Political head of the Royal Navy (1628–1964)
First Lord of the Admiralty ,[ 1] Office of the First Lord of the Admiralty ,[ 2] Royal Navy . He was the government's senior adviser on all naval affairs, responsible for the direction and control of theAdmiralty , and also of general administration of the Naval Service of theKingdom of England ,Great Britain in the 18th century, and then the United Kingdom, including the Royal Navy, theRoyal Marines , and other services. It was one of the earliest known permanent government posts. Apart from being the political head of the Naval Service the post holder was simultaneously the pre-eminent member of theBoard of Admiralty . The office of First Lord of the Admiralty existed from 1628 until it was abolished when the Admiralty,Air Ministry ,Ministry of Defence andWar Office were all merged to form the newMinistry of Defence in 1964. Its modern-day equivalent is theSecretary of State for Defence .
In 1628, during the reign ofCharles I ,George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham , Lord High Admiral of England, was assassinated and the office was placed in commission, under the control of a Board of Commissioners.
The first such First Lord of the Admiralty wasRichard Weston, 1st Earl of Portland , who was appointed in 1628. The First Lord was not always a permanent member of the board until theAdmiralty Department was established as an officialgovernment department in 1709[ 3] Office of the Admiralty and Marine Affairs .[ 4]
After theGlorious Revolution , during the reign ofWilliam andMary ,Parliament passed theAdmiralty Act 1690 (2 Will. & Mar. Sess. 2 . c. 2), vesting in the commissioners the powers formerly held by the Lord High Admiral of England.[ 5] Cabinet position.
The Admiralty Commission was dissolved in 1701, but was reconstituted in 1709 on the death ofPrince George of Denmark ,[ 3] Duke of Clarence was Lord High Admiral. The Board of the Admiralty comprised a number of "Lords Commissioners" headed by a First Lord.[ 5]
From the early 1800s the post was always held by a civilian[ 6] Sir James Graham instituted reforms and amalgamated theBoard of Admiralty and theNavy Board . By the provisions of theAdmiralty Act 1832 (2 & 3 Will. 4 . c. 40), two lords in committee could legalise any action of the board.[ 7]
In 1868 Prime Minister,William Gladstone appointedHugh Childers First Lord, who would introduce a new system at the Admiralty. However these changes restricted communication between the board members who were affected by these new regulations, and the sittings of the Board were discontinued altogether. This situation described was further exacerbated by the disaster ofHMS Captain in 1870, a poorly-designed new vessel for the navy.
The responsibility and powers of the First Lord of the Admiralty were laid down by anOrder in Council dated 14 January 1869,[ 8] Lords of the Admiralty as the "assistants" of the First Lord,[ 9]
In 1931, for the first time since 1709, the First Lord was not a member of the cabinet.[ 10]
In 1946, the three posts ofSecretary of State for War , First Lord of the Admiralty, andSecretary of State for Air became formally subordinated to that ofMinister of Defence , which had itself been created in 1940 for the co-ordination of defence and security issues.
In 1964, the office of First Lord of the Admiralty was abolished, the last holder beingGeorge Jellicoe, 2nd Earl Jellicoe , whose father, Admiral of the FleetJohn Jellicoe, 1st Earl Jellicoe , had served asFirst Sea Lord nearly 50 years earlier. The functions of the Lords Commissioners were then transferred to anAdmiralty Board , which forms part of the tri-serviceDefence Council of the United Kingdom .
