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{{Royal Navy}}
The '''First Lord of the Admiralty''' was the minister responsible to Crown and Parliament for the administration of the Naval Service of the United Kingdom, encompassing the Royal Navy, the Royal Marines and other services.  By custom and design he was the pre-eminent Lord Commissioner on the [[Board of Admiralty]].


The '''First Lord of the Admiralty''' was responsible for the general direction and supervision of all business relating to the [[Royal Navy]].  He also dealt personally with all matters relating to promotions and removals from the service of naval and marine officers; honors and rewards [royal yachts and admiralty yacht]; appointment of Admirals and officers in command [including Engineers, Rear-Admirals, Surgeons-General and Deputy Surgeons-General, and staff appointments
==History==
of the Royal Marines; [[Chaplain of the Fleet (Royal Navy)|Chaplain of the Fleet]], appointment and entry of] naval chaplains and instructors; civil appointments and promotions (higher posts) [nomination to naval cadetships and to assistant clerkships, R.N.].
By [[Order in Council of 14 January, 1869]], the powers of the First Lord were fixed in law for the first time:


==First Lords of the Admiralty, 1853 –1919==
<blockquote>The First Lord being responsible to Your Majesty and to Parliament for all the business of the Admiralty, the other Members of the Board should act as his Assistants in the transaction of the duties.{{UKOrdersinCouncilIII|pp. 254-256}}</blockquote>
Dates of appointment given:


*The Right Honourable Sir James Graham, Bart., M.P., 5 January, 1853.<ref>Hamilton.  p. 317.</ref>
The supremacy of the First Lord was reinforced by the Orders in Council of [[Order in Council of 19 March, 1872|19 March, 1872]], and [[Order in Council of 10 August, 1904|10 August, 1904]], whereby the other Lords Commissioners were no longer labelled "Assistants" but still had their duties assigned to them by the First Lord.
*The Right Honourable Sir Charles Wood, Bart., M.P., 8 March, 1855.<ref>Ibid.</ref>
 
*The Right Honourable Sir John Pakington, M.P., 8 March, 1858.<ref>Ibid.</ref>
In its obituary of First Lord [[George Ward Hunt|G. Ward Hunt]] in 1877 ''The Times'' opined that the office "is, perhaps, one of the least enviable in the Cabinet and most open to criticism."<ref>"Death of Mr. Ward Hunt" (Obituaries). ''The Times''.  Monday, 30 July, 1877. Issue '''29007''', col F, p. 9.</ref>
*The Right Honourable The Duke of Somerset, 28 June, 1859.<ref>Ibid.</ref>
 
*The Right Honourable Sir John Pakington, M.P., 13 July, 1866.<ref>Ibid.</ref>
==Salary & Residence==
*The Right Honourable H. T. Lowry Corry, M.P., 8 March, 1867.<ref>Ibid.</ref>
In 1786 a house next to the Admiralty was purchased, demolished, and Admiralty House erected as a residence for the First Lord in its place.<ref>Smith. "The Admiralty Building". p. 278.</ref> The salary had been reduced from £5,000 per annum with residence to £4,500 per annum with residence in 1830/1831 as part of cost-cutting across government.<ref>For 1830 see ''Report from the Select Committee on Official Salaries''. pp. 3, 23. Q. 206. For 1831 see Graham Greene to Secretary of the Treasury. Letter of 5 January, 1912. {{TNA|T 1/11517.}}</ref> In 1870 Hugh Childers allegedly proposed giving up all but the ground floor of the residence for office space, but like so many other unrealised schemes this was thwarted by his illness and premature retirement as First Lord.<ref>''Report from the Select Committee on the Admiralty and War Office (Sites)''. p. 90. Q. 1578.</ref>
*The Right Honourable H. C. Erskine Childers, M.P., 18 December, 1868.<ref>Ibid.</ref>
 
