Navy Board
Badge of the Navy Board on Somerset House (the Board's headquarters 1789-1832)
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| Agency overview | |
|---|---|
| Formed | 1546 |
| 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 |
The Navy Board was the organisation with responsibility for day-to-day administration of the Royal Navy between 1546 and 1832.
The Board was established by Henry VIII in 1546 "to oversee the administrative affairs of the naval service" (while policy direction, operational control and maritime jurisdiction remained in the hands of the Lord High Admiral). It was also referred to as the Navy Office, particularly in the earlier part of its history.
The Navy Board of the 16th and early 17th century oversaw shipbuilding and maintenance through the Royal Dockyards of Deptford, Woolwich, Portsmouth and Chatham; it was also responsible for the oversight and maintenance of these dockyards. In addition, the Board co-ordinated provision of victuals for the fleet (obtained from private contractors or "agents") and provision of ordnance items (sourced from the Office of Ordnance). It was also responsible for the appointment of junior officers and warrant officers, and had several other duties in addition.
As the size of the fleet grew, the Admiralty sought to focus the activity of the Navy Board on two areas: ships and their maintenance, and naval expenditure. Therefore, from the mid- to late-17th century, a number of subsidiary Boards began to be established to oversee other aspects of the Board's work. These included:
Each of these subsidiary Boards went on to gain a degree of independence (though they remained, nominally at least, overseen by the Navy Board).
The Navy Pay Office (domain of the Treasurer and the Paymaster of the Navy) was independent of the Board; though the Board's Commissioners were required to authorize payments, all funds were held and issued by the Pay Office (which was also known as the Naval Treasury).
Instrumental in the early administration of the Navy Office were four officials or "Principal Officers":
As defined by a set of drawn up under Henry's successor, Edward VI, the Navy Board was given a high degree of autonomy while yet remaining subordinate to the Lord High Admiral. This - at times ambiguous - relationship with The Admiralty was an enduring characteristic of the Board, and indeed was one of the reasons behind its eventual demise in 1832.
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