List of First Lords of the Admiralty [ edit ] [ edit ] [ edit ] [ edit ] [ edit ] From 1 April 1964,Queen Elizabeth II assumed the title ofLord High Admiral . Ministerial responsibility for the Royal Navy was transferred to the newly createdSecretary of State for Defence .[ 49]
Notes:
^ Baron Weston from 1628, created Earl of Portland in 1633. ^ Lord High Admiral 1638–1642. ^ Lord High Admiral 1689. ^ MP forPortsmouth until 1734; MP forWestminster from 1734. ^ As Lord High Admiral . ^ MP forCumberland until 1832; MP forEast Cumberland from 1832 ^ MP forOswestry ^ MP forEvesham until 1935; thereafter created Viscount Monsell. ^ MP forHereford until 1955; thereafter created Viscount Cilcennin. [ edit ] Fictional First Lords [ edit ] W. H. Smith portrayed in aPunch H.M.S. Pinafore The"Radical" First Lord, and a major character, inGilbert and Sullivan 's comic operaH.M.S. Pinafore W. S. Gilbert wrote toArthur Sullivan he did not intend to portray the real-life then First Lord, the bookseller and newsagentW. H. Smith , aConservative ,[ 50] Benjamin Disraeli (who later referred to Smith as "Pinafore Smith"), identified Porter with him.[ 51] Hugh Childers .[ 52]
^ Eberle, Sir James (2007).Wider horizons: naval policy & international affairs ISBN 9781904499176 [permanent dead link ^ Pryde, E. B. (23 February 1996).Handbook of British Chronology ISBN 9780521563505 ^a b Blake, Nicholas; Lawrence, Richard (2005).The Illustrated Companion to Nelson's Navy ISBN 9780811732758 ^ Knighton, C. S.; Loades, David; Loades, Professor of History David (29 April 2016).Elizabethan Naval Administration ISBN 9781317145035 ^a b Hamilton, Admiral Sir. Richard. Vesey, G.C.B. (1896).Naval Administration: The Constitution, Character, and Functions of the Board of Admiralty, and of the Civil Departments it Directs {{cite book }}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link )public domain .^ Constable, Archibald (1861).The Edinburgh Review, Or Critical Journal: ... To Be Continued Quarterly ^ (eISB), electronic Irish Statute Book."electronic Irish Statute Book (eISB), Admiralty Act, 1832" .irishstatutebook.ie . Government of Ireland, 2017. Retrieved9 March 2017 . ^ Hamilton, C. I. (2011).The making of the modern admiralty : British naval policy-making 1805–1927 . Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. p. 153.ISBN 9780521765183 ^ Marder, Arthur (19 June 2014).From the Dreadnought to Scapa Flow: Volume II: To The Eve of Jutland 1914–1916 ISBN 9781848321632 ^ Cannon, John; Crowcroft, Robert (2015).The Oxford Companion to British History ISBN 9780199677832 ^ Lee, Sidney , ed. (1899)."Weston, Richard (1577-1635)" Dictionary of National Biography ^ "Bertie, Robert" Dictionary of National Biography ^a b c Thomas Mason,Serving God and Mammon: William Juxon, 1582–1663 (ISBN 0-87413-251-7 ^ Rodger, N. A. M. (2004).The Command of the Ocean . London: Allen Lane. p. 629.ISBN 0-713-99411-8 ^ N.Y.), Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York; Baetjer, Katharine (2009).British Paintings in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1575–1875 ISBN 9781588393487 ^ Phillips, G. (29 November 2012).Rutland ISBN 9781107696419 ^ Stewart, William (28 September 2009).Admirals of the World: A Biographical Dictionary, 1500 to the Present ISBN 9780786482887 ^ Cannon, John; Crowcroft, Robert (2015).The Oxford Companion to British History ISBN 9780199677832 ^ Murray, J. (1859).Correspondence of Charles, First Marquis Cornwallis ^ Fieldgate, Barrie (2007).The Captain's Steward: Falklands, 1982 ISBN 9781905226467 ^ Aldridge, David Denis (2009).Admiral Sir John Norris and the British Naval Expeditions to the Baltic Sea 1715–1727 ISBN 9789185509317 ^ Macaulay, Thomas Babington (1915).The History of England: From the Accession of James the Second, Volume 6 . Macmillan. p. 3018.