Navy Records Society facts for kids
The Navy Records Society is a special group that started in 1893. Its main job is to find and publish old documents about the history of the Royal Navy, which is the British navy. Think of it like a detective agency for naval history! Two important leaders, Professor Sir John Knox Laughton and Admiral Sir Cyprian Bridge, helped create the society. They were inspired by other groups like the Hakluyt Society. Even a famous American naval historian, Rear Admiral Alfred Thayer Mahan, was one of the first people from outside the UK to join.
Since it began, the society has published new books of original documents almost every year. These books cover many important people in British naval history, like Nelson, Beatty, and Cunningham. They also cover lots of different topics, from how ships communicated and were built to naval plans and politics. In 2006, the society published its 150th book!
Contents
What They Publish
The Navy Records Society publishes many books that help us understand naval history better. These books often include original letters, diaries, and official papers from the past. They cover different periods and events in the Royal Navy's history. For example, some books might be about how the navy worked during a certain war, or about the lives of important admirals.
The society has published over 160 volumes (books) so far. These include detailed records about naval administration, important battles, and the daily lives of sailors. They help historians and anyone interested in the navy learn directly from the past.
The society also has an exciting online magazine. This magazine is like a growing online library of British naval records. It includes documents from archives, museums, and even private collections that you might not see anywhere else.
New documents are added to the online magazine at least once a month. Each new item comes with a detailed introduction that explains why it's important. It also includes links to related information from the Royal Museums Greenwich and sometimes even videos. Members of the society can share their thoughts and knowledge about each new posting.
Important People Who Started It
Many brilliant minds have been part of the Navy Records Society. Here are some of the key figures who helped shape it and shared their knowledge of naval history.
Admiral Sir Cyprian Bridge (1839–1924)
Sir Cyprian Bridge was one of the two main people who started the Navy Records Society. He was born in Newfoundland. He joined the Royal Navy in 1853 and served all over the world.
In 1889, he became the head of the Admiralty's (the navy's headquarters) new intelligence department. He became a high-ranking admiral in 1892. In June 1893, he led the first meeting that led to the creation of the Navy Records Society.
After leaving his Admiralty job in 1894, he became the naval commander in Australia until 1898. He was promoted to vice-admiral and received an important knighthood (KCB) in 1899. In 1901, he went to China as commander and played a big part in talks that led to the Anglo-Japanese Treaty in 1902. He became a full admiral in 1904 and then retired.
Sir Cyprian had strong ideas about naval policy. He wrote many articles and books on naval topics, including his own memories in "Some Recollections" (1918).
Sir John Knox Laughton (1830–1913)
Sir John Knox Laughton was the main founder of the Navy Records Society. He was born in Liverpool. He studied mathematics at Cambridge University and then joined the Royal Navy as an instructor.
He served on ships during the Crimean War and the Second Opium War. His time at sea ended in 1866, when he started teaching at the Royal Naval College in Portsmouth. He wrote important books on weather and sea surveying. In 1873, he became head of the meteorology department at the Royal Naval College, Greenwich.
Laughton also wrote about naval tactics and the scientific study of naval history. In 1876, he began teaching naval history. He wrote many books and articles in this field and is seen as the person who started the modern study of naval history. In 1885, he became a professor of modern history at King's College, London.
He founded the Navy Records Society with his friend, Admiral Cyprian Bridge. Many important people supported the idea, including the famous American naval thinker Alfred Thayer Mahan.
As the society's secretary from 1893 to 1912, Laughton was very important. He guided the society, arranged publications, found new members, and got respected scholars to edit the books. Before World War I, when Germany was building up its navy, the society focused on publishing historical documents that related to current issues. This was to help influence decision-makers.
Laughton edited some of the first books published by the society, including "State Papers Relating to the Defeat of the Spanish Armada" (1894). He also wrote over 900 entries in the "Dictionary of National Biography," especially about naval figures. He was knighted in 1907.
Sir Julian Corbett (1854–1922)
Sir Julian Corbett was a lawyer who became a famous writer on British naval history. From 1902, he taught at the Royal Naval War College at Greenwich. He was one of the society's most important early members and edited several of its publications.
