Groom of the Stool

He also served as Groom of the Stool.

He was later appointed Groom of the Stool and continued to enjoy the King's favour.

His subsequent dissertation on the King's Groom of the Stool left little to the imagination.

These latter are evidence as to how the role of Groom of the Stool changed into one of a financial function.

From 1660 the office of first gentleman of the bedchamber was invariably combined with that of Groom of the Stool.

Catherine's sister, Lady Pembroke, also came and attended upon her as her chief lady and groom of the stool.

Nevertheless, every night Sir Thomas Heneage, Groom of the Stool came to her chamber to report on the King's well-being.

On Henry's accession in 1509, he was given the position of Groom of the Stool, the man who was in closest contact with the young king.

You old globalist bag, take your 'united' socialist, despot, stasi-police super state agenda and cram it, right where your 'groom of the stool' earns his keep.

The position of Groom of the Stool became an increasingly influential one, especially in King Henry's old age, when he required a great deal of physical assistance.

Hugh Denys was Groom of the Stool to King Henry VII, an important figure in the management of the royal and national finances.

Notoriously, his top servant was the Groom of the Stool, whose job was to attend the king upon the close-stool, the padded seat-less rest placed over the chamber pot.

In 1526 he replaced Sir William Compton in the post of Groom of the Stool and was in charge of the gentlemen of the King's Privy Chamber.

Hence the Groom of the Stool was the perfect candidate to control the operation, as a man of discretion, an intimate companion of the king, long in his confidence, probably without strong personal ambition, therefore trustworthy.

Further, "the mere word of the Gentleman of the Privy Chamber was sufficient evidence in itself of the king's will," and the Groom of the Stool bore "the indefinable charisma of the monarchy."

He was appointed Groom of the Stool to Edward VI, an appointment which effectually placed him in control of the King's privy purse, and 'was recognised as the leading figure in the royal entourage'.

The house was subsequently owned by two of Henry VIII's "grooms of the stool," powerful courtiers whose tasks ranged from the magnificent (overseeing the royal finances) to the menial (literally, wiping the king's bum).

In these offices held by Denys is evidence of the evolution of the role of the Groom of the Stool from an officer dealing with palace finance to one dealing with taxation matters and national finance.

Wolsey's opponents Sir William Compton, the Groom of the Stool, Sir Francis Bryan, Sir Nicholas Carew, and Thomas and George Boleyn, on the contrary, had to leave the court.

It was considered a great honour to be granted the position and because of the intimate and frequent access it gave to the king, though less than that of the Groom of the Stool, it could become a position of considerable influence.

For instance, a leading courtier, invariably a knight and member of the Privy Council (no pun intended), was given the great honour of being appointed 'groom of the stool', and was thus required to assist with his majesty's bowel movements.

The office developed gradually over decades and centuries into one of administration of the royal finances, and under Henry VII, the Groom of the Stool became a powerful official involved in setting national fiscal policy, under the "Chamber System."

By the Tudor age, the Groom of the Stool was a substantial figure like Hugh Denys (d.1511) who was a member of the Gloucestershire gentry, married to an aristocratic wife, and who died possessing at least four of his own manors.

He was a direct descendant of Sir Michael Stanhope, the Groom of the Stool of King Henry VIII, and 21st in direct line from King Edward I (and thus 28th from William the Conquerer).

Often, the gentlemen in the Privy Chamber were peers of Henry or figures of importance in the government, who shared their duties with the Groom of the Stool and the Chief Gentleman of the Chamber, with overall responsibility for all staff.