COLONEL FRANCIS NEGUS, THIRTY-SIXTH MASTER. 289 



or whence he came." On December 24, 1715, he was ap- 

 pointed, jointly with Coyners Darcy, Commissioner for 

 executing the office of Master of the Horse, with a salary of 

 800^. a year during His Majesty's pleasure. Those gentlemen 

 jointly held this office (the profits of which went to the 

 Duchess of Kendal during the reign of George I.) until 

 March 25, 1717. Colonel Negus was appointed sole com- 

 missioner for executing the same office — which he continued 

 to fill until March 27, 1727 — by another patent, according to 

 which his salary was to be paid quarterly out of the Treasury, 

 from June 10, 1716, at the rate of 800/. per annum, " in lieu 

 of all perquisites, etc., relating to the said office." It seems 

 that this carried with it the post of Avenor and Clerk Mar- 

 shal to the King. The duties Colonel Negus had to perform 

 in his capacity of Commissioner of the office of Master of the 

 Horse were very onerous, and embraced a wide field of action.* 

 To enter upon this subject would involve writing the history 

 of the Ro3^al Stud for the time being, a labour we respect- 

 fully decline to undertake. Colonel Negus was also Ranger of 

 Bagshot Rails and Sandhurst Walks, and Lieutenant and 

 Deputy Warden of Windsor Forest. He had a suite of apart- 

 ments in Hampton Court Palace ; and on the accession of 

 George II. he relinquished his commissionership upon the 

 appointment of the Earl of Scarborough to the long-vacant 

 office of Master of the Horse. 



We have not been able to find the warrant or the Royal 



* The following items are taken from one membrane of Roll 30 : " William 

 Nelson Sturgeon for setting the leg of Thomas Phipps one of H.M. huntsmen, 

 lOl. 10s. To a person to teach several huntsmen to sound the French horn 71. 6s. 

 John Harris for 10 brass French horns and mending two others for H.M. hunts- 

 men, 261. I6s. Wm. Lowen, senior, H.M. chief huntsman as H.M. free gift 

 when he was at Cranborne on Holy Rood Day, 1717, 53Z. los. Jax Vander- 

 warden, falconer, for wages, etc., 103^. 9*. 6^. 8 couple of buckhounds given to 

 the Duke of Lorraine's Envoy, 15 couple of staghounds sent to Zell (cost 

 5 guineas a couple), 5 staghounds a present to the King of Sweden, 20 dogs 

 for the Emperor of Germany, 2 boar dogs and 2 bitches for the Emperor of 

 Morocco, feeding the wild turkeys in Bushy Park, turning down pheasants 

 in Windsor Park, distributing King's Plates at race meetings," etc., etc. He 

 had to superintend the Royal Menagerie in Hyde Park paddock where the 

 King's tiger was fed every day with six lbs. of boiled beef and mutton. 



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