^ Office-Holders in Modern Britain: Volume 4, Admiralty Officials 1660–1870 ^a b c Rodger, N. A. M. (2004).The Command of the Ocean . London: Allen Lane. p. 630.ISBN 0-713-99411-8 ^ Childs, John (1991).The Nine Years' War and the British Army, 1688–1697: The Operations in the Low Countries ISBN 9780719034619 ^ Winfield, Rif (10 March 2010).British Warships in the Age of Sail 1603–1714: Design, Construction, Careers and Fates ISBN 9781783469246 ^ Holmes, Geoffrey (1987).British Politics in the Age of Anne ISBN 9780907628736 ^ Aldridge, David Denis (2009).Admiral Sir John Norris and the British Naval Expeditions to the Baltic Sea 1715–1727 ISBN 9789185509317 ^ Stewart, William (28 September 2009).Admirals of the World: A Biographical Dictionary, 1500 to the Present ISBN 9780786438099 ^ Howard, Joseph Jackson ; Crisp, Frederick Arthur, eds. (1898).Visitation of England and Wales ^ Cunningham, George Godfrey (1853).A History of England in the Lives of Englishmen 169 .Sir Charles Wager First Lord of the Admiralty. ^a b Sainty, J. C." .british-history.ac.uk . Originally published by University of London, London, 1975, pp. 135–159. Retrieved9 March 2017 . ^ Newman, Gerald; Brown, Leslie Ellen (1997).Britain in the Hanoverian Age, 1714–1837: An Encyclopedia ISBN 9780815303961 ^ Woodward, Bernard Bolingbroke; Cates, William Leist Readwin (1872).Encyclopedia of Chronology: Historical and Biographical 1246 .John Montagu, 4th Earl of Sandwich First Lord of the Admiralty 1748. ^ Stewart, William (28 September 2009).Admirals of the World: A Biographical Dictionary, 1500 to the Present ISBN 9780786482887 ^ Winfield, Rif (12 December 2007).British Warships in the Age of Sail 1714–1792: Design, Construction, Careers and Fates ISBN 9781783469253 ^ Watson, John Steven (1960).The Reign of George III, 1760–1815 ISBN 9780198217138 {{cite book }}:ISBN / Date incompatibility (help ) ^ Kane, Joseph Nathan; Aiken, Charles Curry (2005).The American Counties: Origins of County Names, Dates of Creation, and Population Data, 1950–2000 123 .ISBN 9780810850361 George Montague-Dunk, 2nd Earl of Halifax First Lord of the Admiralty 1757. ^a b c Chatham.), William Pitt (1st earl of (1838).Correspondence, ed. by [W.S. Taylor and J.H. Pringle] the executors of his son John, earl of Chatham {{cite book }}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link )^ Beatson, Robert (1788).A Political Index to the Histories of Great Britain and Ireland: Or, A Complete Register of the Hereditary Honours, Public Offices, and Persons in Office, from the Earliest Periods to the Present Time 320 .Sir Charles Saunders First Lord of the Admiralty 1757. ^ Watson, John Steven (1960).The Reign of George III, 1760–1815 ISBN 9780198217138 {{cite book }}:ISBN / Date incompatibility (help ) ^ Laurens, Henry (1980).The papers of Henry Laurens ISBN 9780872493858 ^ Bandhauer, Andrea; Veber, Maria (2009).Migration and Cultural Contact: Germany and Australia ISBN 9781920898632 ^ Haydn, Joseph (1851).The Book of Dignities: Containing Lists of the Official Personages of the British Empire ... from the Earliest Periods to the Present Time ... Together with the Sovereigns and Rulers of Europe, from the Foundation of Their Respective States; the Peerage of England and Great Britain ... 286 .Richard Howe, 1st Earl Howe First Lord of the Admiralty. ^ Bolton, Carol (3 June 2016).Letters from England: By Don Manuel Alvarez Espriella ISBN 9781317242918 ^ Haydn, Joseph Timothy; Beatson, Robert (1851).Beatson's Political index modernised. The book of dignities; containing rolls of the official personages of the British empire, together with the sovereigns of Europe, the peerage of England and of Great Britain; and numerous other lists ^ Nichols, John (1835).The Gentleman's Magazine 546 .John Pitt, 2nd Earl of Chatham First Lord of the Admiralty 1783. ^ Hawkins, Anne (17 June 2016).Letters of Seamen in the Wars with France, 1793–1815 ISBN 9781843838968 ^ "No. 43288" .The London Gazette ^ Jacobs, Arthur (1986).Arthur Sullivan – A Victorian Musician . Oxford University Press. p. 114.ISBN 0-19-282033-8 ^ Arthur Sullivan, A Victorian Musician . p. 115.