sb. Forms: 3–5 tresorye, 3–6 -orie, 4–5 -oury(e, 4–6 -ory, 5 -owrye, -owri, 7 -ury; 5 tresurry, -ie, tressurry; 5–6 thresory(e; 5–7 treasorie, 6 -ory, -urye, 6–7 -urie, 6– treasury. [ME. a. OF. tresorie (11th c. in Godef.), f. OF. tresor, TREASURE (after med.L. thesauria: see THESAURY) + -ie, -Y.]
1. A room or building in which precious or valuable objects are preserved, esp. a place or receptacle for money or valuables (now Hist.); transf. the funds or revenue of a state or of a public or private corporation.
c. 1290. Beket, 2151, in S. Eng. Leg., I. 168. Þis luþere kniȝtes wenden a-non to is tresorie.
c. 1380. Wyclif, Serm., Sel. Wks. II. 211. Jesus biheld how þe puple caste moneye into þis tresorie.
1464. Coventry Leet Bk., 327. Þe remembrances of sich libertes as perteyned to Cheylesmore weron yn the Tresory of the Duch[y] of Lancastre.
1560. Daus, trans. Sleidane’s Comm., 360. Mony … taken out of the common treasorie for the war.
1660. F. Brooke, trans. Le Blanc’s Trav., 221. Gold … of her own proper treasury, and not her husbands.
1780. Harris, Philol. Enq., Wks. (1841), 484. There was no more left in his treasury than forty-seven pieces of silver, and one of gold.
1840. Thackeray, Barber Cox, July. Lady de Sudley thought a fête at Beulah Spa … might bring a little money into its treasury.
1849. Rock, Ch. of Fathers, I. v. (1903), I. 287. In the treasury of the Cathedral at Aix-la-Chapelle there is a fine, whole, uncut chasuble.
2. fig. A repository of ‘treasures’; a thesaurus; a ‘treasure-house,’ ‘storehouse.’
c. 1384. Chaucer, H. Fame, II. 16. In the tresorye hyt shette Of my brayn.
1535. Coverdale, Job xxxviii. 22. Wentest thou euer in to the treasuries off the snowe, or hast thou sene ye secrete places of the hale?
1673. True Worship God, 61. The abundance of Divine Knowledg contained in the rich Treasury of Gods Word.
1772. Priestley, Inst. Relig. (1782), I. Ded. 6. Value the scriptures, as a treasury of divine knowledge.
1861. Palgrave (title), The Golden Treasury of English Songs.
1879. P. Brooks, Influence Jesus, iv. 209. Almost all men appropriate out of the great treasury of the language certain words which they make their own.
3. The department of state that controls the collection, management, and expenditure of the public revenue; spec. that of the United Kingdom; also that of the United States.
The office of Lord High Treasurer of Great Britain and Ireland is now discharged by a Treasury Board of Commissioners, the First Lord of the Treasury (who is usually, though not always, Prime Minister), the Chancellor of the Exchequer, and junior Lords not more that five in number, who act as party whips. The actual head of the department is the Chancellor of the Exchequer, who is assisted in his duties by the Financial Secretary in the House of Commons, and by the Permanent Secretary and his staff in the Treasury. The Patronage Secretary to the Treasury is the chief whip of the party in office.
All money raised by taxation or otherwise accruing to the Government is paid into the Consolidated Fund, the Exchequer account at the Bank of England. Money cannot be paid out of this account without requisitions and orders from the Treasury, authorized by votes of the House of Commons, and sanctioned by the Comptroller and Auditor General.
c. 1383. in Eng. Hist. Rev., Oct. (1911), 742. Neiþir prelatis neiþir preestis … shulden han seculer officis, þat is chauncerie, tresorie, priuy seal, & oþere siche seculer officis in þe chekir.
1642, 1711, 1739, 1893. [see LORD sb. 11].
