 Early in the reign of Henry III the Wardrobe emerged out of the fragmentation of the "Curia Regis" to become the chief administrative and accounting department of the Household.The Wardrobe received regular block grants from the Exchequer for much of its history; in addition, however, the wardrobe treasure of gold and jewels enabled the king to make secret and rapid payments to fund his diplomatic and military operations, and for a time, in the 13th-14th centuries, it eclipsed the Exchequer as the chief spending department of central government.There were in fact two main Wardrobes for much of this period