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 The Board of Admiralty (1628–1964) was established in 1628 when Charles I put the office of Lord High Admiral into commission. As that position was not always occupied, the purpose was to enable management of the day-to-day operational requi ...

and a civil officer of the British

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...

. It was usually filled by a Member of Parliament. 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 First Lord of the Admiralty, or formally the Office of the First Lord of the Admiralty, was the title of the political head of the English and later British Royal Navy. He was the government's senior adviser on all naval affairs, responsible f ...

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 and subsequently the United Kingdom responsible for the administration of the Royal Navy. He was head of the Admiralty ...

. 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 A ministry of defence or defense (see American and British English spelling differences#-ce.2C -se, spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is the part of a government responsible for matters of defence and Mi ...

under the control of the

Minister of State Minister of state is a designation for a government minister, with varying meanings in different jurisdictions. In a number of European countries, the title is given as an honorific conferring a higher rank, often bestowed upon senior minister ...

and

Under-Secretary of State Undersecretary (or under secretary) is a title for a person who works for and has a lower rank than a secretary (person in charge). It is used in the executive branch of government, with different meanings in different political systems, and is a ...

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 and Robert Coytmore, (jointly), 1645–1652 *

Robert Blackborne The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of '' Hruod'' () "fame, glory, honour, praise, reno ...

, 1652– July 1660

Secretaries to the Admiralty

Included: * Sir

William Coventry Sir William Coventry (4 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 at ...

, July 1660 – September 1667 * Matthew Wren, September 1667 – July 1672 * Sir John Werden, July 1672 1667 – June 1673 *

Samuel Pepys Samuel Pepys ( ; 23 February 1633 – 26 May 1703) was an English writer and Tories (British political party), Tory politician. He served as an official in the Navy Board and Member of Parliament (England), Member of Parliament, but is most r ...

, 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 as Bishop of Norwich (1749–1761) then Bishop of London (1761–1762), and was a royal chaplain. As a party advocate of t ...

May 1679 – February 1680 *

John Brisbane John Brisbane (d. 1776 ?) was a Scottish physician. Brisbane graduated M.D. at Edinburgh in 1750, and was admitted licentiate of the College of Physicians in 1766. He held the post of physician to the Middlesex Hospital Middlesex Hospital ...

, February 1680 – May 1684 *

, May 1684 – March 1689 * Phineas Bowles, March 1689 – January 1690 *

James Southerne James may refer to: People * James (given name) * James (surname) * James (musician), aka Faruq Mahfuz Anam James, (born 1964), Bollywood musician * James, brother of Jesus * King James (disambiguation), various kings named James * Prince Ja ...

, January 1690 – August 1694 * William Bridgeman, August 1694–26 September 1698 ''joint with

Josiah Burchett Josiah Burchett (c.1665 – 2 October 1746), of Hampstead, Middlesex, was a British naval administrator and Whig politician, who sat in the English and British House of Commons between 1705 and 1741. He was Secretary of the Admiralty in Englan ...

until 24 June 1698'' *

, 26 September 1698 – 20 May 1702 * George Clarke, 20 May 1702 – 25 October 1705 ''joint with

'' *

, 25 October 1705 – 29 April 1741 * Thomas Corbett, 1741–1751 ''joint with

'' 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, Cornwal ...

, 3 March 1795 – 21 January 1804 * William Marsden, 24 January 1804 – 24 June 1807 * William Wellesley Pole, 24 June 1807 – 12 October 1809 * John Wilson Croker, 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.'' * 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, Midle ...

, 1834–1835 * Charles Wood, 1835–1839 * Richard More O'Ferrall, 1839–1841 * John Parker, 1841 * Sidney Herbert, 1841–1845 * Henry Lowry-Corry, 1845–1846 *

Henry George Ward Sir Henry George Ward Order of St Michael and St George, GCMG (27 February 17972 August 1860) was an English diplomat, politician, and colonial administrator. Early life He was the son of Robert Plumer Ward, Robert Ward (who in 1828 changed hi ...

, 1846–1849 * John Parker, 1849–1852 * Augustus Stafford, 1852 *

Ralph Bernal Osborne Ralph Bernal Osborne of Newtown Anner House ( Ralph Bernal; 26 March 1808 – 4 January 1882), was a British Liberal politician. Early life He was born on 26 March 1808. He was the eldest son of London Sephardic Spanish and Portuguese Jewish ...

, 1853–1858 * Henry Lowry-Corry, 1858–1859 * Lord Clarence Paget, 1859–1866 * Thomas Baring, 1866 *

Lord Henry Lennox Lord Henry George Charles Gordon-Lennox PC (né Lennox; 2 November 1821 – 29 August 1886), known as Lord Henry Lennox, was a British Conservative politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1846 to 1885 and was a close friend of Benj ...

, 1866–1868 * William Edward Baxter, 1868–1871

Parliamentary Secretaries to the Admiralty

* George Shaw-Lefevre, 1871–1874 * 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 Party politician who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1905 to 1908 and Leader of the Liberal Party from 1899 to 1908. ...

, 1882–1884 * Thomas Brassey, 1884–1885 * Charles Ritchie, 1885–1886

Parliamentary and Financial Secretaries to the Admiralty

* J. T. Hibbert 1886 * Arthur Forwood 1886–1892 * Sir Ughtred Kay-Shuttleworth, 2nd Baronet, 1892–1895 *

William Ellison-Macartney Sir William Grey Ellison-Macartney, (7 June 1852 – 4 December 1924) was an Irish-born British politician, who also served as the Governors of the Australian states, Governor of the Australian states of Governor of Tasmania, Tasmania and Gove ...

1895–1900 * H. O. Arnold-Forster 1900–1903 * E. G. Pretyman 1903–1905 * Edmund Robertson 1905–1908 * Thomas Macnamara 1908–1920 * Sir James Craig, 1st Baronet 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 (UK), Conservative Party politician and journalist. During his career, he was known for his interest in ...

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 * James Stanhope, 7th Earl Stanhope 1931 * Edward Stanley, Lord Stanley 1931–1935 * Sir Victor Warrender, 8th Baronet 1935 *Edward Stanley, Lord Stanley 1935–1937 * Geoffrey Shakespeare 1937–1940 *Sir Victor Warrender, 8th Baronet 1940–1945 * John Dugdale 1945–1950 *

James Callaghan Leonard James Callaghan, Baron Callaghan of Cardiff ( ; 27 March 191226 March 2005) was a British statesman and Labour Party (UK), Labour Party politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1976 to 1979 and Leader of the L ...

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 Parli ...

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