*[[George Joachim Goschen, First Viscount Goschen|The Right Honourable George J. Goschen]], M.P., 9 March, 1871.<ref>Ibid.</ref>
From 1899 the First Lord was granted "an allowance of 50''l''. To be reconsidered on vacancy".<ref>''Navy Estimates for the Year 1900-1900''. p. 140.</ref> Evidently it was as it disappears after George Goschen's time as First Lord. When his successor Lord Selborne was appointed he was apparently granted £500 per annum because he "was unable to take up his residence in the official house owing to alterations".<ref>Graham Greene to Robert Chalmers. Letter of 5 January, 1912. {{TNA|T 1/11517.}}</ref>
*The Right Honourable G. Ward Hunt, M.P., 3 March, 1874.<ref>Ibid.</ref>
 
*The Right Honourable W. H. Smith, M.P., 14 August, 1877.<ref>Ibid.</ref>
By [[Orders in Council of 17 January, 1912|Order in Council of 17 January, 1912]], the salary was changed to £4,500 per annum with residence or £4,500 per annum with a £500 per annum allowance in lieu of a residence.{{UKOrdersinCouncilX|p. 221}} This change had been made specifically at the behest of the perennially cash-strapped new First Lord, [[Winston Churchill]]. The official letter proposing the change made clear:
*The Right Honourable The Earl of Northbrook, 12 May, 1880.<ref>Ibid.</ref>
 
*[[Lord George Francis Hamilton|The Right Honourable Lord George Hamilton]], M.P., 1 July, 1885.<ref>Ibid.</ref>
<blockquote>the benefit to the occupier of receiving a furnished residence is a great deal more than balanced by the incidental expenses involved in the occupation of a house of the size far in excess of the normal requirements of a Minister unprovided with a large private income.<ref>Graham Greene to Robert Chalmers. Letter of 5 January, 1912. {{TNA|T 1/11517.}}</ref></blockquote>
*The Right Honourable The Marquess of Ripon, 16 February, 1886.<ref>''The Naval Staff of the Admiralty''.  p. 118.</ref>
 
*The Right Honourable Lord George Hamilton, M.P., 6 August, 1886.<ref>Ibid.</ref>
There were, of course, other reasons. It was "estimated that the expense of repairing and refitting Admiralty House as a residence on each change of occupier amounts to £4,000 to £5,000, apart from the annual charges for maintenance", which was given as roughly £300. It was also proposed to convert the first floor into accommodation for the [[Admiralty War Staff]] which was created in January, 1912, as "the Admiralty offices are inadequate for the accommodation of the existing staff". Apparently the cost of new office space had been "estimated by the Office of Works, to no less than £40,000" (given the floorspace of the first floor amounted to approximately 3,000 square feet across a mere five rooms, this is exceedingly debatable). Perhaps unsurprisingly, given the promise of savings&mdash;both actual and projected&mdash;the Treasury approved the proposals the next day in a stunning display of speed, and Churchill's salary was increased to £5,000 per annum.<ref>Graham Greene to Robert Chalmers. Letter of 5 January, 1912. Robert Chalmers to Graham Greene. Draft of letter of 6 January, 1912. {{TNA|T 1/11517.}}</ref>
*[[John Poyntz Spencer, Fifth Earl Spencer|The Right Honourable The Earl Spencer]], 23 August, 1892.<ref>Ibid.</ref>
 
*The Right Honourable George J. Goschen, M.P., 4 July, 1895.<ref>Ibid.</ref>
At the beginning of 1913 Churchill changed his mind and instructed the Admiralty to claim that:
*[[William Waldegrave Palmer, Second Earl of Selborne|The Right Honourable The Earl of Selborne]], 20 November, 1900.<ref>Ibid.</ref>
 
