List of Lord High Admirals (United Kingdom)

Lord High Admiral of the United Kingdom
Incumbent
HRH The Duke of Edinburgh
since 2011
Appointer British Monarch, Elizabeth II
Formation 1406
First holder John Beaufort, 1st Earl of Somerset
Unofficial names Lord High Admiral

The Lord High Admiral (of England, Great Britain and then the United Kingdom, beginning in the 15th century) is the titular head of the Royal Navy. Most have been courtiers or members of the Royal Family, and not professional naval officers. The office of Lord High Admiral is one of the nine English Great Officers of State.

From the 17th century onwards, when an individual Lord High Admiral was appointed, there was also a Council of the Lord High Admiral which assisted him and performed some of the duties of the Admiralty.

When the office was not occupied by an individual, it was "put into commission" and exercised by a board of Lords Commissioners headed by a First Lord of the Admiralty, and this was the usual arrangement from 1709 until 1964, when the office of First Lord of the Admiralty was finally abolished and the functions of the Lords Commissioners were transferred to the Admiralty Board of the tri-service Defence Council of the United Kingdom. At the same time, the ancient title of Lord High Admiral was then resumed by the sovereign personally.

Elizabeth II held the title for the next 47 years, until in 2011 she conferred the office upon her husband, the Duke of Edinburgh as part of the celebrations for his 90th birthday.[1] The Queen chose this title to honour her husband with as he served in the Royal Navy during the Second World War, and gave up a promising naval career to support her as consort.[2]

Lord High Admirals of England, 1406 to 1628

Name Term of Office Ref
John Beaufort
1st Earl of Somerset 		1406 1407 [3]
Edmund Holland
4th Earl of Kent[3]		 1407 1408 [3]
Thomas Beaufort
1st Duke of Exeter		 1408 1426 [3]
John of Lancaster
1st Duke of Bedford		 1426 1435 [3]
John Holland
2nd Duke of Exeter		 1435 1447 [3]
William de la Pole
1st Duke of Suffolk		 1447 1450 [3]
Henry Holland
3rd Duke of Exeter		 1450 1460 [3]
Richard Neville
16th Earl of Warwick		 1461 1462 [3]
William Neville
1st Earl of Kent		 1462 1462 [3]
Richard Plantagenet
1st Duke of Gloucester 		1462 1470 [3]
Richard Neville
16th Earl of Warwick 		1470 1471 [3]
Richard Plantagenet
1st Duke of Gloucester		 1471 1483 [3]
John Howard
1st Duke of Norfolk		 1483 1485 [3]
John de Vere
13th Earl of Oxford		 1485 1512 [3]
Sir Edward Howard 1512 1513 [3]
Thomas Howard
2nd Earl of Surrey		 1513 1525 [3]
Henry FitzRoy
1st Duke of Richmond and Somerset		 1525 1536 [3]
William FitzWilliam
1st Earl of Southampton		 1536 1540 [3]
John Russell
1st Lord Russell		 1540 1542 [3]
John Dudley
1st Viscount Lisle		 1542 1546 [3]
Thomas Seymour
1st Lord Seymour of Sudeley		 1546 1549 [3]
John Dudley
1st Earl of Warwick		 1549 1550 [3]
Edward Clinton
9th Lord Clinton		 1550 1554 [3]
William Howard
1st Lord Howard of Effingham		 1554 1558 [3]
Edward Clinton
1st Earl of Lincoln		 1558 1585 [3]
Charles Howard
1st Earl of Nottingham
Baron Howard of Effingham before 1596
Earl of Nottingham from 1596		 1585 1619 [3]
George Villiers
1st Duke of Buckingham		 1619 1628 [3]

Lord High Admirals of England, 1638–1708

Name Term of Office Ref
Algernon Percy
10th Earl of Northumberland		 1638 1642
Francis Cottington
1st Lord Cottington		 1643 1646
Prince James
The Duke of York and Albany		 1660 1673 [4]
HM King Charles II 1673 1673
Prince Rupert
The Duke of Cumberland		 1673 1679
HM King Charles II 1684 1685
HM King James II 1685 1688
HM King William III 1689 1689
Arthur Herbert
1st Earl of Torrington		 1689 1689
Thomas Herbert
8th Earl of Pembroke		 1701 1702
Prince George
The Duke of Cumberland		 1702 1708

Lord High Admirals since 1708

Before 1707 a separate office of Lord High Admiral existed for Scotland, following the Act of Union 1707 all jurisdictions were placed under the office of Lord High Admiral of Great Britain.

Portrait Name Term of Office Ref
Her Majesty
Queen Anne		 23 October
1708		 1708 [4]
The Right Honourable
Thomas Herbert
8th Earl of Pembroke		 1708 1709
Vacant
Office in commission		 1709 10 May
1827
His Royal Highness
Prince William Henry
The Duke of Clarence		 10 May
1827		 19 September
1828		 [5]
Vacant
Office in commission		 19 September
1828		 1 April
1964		 [6]
Her Majesty
Queen Elizabeth II		 1 April
1964		 10 June
2011		 [7]
His Royal Highness
Prince Philip
The Duke of Edinburgh		 10 June
2011		 Incumbent [2]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "The Duke of Edinburgh Appointed Lord High Admiral". royal.gov.uk. Retrieved 4 May 2017.
  2. 1 2 "Prince Philip receives Navy title for 90th birthday". BBC News. Retrieved 4 April 2017.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 Houbraken, Jacobus; Thoyras, Paul de Rapin; Vertue, George (1747). The History of England, A List of Admirals of England, 1228-1745. J. and P. Knapton. p. 271.
  4. 1 2 National Archives, Kew, ref. ADM 4/410 List of the Lords High Admiral and Commissioners for executing that Office, which have been appointed since the year 1660 (1915)
  5. ↑ "No. 18360". The London Gazette. 11 May 1827. p. 1033.
  6. ↑ "No. 18506". The London Gazette. 19 September 1828. p. 1733.
  7. ↑ "No. 43288". The London Gazette. 3 April 1964. p. 2895.


Sources

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