First Lord of the Admiralty

Office of the First Lord of the Admiralty

Seal of H.M. Government
Department of the Admiralty
Member of Board of Admiralty
Reports to Prime Minister
Nominator Prime Minister
Appointer Prime Minister
Subject to formal approval by the Queen-in-Council
Term length Not fixed (typically 3–7 years)
Inaugural holder Richard Weston, 1st Earl of Portland
Formation 1628-1964

The First Lord of the Admiralty[1] or formally the Office the First Lord of the Admiralty[2] was the political head of the Royal Navy who was the government's senior advisor on all naval affairs and responsible for the direction and control of Admiralty Department as well as general administration of the Naval Service of the United Kingdom, that encompassed the Royal Navy, the Royal Marines and other services. It was one of the earliest known permanent government posts, apart from being the political head of the Royal Navy the post holder simultaneously held the title of the President of the Board of Commissioners for Exercising the Office of Lord High Admiral (known as the Board 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 and War Office were all merged to form the new Ministry of Defence in 1964.

History

In 1628, during the reign of Charles I, the 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 was Richard Weston, 1st Earl of Portland, who was appointed in 1628 the First Lord was not always a permanent member of the board until the Admiralty Department was established as an official government department in 1709[3] with the First Lord as its head, it replaced the earlier Office of the Admiralty and Marine Affairs,.[4] During most of the 17th century and the early 18th century, it was not invariable for the Admiralty to be in commission, so there are gaps in the list of First Lords, and a small number of First Lords were for a time Lord High Admiral.

After the Revolution, in 1690, a declaratory Act was passed, during the reign of William and Mary, Parliament passed the Admiralty Act, vesting in the Commissioners the powers formerly held by the Lord High Admiral of England.[5] and at this point became a permanent Cabinet position.

The Admiralty Commission was dissolved in 1701, but was reconstituted in 1709 on the death of Prince George of Denmark,[6] who had been appointed Lord High Admiral. The office has been held in commission from that time onwards, however, except for a short period (1827–28) when the Duke of Clarence was Lord High Admiral. The Board of the Admiralty comprised a number of “Lords Commissioners” headed by a First Lord.[7]

From the early 1800s the post was always held by a civilian[8] (previously flag officers of the Royal Navy also held the post). In 1832 First Lord Sir James Graham instituted reforms and amalgamated the Board of Admiralty and the Navy Board. By the provisions of the Admiralty Act of 1832, two Lords in committee could legalize any action of the Board.[9]

In 1868 Prime Minister, William Gladstone appointed Hugh 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 of HMS 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 an Order in Council dated January 14, 1869,[10] and a later Order (March 19, 1872) made the First Lord responsible to the Sovereign and to Parliament for all the business of the Admiralty. However by describing the Lords of the Admiralty as the "assistants" of the First Lord,[11] and by specifically defining their duties, had, in fact, partially disabled the collective power of the Board .

In 1931, for the first time since 1709, the First Lord was not a member of the cabinet.[12] In 1964, the office of First Lord of the Admiralty was abolished, the last holder being the second Earl Jellicoe, the son of Admiral of the Fleet Earl Jellicoe, and the functions of the Sea Lords were then transferred to the Admiralty Board, which forms part of the tri-service Defence Council of the United Kingdom.

Responsibilities and duties

Between 1800 and 1912 included:[13]

First Lords of the Admiralty of England, 1628–1701

Portrait Name Term of office Ref
The Earl of Portland 1628 1635 [14]
The Earl of Lindsey 1635 1636 [15]
William Juxon, Bishop of Lincoln 1636 1638 [16]
The Earl of Northumberland
(Lord High Admiral 1638–1642)		 1642 1643 [17]
The Lord Cottington 1643 1646 [18]
Sir Henry Capell
(Lord High Admiral 1638–1642)		 1679 1681 [19]
The Earl of Nottingham 1681 1684 [20]
The Earl of Torrington
(Lord High Admiral 1689)		 1689 1690 [21]
The Earl of Pembroke 1690 1692 [22]
The Lord Cornwallis 1692 1693 [23]
The Viscount Falkland 1693 1695 [24]
The Earl of Orford 1694 1699 [25]
The Earl of Bridgewater 1699 1701 [26]
The Earl of Pembroke 1701 1702 [27]

