilled a wide range of specific functions. Grooms ranked below Gentlemen of the Chamber, usually important noblemen, but above Yeomen of the Chamber. They were mostly well-born, on a first rung of a courtier's career. The office of Groom of the Chamber could also be bestowed in a more honorific manner, upon people who served the royal household in some less direct way; the early Tudor poet Stephen Hawes became a Groom of the Chamber in 1502, under Henry VII.
Under James I, the Bedchamber was established as a semi-autonomous department with its own hierarchy of Gentlemen, Grooms and Yeomen, which usurped those of the Privy Chamber in terms of their influence with and closeness to the King..
;;;Grooms Extraordinary
In the reigns of the early monarchs of the House of Stuart, James I and Charles I, the actors of the King's Men, the playing company under royal patronage, were officially "Grooms extraordinary of the Chamber". They did not usually fulfill the normal functions of the office; rather, they served the King by performing plays for him. Although on busy occasions, the King's Men appear to have acted as more ordinary servants: in August 1604 they were "waiting and attending" upon the Spanish ambassador at Somerset House, "on his Majesty's service" — but no plays were performed.) They were also turned out to bulk up the Household for grand ceremonial occasions. A similar arrangement held for some of Queen Anne's Men, including their playwright Thomas Heywood; they became Grooms of the Queen's Chamber, under the Queen's Chamberlain. On some occasions, Shakespeare, Heywood, and their compatriots wore the royal livery, marched in processions, and played other roles in the ceremonial life of the monarchy. In at least two cases, those of George Bryan and John Singer, professional actors became "normal" Grooms of the Chamber, with the normal duties, after retiring from the stage.

List of Grooms of the Chamber

  • Stephen Hawes, 1502–?
  • William Sharington, 1542-1544
  • Thomas Streete, c.1547
  • John Fowler, 1548
  • William Goring, 1553
  • George Brediman or Bridgeman, c.1553-1580
;;;Elizabeth I
  • Thomas Astley, 1558-1595
  • John Baptist Castilion, 1558-1597
  • Thomas Commander, 1558-1559
  • Henry Seckford, 1558-1610
  • Thomas Lichfield, 1559-1586
  • John Tamworth, 1559–1569
  • Edward Cary, 1562-1618
  • Henry Middlemore, 1566-1593
  • Thomas Knyvett, 1570-1622
  • Thomas Gorges, 1571-1610
  • William Killigrew, 1578-1622
  • Edward Darcy, 1579-1612
  • Edward Denny, 1582-1600
  • Michael Stanhope, c.1583–1603
  • Ferdinando Richardson, 1586-1618
;;;James I
Queen Anne of Denmark
Charles I
James I
Charles I
Commonwealth
''No Grooms of the Bedchamber appointed''

Post-Restoration England and Great Britain

Fourteen Grooms of the Great Chamber were appointed under Charles II ; they served as internal court messengers and were in attendance in the guard room.
The Grooms of the Privy Chamber were six in number ; initially responsible for manning the doors to the Privy Chamber, by 1720 the office largely lost its function, but attendance was still required for Coronations and other 'extraordinary Occasions'.
There were usually a dozen or so Grooms of the Bedchamber appointed, two of whom were on duty at any one time. They served for a week at a time in rotation and were responsible for attending the King in the Chamber when he dressed, and at Dinner when he dined privately. They would also deputise for the Lords of the Bedchamber if required to do so. Grooms of the Bedchamber were close to the King and were occasionally sent overseas as special envoys to negotiate royal marriages and such. During the exile of James II a court was maintained by that king in France and certain of his grooms joined him there. Similarly, during the last years of the reign of King George III, when he withdrew from public life in consequence of his poor mental health, several of his grooms followed him to Windsor Castle, whilst others remained in London to serve the Prince Regent, later to become King George IV. When the Monarch was a Queen, the positions of Groom of the Bedchamber were not filled.

