ABSTRACT
The privy chamber originated under Henry VII. Its staff initially came under the control of the groom of the stool, but its structure evolved under Henry VIII. The accounts from Henry VIII's reign suggest that the king's fool was provided with clothing rather than having to supply his own. Throughout his reign Henry VIII provided livery for a group of minstrels playing for his entertainment. The household below stairs, or domus providencie, was expected to manage its resources carefully and care for the king's needs, while very little provision was made for livery because the staff were rarely seen outside the areas where they worked. The household above stairs or the domus magnificencie, as its name suggests, was intended to reflect the king's own magnificence and to impress all that saw it. The provisions for religion in the royal household embraced a diversity of areas ranging from maintenance of the chapel royal to almsgiving.