*[[Frederick Archibald Vaughan Campbell, Third Earl Cawdor|The Right Honourable The Earl Cawdor]], 27 March, 1905.<ref>Ibid.</ref>
<blockquote>the experience of the past year having shown that the arrangement then made is attended with inconvenience to the Public Service, the First Lord is ''prepared'' to occupy Admiralty House as a residence, and it is proposed that such a use should be resumed as soon as practicable.<ref>Graham Greene to Secretary of the Treasury. Letter of 7 January, 1913. {{TNA|T 1/11517.}}</ref> </blockquote>
*[[Edward Marjoribanks, Second Baron Tweedmouth|The Right Honourable The Lord Tweedmouth]], 21 December, 1905.<ref>Ibid.</ref>
 
*[[Reginald McKenna|The Right Honourable Reginald McKenna]], M.P., 16 April, 1908.<ref>Ibid.</ref>
Naturally Churchill hoped that he would be allowed to keep the £500 allowance on account of "the fact that such an important part of Admiralty House will be reserved for office purposes".<ref>Ibid.</ref> Louis J. Hewby, a senior clerk at the Treasury, savagely noted:
*[[Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill|The Right Honourable Winston L. S. Churchill]], M.P., 24 October, 1911.<ref>Ibid.</ref>
 
*[[Arthur James Balfour, First Earl of Balfour|The Right Honourable Arthur J. Balfour]], M.P., 27 May, 1915.<ref>Ibid.</ref>
<blockquote>This is the first I have heard of any inconvenience to the public service arising from the First Lord's vacation of his official residence, and while the Sec<sup><u>ies</u></sup> for War and for Foreign Affairs can conduct their business without an official residence, it is not easy to see why the First Lord of the Adm<sup><u>y</u></sup> cannot do the same.<ref>Hewby minute of 8 January, 1913. {{TNA|T 1/11517.}}</ref></blockquote>  
*[[Edward Henry Carson, Baron Carson|The Right Honourable Sir Edward Carson]], M.P., Q.C. 11 December, 1916.<ref>Ibid.</ref>
 
*[[Eric Campbell Geddes|The Right Honourable Sir Eric C. Geddes]], M.P., 6 September, 1917.<ref>Ibid.</ref>
Hewby then stated "It is clearly out of the question that he sh<sup><u>d</u></sup> retain his £500 in lieu of residence + the residence. This w<sup><u>d</u></sup> put him in a better position than his colleagues the Secretaries of State."<ref>Ibid.</ref> His superiors approved Churchill's moving in, however, but ''not'' the retention of the £500.<ref>Charles Masterman to Graham Greene. Draft letter of 15 January, 1913. {{TNA|T 1/11517.}}</ref>
*[[Walter Hume Long, First Viscount Long|The Right Honourable Walter H. Long]], M.P., 16 January, 1919.<ref>Ibid.</ref>
 
==Duties==
{| class="collapsible wikitable collapsed" style="width: 50%"
! 1844.<ref>{{TNA|ADM 1/5543.}}</ref>
|-
| The 1<sup>st</sup> Lord as the Constitutional Adviser of the Crown on the affairs of the Department & the responsible Minister, has a general Control & Superintendence, and interferes in any Depart<sup><u>t</u></sup> in which he judges it to be his duty to interfere.
|}
 
{| class="collapsible wikitable collapsed" style="width: 50%"
! 1861.<ref>"Appendix No. 1.  Distribution of Duties."  ''Report of the Select Committee on the Board of Admiralty'' (1861).  p. 639.</ref>
|-
| General Direction and Supervision.
|-
| Political Questions.
|-
| Navy Estimates and Financial Questions.
|-
| Appointments to Commands.
|-
| Appointment of Chaplains and Naval Instructors.
|-
| Civil Appointments.
|-
| Promotions.
|-
| Honours and Distinctions.
|-
| Foreign Navies and Intelligence.
|-
| Slave Trade.
|-
| Harbours of Refuge.
|-
| Railways.
|-
| New Works.
|-
| Mersey Conservancy.
|}
 
