The civic chamberlain of London (effectively the corporation's Treasurer) should not be confused with the "King's chamberlain of London" (effectively a royal
victualler). Originally responsible for collection and distribution of revenues within the city and nominally appointed by
the Crown, the office-holder's term traditionally began on
Midsummer Day and cannot be removed "unless some great cause of complaint appear against him". The chamberlain was responsible for the Chamber of London, the place where various monies of the city were received and stored. The monies were referred to as the
City's Cash although there were other funds such as the
City Bridge Fund, administered by the
Chief Commoner, and later the
City Fund, a fund created to handle the
rates. In 1590, the right of the chamberlain to levy local taxes on goods sold within the city was upheld in
The Chamberlain of London’s Case as a valid regulatory measure. The longest-serving chamberlain is
Benjamin Scott (1858–1892), closely followed by
Richard Clark (1798–1831) and
Sir Adrian Pollock (1912–1943), all of whom exceeded tenures of thirty years and died in office. ==Functions==