Council of the Marine
Badge of the Navy Board on Somerset House (the Board's headquarters 1789-1832)
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| Board overview | |
|---|---|
| Formed | April 24 1546 |
| Preceding Board |
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| Dissolved | June 1, 1832 |
| Jurisdiction |
 Kingdom of England  Kingdom of Great Britain
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| Headquarters | Navy Office, Seething Lane (1654-1788); Somerset House (1789-1831); Whitehall, Westminster, London |
| Board executive | |
| Parent department | Admiralty |
The Navy Board also known as the Navy Office and formerly known as the Council of the Marine or Council of the Marine Causes was the organisation with responsibility for day-to-day civil administration of the Royal Navy between 1546 and 1832.
The origins of the Navy Board first began to appear in the 15th century when the Keeper of the Kings or Clerk of the Kings Ships in (1414) the predecessor then later subordinate office of the Lord Admiral of England was joined by a Keeper of the Kings Storehouses in (1514) . As management of the navy began to expand he was joined by a Clerk Comptroller in (1522) then later the Lieutenant of the Admiralty in (1544) then a Treasurer of Marine Causes in (1544) was added. A sixth officer was created a Surveyor and Rigger of the Navy in (1544) and finally a seventh officer called Master of Naval Ordnance also in (1545) the group by January 1545 was already working as a body known as the Council of the Marine or King's Majesty's Council of His Marine . In the first quarter of 1545 an official memorandum was outlined that proposed the establishment of a new organisation that would formalize a structure for administering the navy that would have a clear chain of command for executing the office. Following the previous proposals the Navy Board was officially appointed by letters patent by Henry VIII on the 24 April 1546 it was initially directed by the Lieutenant of the Admiralty until 1557. the board was charged with overseeing the administrative affairs of the navy (while directive, executive and operational duties of the Lord High Admiral remained with the Admiralty Office. It was also referred to as the Navy Office,. In 1557 the Lieutenant of the Admiralty ceased to direct the Navy Board that role was now given to the Treasurer of the Navy also known as the Senior Commissioner. In the earlier part of its history it remained independent until 1628 when it became a subsidiary body of the Board of Admiralty now reporting to the First Lord of the Admiralty. In 1660 the Treasurer of the Navy ceased to direct the board and was replaced by the Comptroller who now held the new joint title of Chairman of the Board. Although a subordinate body of Admiralty Board, it still maintained its independence in relation to its role within the Royal navy until 1832. Following re-structuring proposals of the Naval Service made by Sir James Graham the Navy Board was finally abolished (along with its subsidiary boards for Sick and Hurt, Transport, and Victualling) and all of the functions were merged under the single responsibility of the Board of Admiralty with its administrative functions being dispersed among the Naval Lords.
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