First Lords of the Admiralty of Great Britain, 1709–1801

Name Image In office Left office Ref
The Earl of Orford 1709 1710 [28]
Sir John Leake 1710 1712 [29]
The Earl of Strafford 1712 1714 [30]
The Earl of Orford 1714 1716 [31]
The Earl of Berkeley 1717 1727 [32]
The Viscount Torrington 1727 1733 [33]
Sir Charles Wager 1733 1741 [34]
The Earl of Winchilsea 1741 1744 [35]
The Duke of Bedford 1744 1748 [36]
The Earl of Sandwich 1748 1751 [37]
The Lord Anson 1751 1756 [38]
The Earl Temple 1756 1757 [39]
The Earl of Winchilsea 1757 1757 [40]
The Lord Anson 1757 1762 [41]
The Earl of Halifax 1762 1762 [42]
Hon. George Grenville 1762 1763 [43]
The Earl of Sandwich 1763 1763 [44]
The Earl of Egmont 1763 1766 [45]
Sir Charles Saunders 1766 1766 [46]
Sir Edward Hawke 1766 1771 [47]
The Earl of Sandwich 1771 1782 [48]
The Viscount Keppel 1782 1783 [49]
The Viscount Howe 1783 1783 [50]
The Viscount Keppel 1783 1783 [51]
The Viscount Howe 1783 1788 [52]
The Earl of Chatham 1788 1794 [53]
The Earl Spencer 1794 1801 [54]

First Lords of the Admiralty of the United Kingdom, 1801–1964

Portrait Name Term of office Political party
The Earl of St Vincent 1801 1804
The Viscount Melville 1804 1805
The Lord Barham 1805 1806
Viscount Howick 1806 1806
Thomas Grenville 1806 1807
The Lord Mulgrave 1807 1810
Charles Philip Yorke 1810 1812
The Viscount Melville 1812 1827
HRH The Duke of Clarence
(Lord High Admiral)		 1827 1828
The Viscount Melville 1828 1830 Tory
Sir James Graham, Bt 1830 1834 Whig
The Lord Auckland 1834 1834 Whig
The Earl de Grey 1834 1835 Conservative
The Lord Auckland 1835 1835 Whig
The Earl of Minto 1835 1841 Whig
The Earl of Haddington 1841 1846 Conservative
The Earl of Ellenborough 1846 1846 Conservative
The Earl of Auckland 1846 1849 Whig
Sir Francis Baring, Bt 1849 1852 Whig
The Duke of Northumberland 1852 1852 Conservative
Sir James Graham, Bt 1852 1855 Peelite
Sir Charles Wood, Bt 1855 1858 Whig
Sir John Pakington, Bt 1858 1859 Conservative
The Duke of Somerset 1859 1866 Liberal
Sir John Pakington, Bt 1866 1867 Conservative
Hon. Henry Lowry-Corry 1867 1868 Conservative
Hugh Childers 1868 1871 Liberal
George Goschen 1871 1874 Liberal
George Ward Hunt 1874 1877 Conservative
William Henry Smith Smith 1877 1880 Conservative
The Earl of Northbrook 1880 1885 Liberal
Lord George Hamilton 1885 1886 Conservative
The Marquess of Ripon 1886 1886 Liberal
Lord George Hamilton 1886 1892 Conservative
The Earl Spencer 1892 1895 Liberal
George Goschen 1895 1900 Conservative
The Earl of Selborne 1900 1905 Liberal Unionist
The Earl Cawdor 1905 1905 Conservative
The Lord Tweedmouth 1905 1908 Liberal
Reginald McKenna 1908 1911 Liberal
Winston Churchill 1911 1915 Liberal
Arthur Balfour 1915 1916 Conservative
Sir Edward Carson 1916 1917 Conservative
Sir Eric Geddes 1917 1919 Conservative
Walter Long 1919 1921 Conservative
The Viscount Lee of Fareham 1921 1922 Conservative
Leo Amery 1922 1924 Conservative
The Viscount Chelmsford 1924 1924 Labour
William Bridgeman
(Viscount Bridgeman from 1929)		 1924 1929 Conservative
A. V. Alexander 1929 1931 Labour
Sir Austen Chamberlain 1931 1931 Conservative
Sir Bolton Eyres-Monsell
(Viscount Monsell from 1935)		 1931 1936 Conservative
Sir Samuel Hoare, Bt 1936 1937 Conservative
Duff Cooper 1937 1938 Conservative
The Earl Stanhope 1938 1939 Conservative
Winston Churchill 1939 1940 Conservative
A. V. Alexander 1940 1945 Labour
Brendan Bracken 1945 1945 Conservative
A. V. Alexander 1945 1946 Labour
The Viscount Hall 1946 1951 Labour
Lord Pakenham 1951 1951 Labour
James Thomas
(Viscount Cilcennin from 1955)		 1951 1956 Conservative
The Viscount Hailsham 1956 1957 Conservative
The Earl of Selkirk 1957 1959 Conservative
The Lord Carrington 1959 1963 Conservative
The Earl Jellicoe 1963 1964 Conservative

