The Parliamentary and Financial Secretary to the Admiralty also known as the Parliamentary and Financial Secretary to the Board of Admiralty was a position on the Board of Admiralty and a civil officer of the British

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against ...

. It was usually filled by a

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members o ...

. Although he attended Board of Admiralty meetings informally he was not made a full member of that Board until 1929. He served as the deputy to the

First Lord of the Admiralty The First Lord of the Admiralty, or formally the Office of the First Lord of the Admiralty, was the political head of the English and later British Royal Navy. He was the government's senior adviser on all naval affairs, responsible for the di ...

in Parliament and was mainly responsible for all naval finance and spending proposals from 1625 until 1959.

History

The office was originally created in 1625 with the post holders holding titles under various names such as Secretaries to the Lords Admiral, Admiralty, Committees and Commissions. In July 1660 the post of Secretary to the Admiralty was formally created which lasted until 18 June 1763 when the office was then restyled First Secretary to the Admiralty this remained in place until 1870 when the First Secretary was renamed Parliamentary Secretary to the Admiralty, while the office of Second Secretary to the Admiralty was renamed

Permanent Secretary to the Admiralty The Permanent Secretary of the Admiralty was the permanent secretary at the Admiralty, the department of state in Great Britain responsible for the administration of the Royal Navy. He was head of the Admiralty Secretariat, later known as the '' D ...

. In 1886, the Parliamentary Secretary was renamed Parliamentary and Financial Secretary to the Admiralty. In 1929 the Parliamentary and Financial Secretary is made a full member of the Board of Admiralty. In 1930, the Parliamentary and Financial Secretary served as Civil Lord to the Board of Admiralty. In 1959 the office of Parliamentary and Financial Secretary was abolished with the approval of parliament. In 1964 the Admiralty and thus Board of Admiralty was also abolished and merged into a new larger Ministry of Defence under the control of the

Minister of State Minister of State is a title borne by politicians in certain countries governed under a parliamentary system. In some countries a Minister of State is a Junior Minister of government, who is assigned to assist a specific Cabinet Minister. In ...

and

Under-Secretary of State Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (or just Parliamentary Secretary, particularly in departments not led by a Secretary of State) is the lowest of three tiers of government minister in the UK government, immediately junior to a Minister ...

for the Navy.

Responsibilities

''His duties have included at various times'' * All proposals for new and unusual expenditure * All questions involving reference to the treasury financially * Accounts cash, store, and dockyard expense. * Contract business except as dealt with by the controller * Finance * Estimates * Exchequer and audit department—questions with * Expenditure generally * General labour questions, including annual petitions * Payment of hire of ships * Purchases and sales of naval and victualling stores * Purchase and sale of ships * Purchase and sale of stores generally. * Questions involving reference to the treasury financially, except as provided for under civil lord

Office holders

Secretaries to the Lords Admiral, Admiralty, Committees and Commissions

Included:
Notes: From 1645 until 1652 there were two joint secretaries. * Sir Edward Nicholas, 1625–1638 * Sir Thomas Smith, 1638–1645 *

William Jessop William Jessop (23 January 1745 – 18 November 1814) was an English civil engineer, best known for his work on canals, harbours and early railways in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Early life Jessop was born in Devonport, Devon, the ...

and Robert Coytmore, (jointly), 1645–1652 * Robert Blackborne, 1652– July 1660

Secretaries to the Admiralty

Included: * Sir

William Coventry Sir William Coventry (4th October 162723 June 1686) was an English statesman. Early life and Civil War William was the son of the lord keeper Thomas Coventry, 1st Baron Coventry, by his second wife Elizabeth Aldersley. Coventry matriculated ...

, July 1660 – September 1667 * Matthew Wren, September 1667 – July 1672 * Sir John Werden, July 1672 1667 – June 1673 * Samuel Pepys, June 1673 – May 1679 *

Thomas Hayter Thomas Hayter (1702 – 9 January 1762) was an English whig divine, who served as a Church of England bishop for 13 years, and was a royal chaplain. As a party advocate of the Pelhamites and a friend of the Duke of Newcastle, he was at the height ...

May 1679 – February 1680 * John Brisbane, February 1680 – May 1684 * Samuel Pepys, May 1684 – March 1689 * Phineas Bowles, March 1689 – January 1690 * James Southerne, January 1690 – August 1694 * William Bridgeman, August 1694–26 September 1698 ''joint with Josiah Burchett until 24 June 1698'' * Josiah Burchett, 26 September 1698 – 20 May 1702 * George Clarke, 20 May 1702 – 25 October 1705 ''joint with Josiah Burchett'' * Josiah Burchett, 25 October 1705 – 29 April 1741 * Thomas Corbett, 1741–1751 ''joint with Josiah Burchett'' until 14 October 1742 * John Clevland, 30 April 1751 – 18 June 1763

First Secretaries to the Admiralty

Included: * Philip Stephens, 18 June 1763 – 3 March 1795 *

Evan Nepean Sir Evan Nepean, 1st Baronet, PC FRS (9 July 1752 – 2 October 1822)Sparrow (n.d.) was a British politician and colonial administrator. He was the first of the Nepean Baronets. Family Nepean was born at St. Stephens near Saltash, Cornwall, ...

, 3 March 1795 – 21 January 1804 * William Marsden, 24 January 1804 – 24 June 1807 * Hon. William Wellesley Pole, 24 June 1807 – 12 October 1809 *

John Wilson Croker John Wilson Croker (20 December 178010 August 1857) was an Anglo-Irish statesman and author. Life He was born in Galway, the only son of John Croker, the surveyor-general of customs and excise in Ireland. He was educated at Trinity College Dubl ...