{| class="collapsible wikitable collapsed" style="width: 50%"
! July, 1866.<ref>Greene Papers.  National Maritime Museum.  GEE/2.</ref>
|-
| General Direction and Supervision.
|-
| Political Questions.
|-
| Navy:<br>  Estimates and Financial Questions.<br>  Foreign Navies and Intelligence.<br>  Slave Trade.<br>  Harbours of Refuge.<br>  Railways.<br>  New Works.
|-
| Appointments to Commands.
|-
| Appointments of Chaplains and Naval Instructors.
|-
| Civil Appointments.
|-
| Promotions.
|-
| Honours and distinctions.
|-
| Mersey Conservancy.
|}
 
{| class="collapsible wikitable collapsed" style="width: 50%"
! December, 1868.<ref>Greene Papers.  National Maritime Museum.  GEE/2.</ref>
|-
| General Direction and Supervision.
|-
| Political Questions.
|-
| Appointments and Promotions&mdash;Private Office.
|}
 
{| class="collapsible wikitable collapsed" style="width: 50%"
! April, 1875.<ref>{{TNA|ADM 1/6316.}}.</ref>
|-
| 1.&mdash;General Direction and Supervision.
|-
| 2.&mdash;Political Questions.
|-
| 3.&mdash;Promotions.
|-
| 4.&mdash;Honours.
|-
| 5.&mdash;Civil Appointments.
|-
| 6.&mdash;Mersey Conservancy.
|-
| 7.&mdash;Appointments to Commands, &c.
|-
| 8.&mdash;Appointments [of] Commanders to Coast Guard.
|-
| 9.&mdash;Appointments of Chaplains.
|-
| 10.&mdash;Appointments of Naval Instructors.
|}
 
{| class="collapsible wikitable collapsed" style="width: 50%"
! 7 July, 1885.<ref>{{TNA|ADM 116/3392.}}</ref>
|-
| 1.&mdash;General Direction and Supervision.
|-
| 2.&mdash;Political Questions.
|-
| 3.&mdash;Board Questions.
|-
| 4.&mdash;Promotions and Removals from the Service of Naval and Marine Officers.
|-
| 5.&mdash;Honours and Rewards.
|-
| 6.&mdash;Royal Yachts, including Appointment of all Officers.
|-
| 7.&mdash;Civil Appointments and Promotions, except as provided under Controller and Civil Lord.
|-
| 8.&mdash;Mersey Conservancy.
|-
| 9.&mdash;Nomination to Naval Cadetships and to Assistant Clerkships, R.N.
|-
| 10.&mdash;Appointments of&mdash;<br>Flag Officers.<br>Captains.<br>Officers Commanding Ships.<br>Commanders to Coast Guard.<br>Chaplains.<br>Naval Instructors.<br>Inspectors and Deputy Inspectors of Hospitals and Medical Officers holding Civil Appointments.
|-
| 11.&mdash;Staff Appointments of the Royal Marines.
|}
 
{| class="collapsible wikitable collapsed" style="width: 50%"
! December, 1888.<ref>{{TNA|ADM 116/3392.}}</ref>
|-
| 1.&mdash;General Direction and Supervision of all business relating to the Navy.
|-
| 2.&mdash;Political Questions.
|-
| 3.&mdash;Board Questions.
|-
| 4.&mdash;Promotions and Removals from the Service of Naval and Marine Officers.
|-
| 5.&mdash;Honours and Rewards.
|-
| 6.&mdash;Royal Yachts, including Appointment of all Officers.
|-
| 7.&mdash;Civil Appointments and Promotions, except as provided under Controller of the Navy, and Civil Lord.
|-
| 8.&mdash;Mersey Conservancy.
|-
| 9.&mdash;Nomination to Naval Cadetships and to Assistant Clerkships, R.N.
|-
| 10.&mdash;Appointments of&mdash;<br>Flag Officers.<br>Captains.<br>Officers Commanding Ships.<br>Commanders to Coast Guard.<br>Chaplains. ''Temporarily delegated to Junior Naval Lord''.<br>Naval Instructors. ''Temporarily delegated to Junior Naval Lord''.<br>Inspectors and Deputy Inspectors of Hospitals and Medical Officers holding Civil Appointments.
|-
| 11.&mdash;Staff Appointments of the Royal Marines.
|-
| 12. Grants in Aid of Churches and Schools.
|}
 
