Gentleman Usher

Gentleman Usher

Gentleman Usher is a title for some officers of the Royal Household of the United Kingdom. See List of Gentlemen Ushers for a list of office-holders.

Gentlemen Ushers as servants

Historical

Gentlemen Ushers were originally a class of servants found not only in the Royal Household, but in lesser establishments as well. They were regularly found in the households of Tudor noblemen, and were prescribed by Richard Brathwait, in his "Household of an Earle", as one of the "officers and Servants the state of an Earle requireth to have". The Gentlemen Ushers occupied a level intermediate between the steward, the usual head, and the ordinary servants; they were responsible for overseeing the work of the servants "above stairs", particularly those who cooked and waited upon the nobleman at meals, and saw to it the great chamber was kept clean by the lesser servants. He was also responsible for overseeing other miscellaneous service, such as the care of the nobleman's chapel and bed-chambers. It was traditionally the gentleman usher who swore in new members of the nobleman's service.cite book | last=Jones | first=Paul V.B | title=The Household of a Tudor Nobleman | year=1918 | url=http://books.google.com/books?id=hgMTAAAAIAAJ | accessdate=2007-08-04]

The duties of a gentleman usher, not unlike those of a contemporary butler, made him quite important in Tudor and 17th century households. George Chapman's play "The Gentleman Usher" has as its title character the pompous but easily fooled Bassiolo, Gentleman Usher to Lord Lasso.

The Gentlemen Ushers of the Royal Household, in order of precedence, were originally the four Gentlemen Ushers of the Privy Chamber (who attended the Sovereign in the Privy Chamber), the four Gentlemen Ushers Daily Waiters, and the eight Gentlemen Ushers Quarter(ly) Waiters. The latter two originally served different terms of service, but the distinction later became only nominal, as the role of the Gentlemen Ushers became increasingly ceremonial and they exercised less supervision over the staff. In 1901, King Edward VII abolished the three classes and began to appoint simply Gentlemen Ushers in Ordinary.

Contemporary

Gentlemen Ushers to The Queen are generally appointed from retired military, naval and air force officers (and occasionally civilians) for irregular and infrequent attendance at royal events. They are used for Garden Parties, and Investitures, where they act as ushers. Ushers, who are unpaid, retire at 70, when they may become Extra Gentlemen Ushers.

Particular Gentlemen Ushers

Certain Gentlemen Ushers have duties outside of the Royal Household, usually attached either as officers of an order of knighthood or to a House of Parliament. These are, in order of antiquity:

*The Gentleman Usher of the Black Rod, established c.1361 as an officer of the Order of the Garter, who also serves as secretary to the Lord Great Chamberlain and Doorkeeper and (since 1971) Serjeant-at-Arms of the House of Lords. During the Tudor period, he was usually one of the senior members of the Royal Household, such as the Groom of the Stool; from the Restoration until 1765, Black Rod was the senior of the existing Gentleman Usher Daily Waiter, after which a new Daily Waiter was appointed to succeed the previous Black Rod. The present Black Rod is Lieutenant General Sir Michael Willcocks.
*The Gentleman Usher of the White Rod, established as a hereditary dignity c.1373, who attended the Parliament of Scotland before its abolition in 1707. The heritable office was pronounced to be adjudgeable in 1758, and has been bought and sold several times since then. The position was revived to some degree in connection with the Parliament of Great Britain, and is now held by the Walker Trustees. [cite journal | year=1897 | month=April | title=The Usher of the White Rod | journal=The Scottish Antiquary, Or, Northern Notes & Queries | volume=XI | issue=44 |pages=158–170 |id= |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=hmDcuAnRpiwC |accessdate= 2007-08-04]
* The Gentleman Usher of the Green Rod, established 1714, is the usher for the Scottish Order of the Thistle, currently Rear Admiral Christopher Hope Layman.
* The Irish Gentleman Usher of the Black Rod, established 1783, is the usher for the Irish Order of St Patrick; there have been no appointees to the office since 1933.
* The Gentleman Usher of the Scarlet Rod, established in 1725, is the usher for the British Order of the Bath. The present Scarlet Rod is Rear Admiral Iain Henderson.
* The Gentleman Usher to the Sword of State, established c.1842, is the usher who bears the Sword of State in ceremonial processions, currently Sir Michael Henry Gordon Layard.
* The Gentleman Usher of the Blue Rod, established as 1882 as an "Officer of Arms" and made an usher in 1911, is the usher for the British Order of St Michael and St George, currently Sir John William Denys Margetson.
* The Gentleman Usher of the Purple Rod, established in 1918, is the usher for the Order of the British Empire, currently Sir Alexander Michael Graham.