1695. in Calr. Treas. Pap., I. Pref. 17. The King was graciously pleased to bestow on mee the place of Secretary to the Treasury.
1769. Junius Lett., xii. (1770), 58. With this precedent … every county in England, under the auspices of the treasury, may be represented as completely as the county of Middlesex.
1787. Constit. U.S., Art. i. § 9. No money shall be drawn from the Treasury, but in consequence of appropriations made by law.
1827. Hallam, Const. Hist. (1876), III. xv. 112. They saw Godolphin … still in the treasury.
1849. Macaulay, Hist. Eng., iii. I. 309. The lord treasurer … had eight thousand a year, and, when the treasury was in commission, the junior lords had sixteen hundred a year each.
1888. Bryce, Amer. Commw., I. xvii. (1889), I. 172. In the United States the Secretary of the Treasury sends annually to Congress a report containing a statement of the national income and expenditure.
1911. Maitland, Const. Hist., 499. Nothing whatever can be done which involves the expenditure of public money without the consent of the Treasury.
b. The building where the Treasury Commissioners transact business; formerly also Treasury Office.
1706. Phillips (ed. Kersey), Treasury,… also the Treasury-Office.
1815. Wraxall, Hist. Mem. (1904), 483. The daily Newspapers … represented Lord Shelburne … advancing under cover of the night, to blow up the Treasury.
1879. Whitaker’s Almanac, 302/2. Government Offices … Admiralty, Horse Guards, Treasury, War Office.
4. Theatrical slang. The weekly payment of a company of actors.
1885. Diary of Actress, 132. The engagement turned out as I feared, no money. They said Treasury would be at night, but there was nothing.
1885. J. K. Jerome, On the Stage, 159. On Saturday, we came to the theatre at twelve for treasury. The Captain was not there…. He would be back by the evening … and treasury would take place after the performance.
1892. Daily News, 8 Nov., 5/1. To judge him [Shakespeare] rightly we must never lose sight of the fact that he had to provide ‘treasury’ at the week’s end.
† 5. = TREASURE sb. 1. Obs.
1297. R. Glouc. (Rolls), 7832. He het dele ek poueremen Muche of is tresorie. Ibid., 8431. Þis cristinemen so wel astored nere Of armes ne of tresorie.
13[?]. [see TREASURE sb. 1].
c. 1440. Alphabet of Tales, 196. Þe bisshop askid hym if he had fon any tresurrie.
1593. Shaks., 2 Hen. VI., I. iii. 134. Thy sumptuous Buildings, and thy Wiues Attyre Haue cost a masse of publique Treasurie.
1609. Daniel, Civ. Wars, VIII. xlv. As he, who hauing found great Treasury.
1672. Cave, Prim. Chr., III. ii. (1673), 254. To impart the Treasuries of the Gospel.
6. attrib. and Comb., as treasury board, certificate, -chamber, -chest, -door, office, -vault; treasury-bench, the front bench on the right hand of the Speaker in the House of Commons, occupied by the Leader of the House (usually the first Lord of the Treasury), and other members of the Government; treasury-bill, an instrument of credit, usually drawn for 3 or 6 months, issued by authority of Parliament to the highest bidder, when money is temporarily needed by the Commissioners of the Treasury; treasury-bond, an exchequer bond; treasury chest fund, a banking account not exceeding £1,000,000 from which advances are made for the public service at distant stations, accounted for and repaid by the departments concerned; treasury department, in the U.S. government, the finance department under the Secretary of the Treasury; treasury lord, one of the commissioners of the Treasury; treasury letter or note, a ‘whip’ issued by the government to its supporters in parliament; treasury minute, an administrative regulation for any department under the Treasury; treasury note, U.S. a demand note issued by the Treasury Department, receivable as legal tender for all debts (see also treasury letter); treasury-warrant, a warrant or voucher issued by the Treasury for any sum disbursed by the exchequer.