^ Matthew, H. C. G. "Childers, Hugh Culling Eardley (1827–1896)".Oxford Dictionary of National Biography doi :10.1093/ref:odnb/5296 .(Subscription,Wikipedia Library access orUK public library membership required.) This article contains some text from: Vesey, Richard Sir, Admiral, (1896),Naval Administration: The Constitution, Character, and Functions of the Board of Admiralty, and of the Civil Departments it Directs, George Bell and Sons, London . Bell, Christopher M. "Sir John Fisher's Naval Revolution Reconsidered: Winston Churchill at the Admiralty, 1911–1914."War in History 18.3 (2011): 333–356.online [dead link Hamilton, C. I. (2011).The Making of the Modern Admiralty: British Naval Policy-Making, 1805–1927 . Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.ISBN 9780521765183 Rodger, N. A. M. ,The Admiralty (Lavenham, 1979)Sainty, J. C.Admiralty Officials, 1660–1870 (London, 1975)
of England of Great Britain of the United Kingdom
Ministerial Lords Naval Lords Staff Naval Lords Civil Lords Civil Secretaries
Direction and control Boards and offices under Direction of Secretariat and staff under Operational planning, policy Divisions and sections Offices of the Sea Lords Admiralty civil departments Admiralty Area Cash Offices Admiralty Central Dockyard Laboratory Admiralty Central Metallurgical Laboratory Admiralty Civilian Shore Wireless Service Admiralty Compass Observatory Admiralty Constabulary Admiralty Constabulary Headquarters Admiralty Engineering Laboratory Admiralty Experimental Station Admiralty Experiment Works Admiralty Gunnery Establishment Admiralty Interview Board Admiralty Labour Department Admiralty Marine Technology Establishment Admiralty Materials Laboratory Admiralty Mine Design Department Admiralty Mining Establishment Admiralty Naval Aircraft Materials Laboratory Admiralty Record Office Admiralty Regional Offices Admiralty Research Laboratory Admiralty Signal Establishment Admiralty Signals and Radar Establishment Admiralty Surface Weapons Establishment Admiralty Surveying Service Admiralty Torpedo Experimental Establishment Admiralty Underwater Weapons Establishment Admiralty Underwater Weapons Launching Establishment Architectural and Engineering Works Department Air Equipment and Naval Photography Department Air Department Air Materiel Department Air Personnel Department Amphibious Warfare Headquarters Armament Supply Department Board of Invention and Research Board of Longitude Boom Defence Department Boom Defence and Marine Salvage Department Britannia Royal Naval College Chemical Board Chemical Department Civil Catering Department Civil Engineer in Chiefs Department Coastguard and Reserves Branch Combined Operations Headquarters Commissioner for Property and Income-tax for the Naval Department Compass Department Contract and Purchase Department Council of Naval Education Dental Examining Board Department of Radio Equipment Department of the Accountant-General of the Navy Department of Aeronautical and Engineering Research Department of Miscellaneous Weapons Development Department of Naval Assistant (Foreign) to Second Sea Lord Department of Naval Education Operational Research Department of Personal Services and Officer Appointments Department of Physical Research Department of Physical Training & Sports Department of Radio Equipment Department of Research Programmes and Planning Department of Superintendent of de-magnetisation Department of the Admiral of the Training Service Department of the Chief Inspector of Naval Ordnance Department of the Chief of Naval Information Department of the Chief Scientist Department of the Civil Engineer-in-Chief Department of the Comptroller of Steam Machinery Department of the Comptroller of Victualling and Transport Services Department of the Controller of the Navy Department of the Controller-General of