| Office of the Treasurer of the Navy | |
|---|---|
 Navy Board flag | |
| Department of the Admiralty | |
| Member of | Navy Board (1546–1832) |
| Reports to | First Lord of the Admiralty |
| Nominator | First Lord of the Admiralty |
| Appointer | Prime Minister Subject to formal approval by the King-in-Council |
| Term length | Not fixed (typically 3–7 years) |
| Inaugural holder | William Gonson |
| Formation | 1524–1836 |
The Treasurer of the Navy, originally called Treasurer of Marine Causes or Paymaster of the Navy, was a civilian officer of the Royal Navy, one of the principal commissioners of the Navy Board responsible for naval finance from 1524 to 1832. The treasurer was based at the Navy Pay Office.
History
Originally established in 1524, the first holder of the post was William Gonson; he held the office for twenty years until 1544. Although a member of the board, his office was semi-autonomous. The office-holder was responsible for the direction and control of the finance of the Royal Navy. The office was a political appointment and frequently was held by up-and-coming young politicians who would later go on to hold more important positions. Before 1832 all accounts were dealt with by a number of different offices and officials. The Treasurer of the Navy originated during the reign of Henry VIII. He was the senior member of the Navy Board responsible for all Navy accounts; he gradually withdrew during the seventeenth century from the board's day-to-day affairs and his office, and the Navy Pay Office, came to be regarded as entirely separate from the Navy Office. The Treasurer of the Navy survived the re-organisational changes of 1832, but the office was abolished in 1835 and its duties were transferred to the Paymaster General's' Office.
Treasurers of the Navy 1524–1836
Notable holders of this post included:
Departments and offices under Treasurer
Included:
- Navy Pay Office (1546–1832) This was in effect the larger part of the Treasurer of the Navy’s Department.
- Department of the Accountant-General of the Navy (1829–1832)
References
- Mackenzie, Sir George (1 January 1821). "The Royal naval and military calendar: and national record for 1821". Google Books. Printed for the author. Retrieved 28 February 2017.
- Knighton, C. S.; Loades, David (2016). Elizabethan Naval Administration. Routledge. p. 5. ISBN 9781317145035.
- Knighton, C. S.; Loades, D. M. (2011). The Navy of Edward VI and Mary I. Ashgate Publishing, Ltd. p. 570. ISBN 9781409418474.
- "Navy Board: Navy Pay Office: Treasurer's Out-Letters". discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk. National Archives, 1807–1830, ADM 15. Retrieved 28 February 2017.
- Hill Miller, Helen (1985). Captains from Devon: the great Elizabethan seafarers who won the oceans for England. Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill. p. 33. ISBN 9780912697277.
- Sainty, J. C. (January 2003). "Navy Treasurer c. 1546–1836". www.history.ac.uk. Institute of Historical Research, University of London. Archived from the original on 27 June 2018.
- Knighton, C. S.; Loades, D. M. (2011). The Navy of Edward VI and Mary I. Ashgate Publishing, Ltd. p. 570. ISBN 9781409418474.
- Miller, Helen Hill (1985). Captains from Devon : the great Elizabethan seafarers who won the oceans for England. Chapel Hill, North Carolina: Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill. p. 33. ISBN 9780912697277.
- Knighton, C. S.; Loades, D. M. (2011). The Navy of Edward VI and Mary I. Ashgate Publishing, Ltd. p. 570. ISBN 9781409418474.
- Bennell, John (2004). "Gonson, William (d. 1544)". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/47400. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
- "Greville, Fulke (GRVL568F)". A Cambridge Alumni Database. University of Cambridge.
- Cock, Randolph; Rodger, N. A. M. "A Guide to the Naval Records in the National Archives" (PDF). humanities.exeter.ac.uk. University of London. p. 221. Retrieved 8 January 2019.