Boards, departments and offices under the First Lord

Fictional First Lords

W. H. Smith portrayed in a Punch cartoon from 13 October 1877 when First Lord, saying: "I think I'll now go below." In Pinafore, Sir Joseph Porter similarly sings: "When the breezes blow / I generally go below".

The "Radical" First Lord, and a major character, in Gilbert and Sullivan's comic opera H.M.S. Pinafore (1878), is Sir Joseph Henry Porter, KCB. W. S. Gilbert wrote to Arthur Sullivan he did not intend to portray the real-life then First Lord, the bookseller and newsagent W. H. Smith, a Conservative,[55] although some of the public, including Prime Minister Disraeli (who later referred to Smith as "Pinafore Smith"), identified Porter with him.[56] The counterparts shared a known lack of naval background. It has been suggested the character was drawn on Smith's actual "Radical" predecessor of 1868–71, Hugh Childers.[57]

References

  1. ↑ Eberle, Sir James (2007). Wider horizons: naval policy & international affairs. Roundtuit Publishing. p. 1. ISBN 9781904499176.
  2. ↑ Pryde, E. B. (Feb 23, 1996). Handbook of British Chronology. Cambridge University Press. p. 135. ISBN 9780521563505.
  3. ↑ Blake, Nicholas; Lawrence, Richard (2005). The Illustrated Companion to Nelson's Navy. Stackpole Books. p. 8. ISBN 9780811732758.
  4. ↑ Knighton, C. S.; Loades, David; Loades, Professor of History David (Apr 29, 2016). Elizabethan Naval Administration. Routledge. p. 8. ISBN 9781317145035.
  5. ↑ 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. George Bell and Sons, London. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  6. ↑ Blake, Nicholas; Lawrence, Richard (2005). The Illustrated Companion to Nelson's Navy. Stackpole Books. p. 8. ISBN 9780811732758.
  7. ↑ 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. George Bell and Sons, London. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  8. ↑ Constable, Archibald (1861). The Edinburgh Review, Or Critical Journal: ... To Be Continued Quarterly. Austrian National Library, 4 Nov 2013. p. 291.
  9. ↑ (eISB), electronic Irish Statute Book. "electronic Irish Statute Book (eISB), Admiralty Act, 1832". irishstatutebook.ie. Government of Ireland, 2017. Retrieved 9 March 2017.
  10. ↑ 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.
  11. ↑ Marder, Arthur (Jun 19, 2014). From the Dreadnought to Scapa Flow: Volume II: To The Eve of Jutland 1914-1916. Seaforth Publishing. p. 268. ISBN 9781848321632.
  12. ↑ Cannon, John; Crowcroft, Robert (2015). The Oxford Companion to British History. Oxford University Press. p. 5. ISBN 9780199677832.
  13. ↑ Archives, The National. "Organisation of Admiralty Business". discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk. National Archives, 1885-1923, ADM 116/3392. Retrieved 8 March 2017. This article contains text from this source, which is available under the Open Government Licence v3.0. © Crown copyright.
  14. ↑  Lee, Sidney, ed. (1899). "Weston, Richard (1577-1635)". Dictionary of National Biography. 60. London: Smith, Elder & Co. p. 364.