{| class="collapsible wikitable collapsed" style="width: 50%"
! 26 November, 1900.<ref>{{TNA|ADM 116/3392.}}</ref>
|-
| 1.&mdash;General Direction and Supervision of all business relating to the Navy.
|-
| 2.&mdash;Political Questions.
|-
| 3.&mdash;Board Questions.
|-
| 4.&mdash;Promotions and Removals from the Service of Naval and Marine Officers.
|-
| 5.&mdash;Honours and Rewards.
|-
| 6.&mdash;Royal Yachts, including Appointment of all Officers.
|-
| 7.&mdash;Civil Appointments and Promotions, except as elsewhere provided under Controller of the Navy, and Civil Lord.
|-
| 8.&mdash;Mersey Conservancy.
|-
| 9.&mdash;Nomination to Naval Cadetships and to Assistant Clerkships, R.N.
|-
| 10.&mdash;Appointments of&mdash;<br>Flag Officers.<br>Captains.<br>Officers Commanding Ships.<br>Commanders to Coast Guard.<br>Inspectors and Deputy Inspectors of Hospitals and Medical Officers holding Civil Appointments.
|-
| 11.&mdash;Staff Appointments of the Royal Marines.
|-
| 12. Grants in Aid of Churches and Schools.
|}
 
{| class="collapsible wikitable collapsed" style="width: 50%"
! 16 April, 1908.<ref>{{TNA|ADM 116/3392.}}</ref>
|-
| 1.&mdash;General Direction and Supervision of all business relating to the Navy. Political and Board Questions.
|-
| 2.&mdash;Promotions and Removals from the Service of Naval and Marine Officers. Honours and Rewards.
|-
| 3.&mdash;Royal Yachts, including Appointment of all Officers.
|-
| 4.&mdash;Appointment of Admirals and Officers in Command, including Engineer Rear Admirals, Inspectors and Deputy Inspectors of Hospitals, and Staff Appointments of Royal Marines.
|-
| 5.&mdash;Chaplain of the Fleet, appointment of, and entry of Naval Chaplains and Instructors.
|-
| 6.&mdash;Civil Appointments and Promotions, except as provided under ''Controller'' and ''Civil Lord''.
|-
| 7.&mdash;Naval Cadetships and Nominations to Assistant Clerkships, R.N.
|}
 
{| class="collapsible wikitable collapsed" style="width: 50%"
! August, 1912.<ref>{{TNA|ADM 116/3392.}}  The distribution of 27 June, 1917, is identical.</ref>
|-
| General Direction and Supervision of all business relating to the Navy.  Political and Board Questions.
|-
| Promotions and Removals from the Service of Naval and Marine Officers.  Honours and Rewards.
|-
| Royal yachts, and Admiralty Yacht, including Appointment of all Officers.
|-
| Appointment of Flag Officers and Officers in Command, including Engineer Rear-Admirals, Surgeons-General, and Staff Appointments of Royal Marines.
|-
| Chaplain of the Fleet, appointment of, and entry of Naval Chaplains and Instructors.
|-
| Civil Appointments and Promotions (higher posts).
|-
| Naval Cadetships and Nominations to Assistant Clerkships, R.N.
|}
 
