Flag of the Navy Office in 1832
| |
| Government office overview | |
|---|---|
| Formed | 1576 |
| Preceding Government office | |
| Dissolved | 1832 |
| Jurisdiction |  Kingdom of England Kingdom of Great Britain |
| Headquarters |
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| Government office executive |
|
| Parent department | Department of Admiralty |
The Navy Office was the government office responsible for the civil administration of the British Royal Navy from 1576 to 1832. It contained all the members of the Navy Board and various other departments and offices. The day-to-day business of the Navy Office was headed by the Clerk of the Acts from 1660 until 1796. When this position was abolished duties were assumed by separate committees for Accounts, Correspondence, Stores, Transports and Victualling presided over by the Comptroller of the Navy. The Navy Office was one of two government offices (the other being the Department of Admiralty) that were jointly responsible for directing naval affairs. In 1832 following reforms of the naval service the Navy Office was abolished and its functions and staff taken over by the Admiralty.
In 1576 the Navy Office replaced the Office of the Council of the Marine.
Based at Deptford for most of the sixteenth century, the Navy Office later moved to the Tower Hill area of London.[1] In 1655 it relocated to a site at the crossroad of Crutched Friars and Seething Lane but in 1673 the office building was destroyed by fire. A new building designed by Christopher Wren was opened on the site in 1684.[2] The Navy Office continued to be based in Tower Hill until its move in 1786 to Somerset House.
Until 1628 the Navy Office was an independent advisory office to the Admiralty and Marine Affairs Office but upon the creation of the Board of Admiralty it became a subsidiary yet autonomous component of that office.[3] The primary organisation within the office was the Navy Board and the various offices of its principal commissioners. However, the Treasurer of the Navy although a principal member of the board administered a separate Navy Pay Office. From 1567 until 1660 the office was administered by the Comptroller of the Navy. In 1660 the Clerk of the Acts became responsible for the organisation of the Navy Office. In 1796 administration of the Navy Office was placed under the supervision of three Committees, of Correspondence, Accounts and Stores. Throughout its history its clerical supporting staff consisting of chief clerks then first, second and third class clerks were assigned to the various offices and departments within the Navy Office. In 1808 the Naval Works Department was relocated from the Admiralty to the Navy Office. A Ticket and Wages Branch was formed in 1829. In 1832 the Navy Office and subsequently the Navy Board were abolished and its functions transferred to the Department of Admiralty under supervision of the Board of Admiralty.[4]
The Navy Office provided accommodation for the Commissioners of the Navy Board and senior clerical and secretarial staff, as well as office space. Different branches, departments and offices were located within different parts of the Navy Office in London, England. Royal Navy Dockyards both in the United Kingdom and overseas were also part of this office.
The Navy Office consisted of a number of specific component parts that included:[5][6]
The Navy Board and formerly known as the Council of the Marine or Council of the Marine Causes was the organisation with responsibility for the day-to-day civil administration of the Royal Navy between 1546 and 1832. Its principal officers and commissioners were headquartered in the Navy Office.
Oversight of all Royal Navy Dockyards that were part of the Navy Office were normally supervised by a resident commissioner of the navy board at their respective yards, these commissioners did not normally attend Navy Board meetings in London; nevertheless, they were full members of the Navy Board. After the abolition of the Navy Board and subsequently the Navy Office in 1832 responsibility for the management of the dockyards passed to the Board of Admiralty.
Other minor yards (with some permanent staff and minor repair/storage facilities, but without dry docks etc.) were established in a number of locations over time, usually to serve a nearby anchorage used by naval vessels.
