Clerk of the Cheque and Adjutant

The Officer below the rank of Lieutenant is the Clerk of the Cheque and Adjutant, although until 1 Aug 1927 it was the appointment of Ensign that was the rank after Lieutenant. His Majesty King George V commanded that the rank of Clerk of the Cheque, being of greater authority than that of Ensign, became senior to it. Clerk of the Cheque is the oldest paid officer in the Corps and the post is extremely ancient. Long before the formation of The Guard the office of Clerk of the Cheque was usual in the royal households and also in the establishments of the highest of the nobility. His duty was to keep the checkroll or “checker-roll”, which was a book containing the names of the household servants. In an old dictionary he is described as “an officer who has the check and controlment of the Yeomen of the Guard and all the Ushers belonging to the Royal family”. He never was the paymaster of the Corps and had nothing do with “cheques” in the modern meaning of that word. He was and is to all interest and purpose the Adjutant and secretary of the Guard, residing in the Palace, keeping the Order Book, attending all parades, and preparing the quarterly statements. It was customary at coronations to knight the Clerk of the Cheque. Sir Francis Clarke, who filled the office in 1712, was knighted on the coronation of George I, on 20 October, 1714. Several subsequent Clerks of the Cheque were also similarly honoured, but Coles Child, who held the appointment in the reigns of George III, and George IV, was several times offered the distinction, but, on account of his retiring habits he could not be prevailed upon to accept it.

The silver-topped ebony baton was not carried by the Clerk of the Cheque till 1787, when one was given to Francis Barker Esq, of the Exons, on his promotion, by order dated 5 July 1787. The present regulations require that before appointment the Clerk of the Cheque must have held a commission as a lieutenant-colonel or major in the regular army or in the marines or Indian army. Until Charles II, re-organised the Guard in 1660, the salary of the Clerk of the Cheque was 2s 6d per day, with fees, residence, and table-money.

Edited from The King's Body Guard 1485 - 1904 (by Col Sir Reginald Hennell Kt, DSO)
and compared with Dalton's "List of Officers of Army, 1600 and Upwards".