, 12 October 1809 – 2 May 1827 ''Notes: The Board of Admiralty commission ceased and came under the control of the

Lord High Admirals Council The Lord High Admirals Council was a series of councils appointed to advise and assist the Lord High Admiral of England and then later of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland in the direction of Naval Affairs also known as Council of ...

from 1827 to 1828.'' * Hon. George Elliot, 1828–1834 *

George Robert Dawson George Robert Dawson (24 December 1790 – 3 April 1856), was an Anglo-Irish Tory politician. Background and education Dawson was born at Castledawson, County Londonderry, Ireland, the son of Arthur Dawson, who represented Banagher, Mid ...

, 1834–1835 * Charles Wood, 1835–1839 *

Richard More O'Ferrall Richard More O'Ferrall (10 April 1797 – 27 October 1880) was an Irish politician, a high level British government official and a Governor of Malta. Born to a noble Irish Catholic family at Balyna, he was the eldest son and heir of Ambrose M ...

, 1839–1841 * John Parker, 1841 * Hon. Sidney Herbert, 1841–1845 * Hon. Henry Lowry-Corry, 1845–1846 * Henry George Ward, 1846–1849 * John Parker, 1849–1852 * Augustus Stafford, 1852 * Ralph Bernal Osborne, 1853–1858 * Hon. Henry Lowry-Corry, 1858–1859 * Lord Clarence Paget, 1859–1866 * Hon. Thomas Baring, 1866 * Lord Henry Lennox, 1866–1868 * William Edward Baxter, 1868–1871

Parliamentary Secretaries to the Admiralty

* George Shaw-Lefevre, 1871–1874 * Hon. Algernon Egerton, 1874–1880 * George Shaw-Lefevre, 1880 * George Trevelyan, 1880–1882 *

Henry Campbell-Bannerman Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman (né Campbell; 7 September 183622 April 1908) was a British statesman and Liberal politician. He served as the prime minister of the United Kingdom from 1905 to 1908 and leader of the Liberal Party from 1899 to 1 ...

, 1882–1884 *

Thomas Brassey Thomas Brassey (7 November 18058 December 1870) was an English civil engineering contractor and manufacturer of building materials who was responsible for building much of the world's railways in the 19th century. By 1847, he had built about o ...

, 1884–1885 * Charles Ritchie, 1885–1886

Parliamentary and Financial Secretaries to the Admiralty

* J. T. Hibbert 1886 *

Arthur Forwood Sir Arthur Bower Forwood, 1st Baronet, (23 June 1836 – 27 September 1898) was an English merchant, shipowner, and politician. He was a Conservative Member of Parliament from 1885 until his death, and in 1895 he was created a baronet. Early ...

1886–1892 * Sir Ughtred Kay-Shuttleworth, Bt, 1892–1895 * William Ellison-Macartney 1895–1900 * H. O. Arnold-Forster 1900–1903 *

E. G. Pretyman Ernest George Pretyman, (13 November 1859 – 26 November 1931), known as E. G. Pretyman, was a British soldier and Conservative Party politician. Background and education Born on 13 November 1859 and christened on 1 January 1860 at Great C ...

1903–1905 * Edmund Robertson 1905–1908 * Thomas Macnamara 1908–1920 * Sir James Craig, Bt 1920–1921 *

Leo Amery Leopold Charles Maurice Stennett Amery, (22 November 1873 – 16 September 1955), also known as L. S. Amery, was a British Conservative Party politician and journalist. During his career, he was known for his interest in military preparedness, ...

1921–1922 * Bolton Eyres-Monsell 1922–1923 * Archibald Boyd-Carpenter 1923–1924 * Charles Ammon 1924 * J. C. C. Davidson 1924–1926 * Cuthbert Headlam 1926–1929 * Charles Ammon 1929–1931 * The Earl Stanhope 1931 *

Lord Stanley Earl of Derby ( ) is a title in the Peerage of England. The title was first adopted by Robert de Ferrers, 1st Earl of Derby, under a creation of 1139. It continued with the Ferrers family until the 6th Earl forfeited his property toward the en ...

1931–1935 * Sir Victor Warrender, Bt 1935 *

1935–1937 * Geoffrey Shakespeare 1937–1940 * Sir Victor Warrender, Bt 1940–1945 * John Dugdale 1945–1950 * James Callaghan 1950–1951 * Allan Noble 1951–1955 * George Ward 1955–1957 *

Christopher Soames Arthur Christopher John Soames, Baron Soames, (12 October 1920 – 16 September 1987) was a British Conservative politician who served as a European Commissioner and the last Governor of Southern Rhodesia. He was previously Member of Parliame ...

1957–1958 * Robert Allan 1958–1959 * Charles Ian Orr-Ewing 1959 ''office abolished on 16 October 1959''

Departments under the office

* Department of the Accountant-General of the Navy *

Department of the Director of Contracts Department may refer to: * Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility Government and military *Department (administrative division), a geographical and administrative division within a country, ...

* Contracts and Purchase Department

Citations

General and cited sources

* * Rodger, N.A.M. (1979). The Admiralty. Lavenham: Terence Dalton Ltd, Suffolk, England, . {{DEFAULTSORT:Secretary To The Admiralty P Civil service positions in the United Kingdom Admiralty during World War II