Merchant Shipbuilding Department of the Controller for Navy Pay Department of the Deputy Controller for Auxiliary Shipbuilding Department of the Deputy Controller for Dockyards and Shipbuilding Department of the Director Contract-Built Ships Department of the Director-General Aircraft Department of the Director-General of Manpower Department of the Director-General, Supply and Secretariat Branch Department of the Director of Aircraft Maintenance and Repair Department of the Director of Contract Labour Department of the Director of Dockyards Department of the Director of Electrical Engineering Department of the Director of Manning Department of the Director of Merchant Shipbuilding Department of the Director of Merchant Shipbuilding and Repairs Department of the Director of Merchant Ship Repairs Department of the Director of Naval Construction Department of the Director of Naval Equipment Department of the Director of Naval Recruiting Department of the Director of Naval Weather Service Department of the Director of Personal Services Department of the Director of Physical Training and Sports Department of the Director of Torpedoes and Mining Department of the Director of Transports Department of the Director of Underwater Weapons Department of the Director of Underwater Weapons Materials Department of the Director of Unexploded Bombs Department of the Director of Warship Production Department of the Director of Welfare and Service Conditions Department of the Director of Wreck Dispersal Department of the Flag Officer Sea Training Department of the Engineer in Chief Department of the Paymaster Director-General Department of the Inspector of Anti-Aircraft Weapons Department of the Inspector of Dockyard Expense Accounts Department of the Inspector-General of Naval Hospitals and Fleets Department of the Medical Director-General of the Navy Department of the Physician of the Navy Department of the Physician General of the Navy Department of the Storekeeper-General of the Navy Department of the Surveyor of Buildings Department of the Surveyor of Dockyards Directorate-General, (Naval Manpower and Training) Directorate General Training Dockyards and Fleet Maintenance Department Dockyards Branch Dockyard Expense Accounts Department Dockyard Schools Electrical Engineering Department Engineer Branch Engineering Department Experimental Department Fire Control Group Greenwich Hospital Department Inspector of Telegraphs Inspector of Repairs Joint Warfare Establishment Medical Consultative Board Medical Examining Board Historical Section Hydrographic Department Marine Department Marine Pay Department Materials and Priority Department Medical Consultative Board Medical Department Medical Examining Board Movements Department Nautical Almanac Office Naval Artillery and Torpedo Department Naval Engineering College Naval Equipment Department Naval Historical Branch Naval Construction Department Naval Intelligence Department Naval Medical Service Naval Law Division Naval Manpower Department Naval Mobilisation Department Naval Ordnance Department Naval Ordnance Inspection Department Naval Ordnance Stores Department Naval Personnel Services and Officer Appointments Department Naval Publicity Department Naval Regional Offices Naval Reserve Department Naval Security Department Naval Stores Department Naval Training Department Naval Works Department Navy, Army and Air Force Institute Navy and Army Canteen Board Navy Works Department Navigation Department Observatory at the Cape of Good Hope Office of the Admiral Commanding Coast Guard and Reserves Office of the Admiral Commanding, Reserves Office of the Admiralty Chemist Office of the Adviser on the Naval Construction to the Board of Admiralty Office of the Assistant Controller Office of the Assistant Controller Research and Development Office of the Clerk of the Journals Office of the Chief Polaris Executive Office of the Deputy Controller of Navy