Royal Household Staff 1526-1924
Search over 386,000 Royal Household employment records and discover whether your ancestors worked for the British Royal Family. The records cover staff employed at Royal residences across the UK between 1526-1924. This date range includes the reigns of King Charles I, Queen Victoria and King George V.
See description
Search over 386,000 Royal Household employment records and discover whether your ancestors worked for the British Royal Family. The records cover staff employed at Royal residences across the UK between 1526-1924. This date range includes the reigns of King Charles I, Queen Victoria and King George V.
Learn about these records
This collection includes a number of different types of document, so you may find that your ancestors appear more than once. The information listed varies, but the records usually include a combination of the following details:
- Name
- Age
- Occupation
- Dates of employment
- Salary or wages
- Pension or other payments made to the employee
- Career history
- Date of death
You may also find your ancestor's signature, information about their WW1 service or the reason their employment ended.
Search over 386,000 Royal Household employment records and discover whether your ancestors worked for the British Royal Family.
The records cover staff employed at Royal residences across the UK between 1526-1924. This date range includes the reigns of King Charles I, Queen Victoria and King George V.
What do the records look like?
Each record includes an image, or multiple images, of original documents held at the Royal Archives.
Which staff records are included?
The records fall into three main sections: Royal Household establishment lists, Royal Household index sheets and Royal Household payment and employment lists. Between them they contain extensive, but not complete, lists of Royal Household employees back to the 16th century.
- Royal Household establishment lists
- Royal Household Establishment Lists 1854-1924 (Royal Archives reference PERSO/EB)
- Royal Household Establishment Books 1526-1920 (Royal Archives reference EB/EB)
- Establishment Lists for Lord Chamberlain's Department 1837-1924 (Royal Archives reference LC/LCO/EB)
- Establishment Lists for Master of the Household's Department 1835-1924
(Royal Archives reference MRH/MRH/EB)
- Establishment Lists for the Royal Mews 1717-1924 (Royal Archives reference MEWS/EB)
- Royal Household index sheets
- Royal Household Index 1660-1901 (Royal Archives reference GB)
These index sheets relate to Royal employees and tradespersons. They have been compiled from records held at the Royal Archives and The National Archives, plus various printed sources.
- Royal Household payment and employment lists
- Lists of Pensions and Allowances 1814-1924
(multiple Royal Archives references, including PPTO/PP/HH, PPTO/PP/PEN and PPTO/TO/CL)
- Lists of Salaries and Wages 1817-1924
(multiple Royal Archives references, including MEWS/SB, PPTO/PP/BAND and VIC/ADDA21)
- Royal Household Account Books 1730-1845
(multiple Royal Archives references, including GEO/ADD17, GEO/MAIN and VIC/ADDO)
- Royal Household Staff Details 1715-1924
(multiple Royal Archives references, including MRH/MRH/HH, MRH/SUPTWC and VIC/ADD/L)
- Royal Mews Warrant Books 1760-1867 (Royal Archives reference MEWS/WB)