1	1513	Bernard Gréte	Referred to as "Late Clerk of the Cheque at Tournai" where the Guard formed the garrison 12 Aug 1520.
2	1532	Griffith Reede	Oct 1532.
3	1533	Robert Dellwood	Grant Oct 1533. Died 23 Oct 1540.
4	1540	John Piers	---
5	1558	Robert Percy Esq	Clerk of the Cheque at Elizabeth I accession.
6	1594	Edward Wingate	Warrant for uniform 22 Aug 1594.
7	1595	Robert Seale Esq	Warrant for uniform July 1595.
8	1597	Edward Wingate Esq	Warrant for uniform Aug 1597.
9	1603	Robert Seale Esq	Warrants for uniforms.
10	1609	Thomas Elston	Sep 1609. Warrant for uniform.
11	1617	Robert Cocke Esq	Knighted between 1618-25.
12	1660	Thomas Edwards Esq	Mentioned in warrant
13	1660	Richard Smith Esq	Warrants for uniforms in 1660, 1669 and 1678.
14	1680	John Charles Villiers Esq	Sworn 6 May 1680. Thomas Colman, his deputy (first mention of a deputy). Warrant to swear in John Villiers as Clerk of the Cheque 12 Apr 1689 but as next warrant reverts to Charles, there is evidently a mistake or he has two christian names, John Charles.
15	1690	Samuel Clerk Esq	Warrant of appointment 2 Jul 1690 vice Villiers.
16	1691	Richard Morton Esq	Warrant of appointment 3 May 1691 vice Samuel Clerk.
17	1702	Charles Hanbury Esq	Sworn in 8 Jan 1702.
18	1708	Charles Hanbury Esq Jnr	Sworn in 3 Feb 1708 vice Charles Hanbury.
19	1712	Francis Clarke Esq	Sworn 20 Jan 1712 vice Charles Hanbury Jnr. Knighted and re-sworn 11 Oct 1714 at Coronation of George I.
20	1715	William Wood Esq	Sworn in 17 Feb 1715 vice Clarke.
21	1722	Edward Stanley Esq	Sworn in 31 Jan 1722 vice Wood.
22	1738	Savile Cust Esq	Sworn in 23 Jun 1738 vice Edward Stanley.
23	1747	Savile Cockayne Cust	Mentioned from 1747-59, also in 1762. Held Ensigncy in 1746.
24	**	Francis Dawes Esq	Deputy Clerk of the Cheque to Cust.
25	1772	Hugh Boscawen Esq	Sworn in 7 Feb 1772.
26	1776	Thomas Gregg Esq	Sworn in 26 Jul 1776.
27	1787	Francis Baker Esq	Sworn in 5 Jul 1787.
28	1799	Coles Child Esq	Sworn in 16 Jul 1799.
29	1815	John Allen Esq	Sworn in 23 May 1815.
30	1826	RF Fitzherbert Esq	Sworn in 16 Aug 1826.
31	1831	Robert Fielding Esq	Mentioned at the Coronation of William IV in 1831.
32	1835	Jonathan Ellenthorpe Esq	Sworn in 15 Dec 1835. Died as Clerk of the Cheque 3 Feb 1847.
33	1847	Lt Col Jno Fitzmaurice	Sworn in 22 Apr 1847. Major unattached. Thomas Davis was Deputy at the 1859 Muster (from the 1881 census)
34	1862	Lt Col W Griffen Sutton	Sworn in 9 Jan 1862.
35	1884	Lt Col Francis Baring	Sworn in 27 Nov 1884. Late Scots Fusilier Guards.
36	1895	Col Reginald Hennell DSO	Sworn 22 Apr 1895 vice Baring. Promoted Lieutenant 11 Nov 1901. Awarded CVO 1910. Knighted 1911. Awarded OBE 1919.
37	1901	Maj Edmund Halbert Elliot MVO	Sworn in 14 Dec 1901 vice Col Reginald Hennell DSO. Royal Artillery. Awarded MVO 15 Jul 1907. Promoted Ensign 28 Feb 1908. Knighted 1911.
38	1908	Capt Houston French	Late 2 Life Guards. Awarded MVO 1911. Awarded CVO 1920. Promoted to Lieutenant 28 Jul 1925. Knighted 3 Jul 1926. Died 11 Jun 1932.
39	1925	Brig John Cecil Wray MVO	Promoted from 28 Jul 1925. CVO confirmed 3 Jun 1927. Resigned Feb 1937.
40	1937	Brig Robert Chaine Alexander McCalmont CVO DSO	Promoted to Clerk of the Cheque & Adjutant Feb 1937. Awarded CVO May 1937 (Coronation). Promoted Lieutenant 31 Aug 1945.
41	1945	Maj Hon Edwin Alfred Cecil Weld-Forester	Late The Rifle Brigade.
42	1950	Lt Col Ralph Charles Bingham	Appointed Exon 1937. Former Coldstream Guards. Retired 1955. Died Jan 1977.
43	1955	Lt Col Victor Buller Turner VC	Promoted Clerk of the Cheque & Adjutant 1955. Awarded VC in Western Desert following heroic action 1942.
44	1967	Lt Col JD Horming OBE MC	Promoted Clerk of the Cheque & Adjutant 1967. Promoted Lieutenant 10 Mar 1971 vice Brigadier Carr. Died 1978.
45	1971	Col Hugh T Brassey OBE MC	Appointed 10 Mar 1971. See link.
46	1979	Col Alan Brooke Pemberton MBE	Promoted Clerk of the Cheque & Adjutant 1 Apr 1979. Appointed Lieutenant 5 Oct 1985 vice Col Brassey. Died 1 Apr 2010.
47	1985	Maj Bruce Middleton Hope Shand MC and Bar	Promoted Clerk of the Cheque & Adjutant vice Col Pemberton 5 Oct 1985. Died 11 Jun 2006.
48	1987	Col Greville Wyndham Tufnell	Promoted Clerk of the Cheque & Adjutant vice Maj Bruce Shand mc 22 Jan 1987. Promoted Lieutenant vice Col Alan Pemberton cvo mbe 11 Sep 1993. Relinquished appointment 7 Apr 2002.
49	1993	Col Shaun Longsdon	Promoted Clerk of the Cheque & Adjutant vice Colonel Tufnell 11 Sep 1993. Promoted Lieutenant vice Col Tufnell 8 Apr 2002. Retired 4 Dec 2006.
50	2002	Maj Charles Marriott	Promoted Clerk of the Cheque & Adjutant vice Col Longsdon 9 Apr 2002. Retired 4 Feb 2006.
51	2006	Maj Charles Samuel Enderby	Promoted Clerk of the Cheque & Adjutant vice Maj Marriott 5 Feb 2006. Promoted Lieutenant vice Col Longsdon 5 Dec 2006. Relinquished appointment 18 Sep 2009. Awarded LVO 2010.
52	2007	Maj Michael Thomas (Tom) Noel Hamilton Wills	Promoted Clerk of the Cheque & Adjutant vice Maj Enderby 6 Dec 2006. Promoted Lieutenant vice Maj Enderby 19 Sep 2009.
53	2009	Lt Col William John (Johnny) Hodsoll Moss MBE	Promoted Clerk of the Cheque & Adjutant vice Maj Tom Wills 20 Sep 2009.
54	2011	Brigadier David Innes OBE	Promoted Clerk of the Cheque & Adjutant vice Lt Col Johnny Moss MBE 2011.
55	2013	Col Michael Kingscote	Promoted Clerk of the Cheque & Adjutant vice Brig David Innes OBE 4 Jan 13.

Send mail to qbg@hotmail.co.uk with questions or comments about this web site. Copyright © 2008 The Yeomen of the Queen's Body Guard of the Yeomen of the Guard Last modified: Thursday, 08 December 2011 11:15

Send mail to qbg@hotmail.co.uk with questions or comments about this web site.
Copyright © 2008 The Yeomen of the Queen's Body Guard of the Yeomen of the Guard
Last modified: Thursday, 08 December 2011 11:15