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United Kingdom
Office of the Parliamentary and Financial Secretary to the Admiralty
Flag of the British Secretary of State for Defence.svg
Flag of the Secretary to the Admiralty
Royal Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom (HM Government).svg
Royal Arms as used by Her Majesty's Government
Ministry of Defence
Style The Right Honourable
(Formal prefix)
Secretary to the Admiralty
Member of British Cabinet
Board of Admiralty
Seat Westminster, London
Appointer The British Monarch
on advice of the Prime Minister
Term length No fixed term
Formation 1625–1959
First holder Sir Edward Nicholas
Final holder Charles Ian Orr-Ewing

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. 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 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. 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 and Under-Secretary of State 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, 1652– July 1660

Secretaries to the Admiralty

Included:

First Secretaries to the Admiralty

Included:

Notes: The Board of Admiralty commission ceased and came under the control of the Lord High Admirals Council from 1827 to 1828.

  • Hon. George Elliot, 1828–1834
  • George Robert Dawson, 1834–1835
  • Charles Wood, 1835–1839
  • Richard More O'Ferrall, 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

Parliamentary and Financial Secretaries to the Admiralty

office abolished on 16 October 1959

Departments under the office

  • Department of the Accountant-General of the Navy
  • Department of the Director of Contracts
  • Contracts and Purchase Department

See also

  • Permanent Secretary of the Admiralty
  • First Lord of the Admiralty
  • Board of Admiralty
  • British Admiralty
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