1785. Rolliad (1790), 10. While on the *Treasury-Bench you, Pitt, recline.
1882. W. Cory, Mod. Eng. Hist., II. 482. The House of Commons [in 1835] did not show any wish to make the Prime Minister sit on its own Treasury Bench.
1797. Hist. Europe, in Ann. Reg., 198/1. If the advances on *treasury bills had been paid off when required.
1912. Standard, 20 Sept., 7/4. The offering by rival quarters of lines of Treasury bills cannot be helpful to Chinese credit.
1855. London as it is to-day, vii. The *Treasury Board holds its meetings here.
1858. Simmonds, Dict. Trade, *Treasury bond, a species of exchequer-bill.
1791. Ann. Congress (1849), III. 1071. *Treasury certificates issued in exchange for loan office settlement certificates.
1852. Grote, Greece, II. lxxviii. X. 265. Thebes was commemorating her recent victory by the erection of a *treasury-chamber, and the dedication of pious offerings at Delphi.
1877. Act 40 & 41 Vict., c. 45 § 3. An account … showing the receipts and payments of the *Treasury Chest Fund, distinguishing those of the several Treasury chests. Ibid. The Treasury may employ the Treasury Chest Fund to make temporary advances for any public service … to be repaid out of money appropriated by Parliament to such service.
1896. Westm. Gaz., 11 June, 5/2. There was not a precedent for paying the expense of military expedition out of the Treasury chest without such expedition having previously been sanctioned by Parliament.
1878. T. L. Cuyler, Pointed Papers, 54. A plain, coarsely-clad man … is seated in the *treasury-court of the Temple at Jerusalem.
1784. Jrnls. Congress, 7 May. To revise the institution of the *treasury department.
1789. Ann. Congress, 19 May (1834), I. 385. Mr. Madison moved … that there shall be a Treasury Department.
1892. A. B. Hart, Form. of Union, 144. In establishing the Treasury Department a strong effort was made to create a Secretary of the Treasury as an agent of Congress.
1663. Bp. Hopkins, Serm. Vanity (1685), 87. A seal set upon the *Treasury-door which none can break or violate.
1866. Felton, Anc. & Mod. Gr., II. II. iii. 298. He became a receiver of the public revenues, and acquired the name of *treasury-eater.
1778. H. Walpole, Last Jrnls., II. 299. Not content with the usual *Treasury letters, Lord North issued a second batch, signed by himself, earnestly pressing attendance.
1812. Act of Congress, 20 June. *Treasury notes shall be every where received in payment of all duties and taxes laid by the authority of the United States.
1815. Deb. in Congress, 8 Dec. (1854), 1626. Having thus absorbed a portion of the Treasury note debt … the Secretary of the Treasury proceeded to assign funds for the payment of the Treasury notes.
1899. Westm. Gaz., 24 Jan., 2/3. ‘Treasury Notes’ are recognised by the student of our political history as the earliest form of Parliamentary ‘Whips.’
1903. Porritt, Unref. Ho. Comm., I. xxv. 509. The circulars issued by the administration to its supporters became known as treasury notes in the reign of George III.
1812. Sporting Mag., XXXIX. 177. The danger I should be exposed to … if I disclosed their instructions, or the *Treasury-Orders.
1661. Wood, Life, 1 April (O.H.S.), I. 389. They conveyed themselves thro the cellar dore next to the *treasury-vault, locked it, and one of them put the key into his pocket.
1834. Macaulay, Ess., Thackeray’s Hist. Chatham (1887), 319. Legge, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, refused to sign the *Treasury warrants which were necessary to give effect to the treaties.
1863. H. Cox, Instit., III. vii. 681. The Treasury warrant authorized the drawing an order upon the Tellers of the Exchequer.
Hence Treasury v. (nonce-wd.), in pass. to be honoured by the Treasury.
1855. Dickens, Dorrit, xxxiii. He was … Treasuried, Barred and Bishoped, as much as he would.
