An interesting portrayal of the household of Charles I on the eve of the Civil War:
“… it comprised as much as 1800 people. Some of these were given bed and board, others received what was called ‘bourge of court’, which included bread, ale, firewood and candles. The court also suppored hordes of nobles, princes, ambassadors and other state visitors, who all resided in it with their households, such as Henrietta’s mother Marie de Medici, and her entourage…. Supporting the household accounted for more than 40% of royal expenditure. …
The queen had her own household, which included a full kitchen staff, a keeper of the sweet coffers [probably a popular job, I’d suggest!] a laundress and a starcher, and a seamstress. There were over 180, not including the stables staff.”
From The English Civil War: A People’s History by Diane Purkiss, HarperPress, 2006.
What strikes me about this is just how chaotic everyday life must have been in such circumstances. A nightmare should you have been responsible for “security”, as we’d now call it. Sure access to the royal inner chambers would have been tightly controlled, but when the king or queen wanted to go hunting, or otherwise “out” they’d have had to pass through these outer throngs.
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