List of Grooms of the Privy Chamber

Charles II
Date
6 June 1660Maurice WynnJames ElliottRobert Thompson---
7 June 1660Maurice WynnJames ElliottRobert ThompsonAdam Hill--
10 June 1660Maurice WynnJames ElliottRobert ThompsonAdam HillAdrian May-
12 June 1660Maurice WynnJames ElliottRobert ThompsonAdam HillAdrian MayJames Progers
17 May 1661Maurice WynnJames ElliottRobert ThompsonRoger BurgessAdrian MayJames Progers
27 January 1669Maurice WynnJames ElliottRobert ThompsonThomas RossAdrian MayJames Progers
30 April 1670Maurice WynnJames ElliottRobert ThompsonThomas RossArthur IngramJames Progers
15 May 1671Maurice WynnJames ElliottRobert ThompsonThomas RossArthur IngramThomas Cooke
15 May 1672Maurice WynnJames ElliottRobert ThompsonThomas RossPaul FrenchThomas Cooke
17 May 1673Maurice WynnJames ElliottRobert ThompsonThomas RossPaul FrenchJohn Lowther
25 June 1673Maurice WynnJames ElliottRobert ThompsonChristopher JeffreysPaul FrenchJohn Lowther
8 July 1676Maurice WynnJames ElliottRobert ThompsonChristopher JeffreysJohn BellinghamJohn Lowther
18 December 1676Maurice WynnJames ElliottRobert ThompsonChristopher JeffreysJohn BellinghamHumphrey Graves
11 October 1677Maurice WynnRichard BinnsRobert ThompsonChristopher JeffreysJohn BellinghamHumphrey Graves
20 May 1678Maurice WynnYelverton PeytonRobert ThompsonChristopher JeffreysJohn BellinghamHumphrey Graves
23 October 1680Edward LloydYelverton PeytonRobert ThompsonChristopher JeffreysJohn BellinghamHumphrey Graves
20 August 1683Edward LloydJohn RadcliffeRobert ThompsonChristopher JeffreysJohn BellinghamHumphrey Graves

James II 1685–1688
William III 1689–1702
Date
February 1689Robert ThompsonChristopher Jeffreys--
28 March 1689Robert ThompsonChristopher JeffreysThomas DuppaHumphrey Graves
12 January 1694David CarbonellChristopher JeffreysThomas DuppaHumphrey Graves
29 July 1695David CarbonellWilliam WallisThomas DuppaHumphrey Graves
30 November 1695William WhitmoreWilliam WallisThomas DuppaHumphrey Graves
22 December 1699William WhitmoreWilliam WallisThomas DuppaRobert Barkham
19 May 1700William WhitmoreRobert WallisThomas DuppaRobert Barkham
25 October 1701William WhitmoreCornelius TilburghThomas DuppaRobert Barkham

