RICHARD STONLEY, TELLER OF THE EXCHEQUER

Papers relating to Stonley's office as one of the Tellers of the Exchequer, an office which he held 1554-1598; and in particular to the debt to the Crown incurred by him during his term of office. Many of the documents relate to the sale of Stonley's lands and his assignment to the Crown of monies owed to him, in order to meet that debt.

Assignment of third party debts to the Crown in order to discharge the Crown debtor was a normal part of administrative procedure, of which the King's Remembrancer had oversight and archival custody. In 1597 a commission was appointed to investigate Stonley's financial affairs, although he was assigning bonds to the Queen at least as early as 1586. Stonley's was not the first defalcation by a teller, although it was made more complex both by the large proportion of revenue monies which were channelled through his hands, and by some of the informal methods of accounting and warranty in which he was encouraged by the treasurer, the Marquis of Winchester. Moreover some of his receipts, at least, were put to improper uses for his own benefit.