  15. ↑  "Bertie, Robert". Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co. 1885–1900.
  16. ↑ Thomas Mason, Serving God and Mammon: William Juxon, 1582–1663 (ISBN 0-87413-251-7)
  17. ↑ Thomas Mason, Serving God and Mammon: William Juxon, 1582–1663 (ISBN 0-87413-251-7)
  18. ↑ Thomas Mason, Serving God and Mammon: William Juxon, 1582–1663 (ISBN 0-87413-251-7)
  19. ↑ N.Y.), Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York; Baetjer, Katharine (2009). British Paintings in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1575-1875. Metropolitan Museum of Art. p. 19. ISBN 9781588393487.
  20. ↑ Phillips, G. (Nov 29, 2012). Rutland. Cambridge University Press. p. 132. ISBN 9781107696419.
  21. ↑ Stewart, William (Sep 28, 2009). Admirals of the World: A Biographical Dictionary, 1500 to the Present. McFarland. p. 163. ISBN 9780786482887.
  22. ↑ Cannon, John; Crowcroft, Robert (2015). The Oxford Companion to British History. Oxford University Press. p. 714. ISBN 9780199677832.
  23. ↑ Murray, J. (1859). Correspondence of Charles, First Marquis Cornwallis. J. Murray. p. 2.
  24. ↑ Fieldgate, Barrie (2007). The Captain's Steward: Falklands, 1982. Melrose Press. p. 305. ISBN 9781905226467.
  25. ↑ Aldridge, David Denis (2009). Admiral Sir John Norris and the British Naval Expeditions to the Baltic Sea 1715-1727. Nordic Academic Press. p. 286. ISBN 9789185509317.
  26. ↑ Macaulay, Thomas Babington, Baron Macaulay (1915). The History of England: From the Accession of James the Second, Volume 6. Macmillian. p. 3018.
  27. ↑ Office-Holders in Modern Britain: Volume 4, Admiralty Officials 1660-1870
  28. ↑ Childs, John (1991). The Nine Years' War and the British Army, 1688-1697: The Operations in the Low Countries. Manchester University Press. p. 353. ISBN 9780719034619.
  29. ↑ Winfield, Rif (Mar 10, 2010). British Warships in the Age of Sail 1603-1714: Design, Construction, Careers and Fates. Seaforth Publishing. p. 23. ISBN 9781783469246.
  30. ↑ Holmes, Geoffrey (1987). British Politics in the Age of Anne. A&C Black. p. 541. ISBN 9780907628736.
  31. ↑ Aldridge, David Denis (2009). Admiral Sir John Norris and the British Naval Expeditions to the Baltic Sea 1715-1727. Nordic Academic Press. p. 286. ISBN 9789185509317.
  32. ↑ Stewart, William (Sep 28, 2009). Admirals of the World: A Biographical Dictionary, 1500 to the Present. McFarland. p. 28. ISBN 9780786438099.
  33. ↑ Howard, Joseph J.; Crisp, Joseph J. Howard Frederick A. (Sep 1, 1997). Visitation of England and Wales Notes: Volume 6 1906. Heritage Books. p. 172. ISBN 9780788407031.
  34. ↑ Cunningham, George Godfrey (1853). A History of England in the Lives of Englishmen. A. Fullarton. p. 169.
  35. ↑ Sainty, J. C. "'Alphabetical list of officials: K-Z', in Office-Holders in Modern Britain: Volume 4, Admiralty Officials 1660-1870". british-history.ac.uk. Originally published by University of London, London, 1975, pp.135-159. Retrieved 9 March 2017.