He wrote a well-known book called "Drake and the Tudor Navy" in 1898. This book used many old documents and showed how government plans were connected to naval power. He edited several volumes for the Navy Records Society, including "Papers Relating to the Spanish War, 1585–87."
In 1914, he received a special gold medal. His other books included "The Successors of Drake" (1900) and "The Campaign of Trafalgar" (1910). He also wrote influential pamphlets.
During World War I, Corbett advised on naval policy. He was knighted in 1917 and became the official historian of the war's naval actions in his book "Naval Operations."
Admiral Sir Herbert Richmond (1871–1946)
Herbert Richmond was a very smart naval officer. In 1913, he edited one of the society's books. He was a close friend of Sir Julian Corbett and took over editing some of Corbett's projects.
Richmond joined the navy in 1885 and rose quickly. He was known for giving critical advice to his senior officers and publishing articles, which sometimes limited his naval career. He helped start the "Naval Review" magazine in 1912. He became a Rear-Admiral in 1920 and later commanded the East Indies Station. He was also the first head of the new Imperial Defence College. In 1929, he was promoted to Admiral and then retired.
Besides the society's books, Richmond wrote important studies like "The Navy in the War of 1739–48" (1920). After retiring, he became a professor of Imperial and Naval History at Cambridge University.
Professor Michael Lewis (1890–1970)
Michael Lewis was a council member and vice-president of the Navy Records Society. He edited some of the society's books, including "A Narrative of My Personal Adventures" by Sir William Henry Dillon.
Lewis was part of what was called the "Greenwich School" of naval historians. This group of teachers from the Admiralty's own staff played a big role in writing and explaining naval history.
He taught at the Royal Naval College at Osborne and served in the Royal Marine Artillery during World War I. In 1934, he became a professor of history and English at the Royal Naval College, Greenwich, a position he held until 1955.
Lewis started as a writer of fiction and poetry. From 1939, he became a very productive and original writer on naval history. His books explored many different parts of the navy's story, such as "England’s Sea Officers" (1939) and "The History of the British Navy" (1959).
Professor Christopher Lloyd (1906–1986)
Christopher Lloyd played a big part in organizing the society. He became the administrative secretary in 1949 and then took on publications in 1950. He was the full secretary from 1952 to 1962. He edited five books for the society, including volumes of the "Keith papers."
Christopher Lloyd studied at Oxford and taught in Canada. He then taught at the Royal Naval College, Dartmouth, and later at the RNC Greenwich until he retired in 1966. In 1962, he became a professor of history. He also edited the journal for the Society for Nautical Research.
His most famous books were "The Navy and the Slave Trade" (1949) and "The British Seaman" (1968).
Professor Nicholas Rodger (1949- )
Nicholas Rodger was the honorary secretary of the society from 1976 to 1990. During this time, he worked at the Public Record Office. In 1992, he became a special fellow at the National Maritime Museum to start writing his three-volume work, "The Naval History of Britain."
In 1999, he became a senior lecturer in history at the University of Exeter and later a professor of naval history. In 2008, he became a senior research fellow at All Souls College, Oxford.
Dr. Rodger edited a "Naval Miscellany" volume and helped put together documents for the society's Centenary volume. He wrote "The Admiralty" (1979) and "The Wooden World: an anatomy of the Georgian Navy" (1986). His book "The Insatiable Earl" was published in 1993. The first volume of "A Naval History of Britain," called "The Safeguard of the Sea," came out in 1997. The second volume, "The Command of the Ocean," was published in 2004. Professor Rodger is currently working on the third volume.
Professor Andrew Lambert (1956- )
Andrew Lambert was the honorary secretary of the society from 1996 to 2005 and has been a council member for many years. He edited one of the society's books, "Letters and Papers of Professor Sir John Knox Laughton, 1830–1915" (2002).
He has taught at King's College, London, since 1991. Professor Lambert became a professor of naval history at Kings in 1999 and has been the Laughton Professor of Naval History since 2001.
Professor Lambert has written many books about the 19th century. His books include "Battleships in Transition" (1984), "The Crimean War" (1990), and "Nelson: Britannia’s God of War" (2004). He also presented the television series "War at Sea" on BBC 2 in 2004.
