The appointment has its origin in the household reforms of 1539-40; it is under the (now purely nominal) supervision of the Lord Steward.

Historically, the Master of the Household was a member of the Lord Steward's Department, and sat on the Board of Green Cloth.

[citation needed] The office is not named in the Black Book of Edward IV or in the Statutes of Henry VIII but is entered as Master of the Household and one of the clerks of the Green Cloth in the Household Book of Queen Elizabeth.

In 1782, when a number of household sinecures were abolished, the Master of the Household was given renewed responsibility for the management of the Lord Steward's Department; and under further reforms overseen by Prince Albert he was given charge of the entire domestic establishment.

The Master of the Household chaired the Board of Green Cloth up until the time of its abolition in the early 21st century.