  36. ↑ Newman, Gerald; Brown, Leslie Ellen (1997). Britain in the Hanoverian Age, 1714-1837: An Encyclopedia. Taylor & Francis. p. 619. ISBN 9780815303961.
  37. ↑ Woodward, Bernard Bolingbroke; Cates, William Leist Readwin (1872). Encyclopedia of Chronology: Historical and Biographical. Longmans, Green and Company. p. 1246.
  38. ↑ Stewart, William (Sep 28, 2009). Admirals of the World: A Biographical Dictionary, 1500 to the Present. McFarland. p. 9. ISBN 9780786482887.
  39. ↑ Winfield, Rif (Dec 12, 2007). British Warships in the Age of Sail 1714-1792: Design, Construction, Careers and Fates. Seaforth Publishing. p. viii Introduction. ISBN 9781783469253.
  40. ↑ Sainty, J. C. "'Alphabetical list of officials: K-Z', in Office-Holders in Modern Britain: Volume 4, Admiralty Officials 1660-1870". british-history.ac.uk. Originally published by University of London, London, 1975, pp.135-159. Retrieved 9 March 2017.
  41. ↑ Watson, John Steven (1960). The Reign of George III, 1760-1815. Clarendon Press. p. 613. ISBN 9780198217138.
  42. ↑ Kane, Joseph Nathan; Aiken, Charles Curry (2005). The American Counties: Origins of County Names, Dates of Creation, and Population Data, 1950-2000. Scarecrow Press. p. 123. ISBN 9780810850361.
  43. ↑ 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. Oxford University. p. xxi Introduction.
  44. ↑ 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. Oxford University. p. xxi Introduction.
  45. ↑ 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. Oxford University. p. xxi Introduction.
  46. ↑ 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. G. G. J. & J. Robinson. p. 320.
  47. ↑ Watson, John Steven (1960). The Reign of George III, 1760-1815. Clarendon Press. p. 623. ISBN 9780198217138.
  48. ↑ Laurens, Henry (1980). The papers of Henry Laurens. Univ of South Carolina Press. p. 56. ISBN 9780872493858.
  49. ↑ Bandhauer, Andrea; Veber, Maria (2009). Migration and Cultural Contact: Germany and Australia. Sydney University Press. p. 214. ISBN 9781920898632.
  50. ↑ 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 ... Longmans, Brown, Green and Longmans. p. 286.
  51. ↑ Bolton, Carol (Jun 3, 2016). Letters from England: By Don Manuel Alvarez Espriella. Routledge. p. 508. ISBN 9781317242918.
  52. ↑ 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. Oxford University. p. 286.
  53. ↑ Nichols, John (1835). The Gentleman's Magazine. E. Cave. p. 546.
  54. ↑ Hawkins, Anne (Jun 17, 2016). Letters of Seamen in the Wars with France, 1793-1815. Boydell & Brewer. p. 482. ISBN 9781843838968.
  55. ↑ Jacobs, Arthur (1986). Arthur Sullivan - A Victorian Musician. Oxford University Press. p. 114. ISBN 0-19-282033-8.
  56. ↑ Arthur Sullivan, A Victorian Musician. p. 115.
  57. ↑ Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Volume 11. Oxford University Press. 2004. p. 445.Article on Childers by William Carr, rev H. C. G. Matthew.

Attribution

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. Now in the public domain.

Sources

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