1702–1901
Date
9 July 1702John BonningRobert Hemmington--
26 March 1711John BonningRobert HemmingtonCornelius Tilburgh-
28 May 1715Joseph AshleyRobert HemmingtonCornelius Tilburgh-
3 February 1719James TrymmerRobert HemmingtonCornelius Tilburgh-
12 August 1719James TrymmerRobert HemmingtonCornelius TilburghEdward Parsons
25 November 1720James TrymmerRobert HemmingtonCornelius TilburghJohn Parsons
10 December 1728James TrymmerLangham EdwardsCornelius TilburghJohn Parsons
11 May 1729James TrymmerWentworth OdiarneCornelius TilburghJohn Parsons
2 June 1740James TrymmerWentworth OdiarneCharles CollinsJohn Parsons
7 June 1745James TrymmerWentworth OdiarneCharles CollinsEdward Capell
24 February 1750James TrymmerWentworth OdiarneCharles Husband CollinsEdward Capell
3 June 1762James TrymmerStrelley PeggeCharles Husband CollinsEdward Capell
8 October 1762Samuel PeggeStrelley PeggeCharles Husband CollinsEdward Capell
5 July 1774Samuel PeggeStrelley PeggeJohn LarpentEdward Capell
6 July 1774Samuel PeggeThomas CollinsJohn LarpentEdward Capell
24 October 1778Samuel PeggeThomas CollinsWilliam FordyceEdward Capell
24 February 1781Samuel PeggeThomas CollinsWilliam FordyceJames Trail
18 November 1781Samuel PeggeJames HawkinsWilliam FordyceJames Trail
7 March 1785Samuel PeggeJames HawkinsHale Young WorthamJames Trail
March 1788Samuel PeggeJames HawkinsRichard ByronJames Trail
5 February 1794Samuel PeggeJames HawkinsEdmund ArmstrongJames Trail
19 October 1797Samuel PeggeJames HawkinsRobert ChesterJames Trail
29 July 1798Samuel PeggeJames HawkinsJames MellerJames Trail
1799Samuel PeggeJames WhitshedJames MellerJames Trail
23 May 1800John HunterJames WhitshedJames MellerJames Trail
18 May 1802John HunterWilliam Chapman FowleJames MellerJames Trail
19 August 1808John HunterWilliam Chapman FowleJames MellerFrederick Chapman
3 June 1812William Fenton ScottWilliam Chapman FowleJames MellerFrederick Chapman
6 July 1814Robert PowellWilliam Chapman FowleJames MellerFrederick Chapman
12 August 1818Robert PowellWilliam Chapman FowleWilliam BeresfordFrederick Chapman
12 December 1823Robert PowellWilliam Chapman FowleWilliam BeresfordCharles Dashwood
21 April 1832Robert PowellWilliam Chapman FowleWilliam BeresfordCourtenay Edmund William Boyle
23 April 1833Thomas ShiffnerWilliam Chapman FowleWilliam BeresfordCourtenay Edmund William Boyle
6 May 1836Arthur Johnstone BlackwoodWilliam Chapman FowleWilliam BeresfordCourtenay Edmund William Boyle
1 November 1839Arthur Johnstone BlackwoodStewart Henry PagetWilliam BeresfordCourtenay Edmund William Boyle
24 February 1840Arthur Johnstone BlackwoodThomas Noel HarrisWilliam BeresfordCourtenay Edmund William Boyle
1 March 1852Arthur Johnstone BlackwoodThomas Noel HarrisMortimer Sackville-WestCourtenay Edmund William Boyle
13 July 1852Arthur Johnstone BlackwoodThomas Noel HarrisSamuel RandallCourtenay Edmund William Boyle
16 February 1859Arthur Johnstone BlackwoodThomas Noel HarrisSamuel RandallJohn Home Purves
31 March 1860Arthur Johnstone BlackwoodJohn Francis Campbell, of IslaySamuel RandallJohn Home Purves
2 October 1862Arthur Johnstone BlackwoodJohn Francis Campbell, of IslayEdward Stopford ClaremontJohn Home Purves
3 July 1867Arthur Johnstone BlackwoodJohn Francis Campbell, of IslayEdward Stopford ClaremontRoden Berkeley Wriothesley Noel
14 January 1871Arthur Johnstone BlackwoodJohn Francis Campbell, of IslayEdward Stopford ClaremontCharles George Cornwallis Eliot
8 January 1874James BonteinJohn Francis Campbell, of IslayEdward Stopford ClaremontCharles George Cornwallis Eliot
16 February 1874James BonteinNathaniel George PhilipsEdward Stopford ClaremontCharles George Cornwallis Eliot
24 October 1884Arnold RoyleNathaniel George PhilipsEdward Stopford ClaremontCharles George Cornwallis Eliot
25 July 1890Arnold RoyleNathaniel George PhilipsMalcolm Drummond, of MegginchCharles George Cornwallis Eliot
1 October 1893Arnold RoyleNathaniel George PhilipsOtway Frederick Seymour CuffeCharles George Cornwallis Eliot
14 November 1899Arnold RoyleNathaniel George PhilipsOtway Frederick Seymour CuffeSir Francis Knollys