Office of the Deputy Controller Production Office of Extra Naval Assistant to Second Sea Lord Office of the Inspector Gun Mountings Office of the Keeper of Records Office of the Senior Psychologist (Naval) Office of the Senior Psychologist of the Navy Office of the Translator of French and Spanish Languages Office of the Vice Controller Air Office of the Vice Controller of the Navy Organisation and Methods Department Packet Service Regional Organisation for Merchant Shipbuilding and Repairs Royal Corps of Naval Constructors Royal Flying Corps Royal Marine Police Royal Marines Office Office of the Chaplain of the Fleet Royal Naval Academy Royal Naval Aircraft Workshops Royal Naval Air Service Royal Naval Air Stations Royal Naval Armaments Depot Royal Naval Auxiliary Service Royal Naval Cordite Factories Royal Naval Propellant Factory Royal Naval College Royal Naval College and the School for Naval Architecture Royal Naval College, Dartmouth Royal Naval College, Greenwich Royal Naval College, Keyham Royal Naval College, Osborne Royal Naval Engineering College Royal Naval Film Corporation Royal Naval Hospital Royal Naval Medical Depot Royal Naval Minewatching Service Royal Naval Mine Depot Royal Naval Patrol Service Royal Naval Scientific Service Royal Naval Sick Quarters Royal Naval Torpedo Depot Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve Royal Naval War College Royal Naval War College, Portsmouth Royal Navy Dockyard Royal Navy Medical Service Royal Navy Shore Signal Service Royal Observatory, Greenwich Royal School of Naval Architecture Salvage Department School of Mathematics and Naval Construction Scientific Research and Experiment Department Sea Transport Branch Sea Transport Department Sea Transport Division Ship Department Ship Design Department Signal Department Signal School Sixpenny Office Statistics Department Steam Department Superintendent of De-magnetisation Torpedo Experimental Establishment Transport Department Undersurface Warfare Department Victualling Department Volunteer Boys and Cadet Corps Weapons Department Weapons Department (Naval) Women's Royal Naval Service Wireless Telegraphy Board Direction/Command of the Fleet Naval formations after 1707 1st Fleet 2nd Fleet 3rd Fleet Commander-in-Chief, Africa Atlantic Fleet Commodore, Arabian Seas and Persian Gulf Australia Station Cape of Good Hope Station Cape and West Africa Station Battle Cruiser Fleet Battle Cruiser Force Caspian Flotilla Channel Fleet Channel Squadron Commander-in-Chief, Coast of Ireland Cork Station Coast of Scotland Commander-in-Chief, China Commander-in-Chief, Dover Flag Officer, East Africa East Indies Station East Indies and China Station Eastern Fleet Far East Fleet English Channel Grand Fleet Flag Officer Gibraltar Harwich Force Home Fleet Jamaica Station Leith Station Commander-in-Chief, Levant Levant and East Mediterranean Commander-in-Chief, Leeward Islands Mediterranean Fleet Medway Newfoundland Station New Zealand Division New Zealand Naval Forces Nore North America and West Indies Station Commander-in-Chief, North Sea Admiral Commanding, Orkneys and Shetlands Pacific Fleet Pacific Station Admiral of Patrols Commander-in-Chief, Plymouth Commander-in-Chief, Portsmouth Queenstown Station Royal East African Navy Royal Indian Navy Flag Officer Submarines Commander-in-Chief, Rosyth Reserve Fleet Scotland and Northern Ireland Commander-in-Chief, South Atlantic South East Coast of America Station Commander-in-Chief, Thames and Medway West Africa Squadron Flag Officer, West Africa Commander-in-Chief, Western Approaches Naval formations before 1707 Direction of Naval Finance Departments under the Direction of Naval Administration Branches and offices under the Civil Administration Departments under the Legal
Leadership Components
History Operating forces Fleet Ships Administration Senior officers Personnel Equipment Former
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