Gentlemen Ushers in the Black Rod also exist for New Zealand, Australia and its states, and Canada and its provinces.

References


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Look at other dictionaries:

  • gentleman usher — noun (pl gentlemen ushers) A gentleman who serves as an usher at court, or as an attendant on a person of rank • • • Main Entry: ↑gentleman * * * gentleman usher, a gentleman employed as an usher at court or an attendant upon a person of rank …   Useful english dictionary

  • Gentleman usher — Gentleman Gen tle*man, n.; pl. {Gentlemen}. [OE. gentilman nobleman; gentil noble + man man; cf. F. gentilhomme.] [1913 Webster] 1. A man well born; one of good family; one above the condition of a yeoman. [1913 Webster] 2. One of gentle or… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Gentleman usher of the black rod — Gentleman Gen tle*man, n.; pl. {Gentlemen}. [OE. gentilman nobleman; gentil noble + man man; cf. F. gentilhomme.] [1913 Webster] 1. A man well born; one of good family; one above the condition of a yeoman. [1913 Webster] 2. One of gentle or… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Gentleman Usher of the Black Rod — Gentleman Usher of the Black Rod, allgemein einfach als Black Rod bezeichnet, ist der Titel eines ranghohen Beamten in einer Anzahl von Parlamenten in Großbritannien und weiteren Commonwealth Staaten. Auf Deutsch kann der Titel in etwa mit… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Gentleman Usher of the Black Rod — See Parliament. Collins dictionary of law. W. J. Stewart. 2001 …   Law dictionary

  • Gentleman Usher to the Sword of State — The Gentleman Usher to the Sword of State is an officer of the British Royal Household. He is responsible for bearing the Sword of State before the monarch on ceremonial occasions. However, the Gentleman Usher was removed from the procession at… …   Wikipedia

  • Gentleman Usher of the Green Rod — The Gentleman Usher of the Green Rod is the Gentleman Usher to the Order of the Thistle, established in 1687. Office Holders from 1714 *1714–1761 Sir Thomas Brand *1762–1787 Robert Quarme *1787–1800 Matthew Robert Arnott *1800–1842 Robert Quarme… …   Wikipedia

  • Gentleman Usher of the Purple Rod — The Gentleman Usher of the Purple Rod is the Usher to the Order of the British Empire, established in 1917 and effective since 1918. Office Holders from 1918*1918 – 23 August 1952: Sir Frederic Kenyon *30 September 1952 – 2 December 1960: Sir… …   Wikipedia

  • Gentleman Usher of the Scarlet Rod — The Gentleman Usher of the Scarlet Rod is the Gentleman Usher to the Order of the Bath, established in 1725. Office Holders from 1725*1725 – ?: Edmund Sawyer *bef. 1763 – aft. 1789: Henry Hill *bef. 1806 – 2 July 1814: Sir Isaac Heard *2 July… …   Wikipedia

  • Gentleman Usher of the Blue Rod — The Gentleman Usher of the Blue Rod is the Gentleman Usher to the Order of St Michael and St George, established in 1818.The office was simply designated as that of Officer of Arms to the Order from the first appointment in 1882 until 1911, when… …   Wikipedia

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