==First Lords of the Admiralty, 1853&ndash;1931==
 
{| class="wikitable" style="font-size: 95%;" width=100%
|-
! Name !! Date of Appointment !! Prime Minister !! Government !! Portrait
|-
| The Right Honourable Sir James Graham, Bart., M.P. || 5 January, 1853<ref name=ham>Hamilton.  p. 317.</ref> || The Earl of Aberdeen || Peelite || [[File:JamesGraham.png|75px]]
|-
| The Right Honourable Sir Charles Wood, Bart., M.P. || 8 March, 1855<ref name=ham/> || Lord Palmerston || Whig || [[File:ViscountHalifax.jpg|75px]]
|-
| The Right Honourable Sir John Pakington, Bart., M.P. || 8 March, 1858<ref name=ham/> || The Earl of Derby || Conservative || [[File:BaronHampton.jpeg|75px]]
|-
| The Right Honourable The Duke of Somerset || 28 June, 1859<ref name=ham/> || Lord Palmerston<br>Earl Russell || Liberal || [[File:DukeOfSomerset.jpg|75px]]
|-
| The Right Honourable Sir John Pakington, Bart., M.P. || 13 July, 1866<ref name=ham/> || The Earl of Derby || rowspan=2 | Conservative || [[File:BaronHampton.jpeg|75px]]
|-
| The Right Honourable H. T. Lowry Corry, M.P. || 8 March, 1867<ref name=ham/> || The Earl of Derby<br>Benjamin Disraeli || [[File:LowryCorry.jpeg|75px]]
|-
| The Right Honourable Hugh C. E. Childers, M.P. || 18 December, 1868<ref name=ham/> || rowspan=2 | William E. Gladstone || rowspan=2 | Liberal || [[File:HughChilders.jpg|75px]]
|-
| [[George Joachim Goschen, First Viscount Goschen|The Right Honourable George J. Goschen]], M.P. || 9 March, 1871<ref name=ham/> || [[File:ViscountGoschen1877.jpeg|75px]]
|-
| The Right Honourable [[George Ward Hunt|G. Ward Hunt]], M.P. || 3 March, 1874<ref name=ham/> || rowspan=2 | Benjamin Disraeli<br>(Earl of Beaconsfield, 1876) || rowspan=2 | Conservative || [[File:GeorgeWardHunt.jpeg|75px]]
|-
| The Right Honourable W. H. Smith, M.P. || 14 August, 1877<ref name=ham/> || [[File:WilliamHenrySmith.jpg|75px]]
|-
| The Right Honourable The Earl of Northbrook || 12 May, 1880<ref name=ham/> || William E. Gladstone || Liberal || [[File:EarlOfNorthbrook.jpg|75px]]
|-
| [[George Francis Hamilton|The Rt. Hon. Lord George Hamilton]], M.P. || 1 July, 1885<ref name=ham/> || The Marquess of Salisbury || Unionist || [[File:LordGeorgeHamilton.jpeg|75px]]
|-
| The Right Honourable The Marquess of Ripon || 16 February, 1886<ref name=staff>''The Naval Staff of the Admiralty''.  p. 118.</ref> || William E. Gladstone || Liberal || [[File:MarquessOfRipon.jpg|75px]]
|-
| The Right Honourable Lord George Hamilton, M.P. || 6 August, 1886<ref name=staff/> || The Marquess of Salisbury || Unionist || [[File:LordGeorgeHamilton.jpeg|75px]]
|-
| [[John Poyntz Spencer, Fifth Earl Spencer|The Right Honourable The Earl Spencer]] || 23 August, 1892<ref name=staff/> || William E. Gladstone<br>The Earl of Rosebery || Liberal || [[File:EarlSpencer.jpg|75px]]
|-
| The Right Honourable George J. Goschen, M.P. || 4 July, 1895<ref name=staff/> || The Marquess of Salisbury || rowspan=3 | Unionist || [[File:ViscountGoschen.jpeg|75px]]
|-
| [[William Waldegrave Palmer, Second Earl of Selborne|The Right Honourable The Earl of Selborne]] || 20 November, 1900<ref name=staff/> || The Marquess of Salisbury<br>Arthur Balfour || [[File:EarlOfSelborne.jpg|75px]]
|-
| [[Frederick Archibald Vaughan Campbell, Third Earl Cawdor|The Right Honourable The Earl Cawdor]] || 27 March, 1905<ref name=staff/> || Arthur Balfour || [[File:EarlCawdor.jpg|75px]]
|-
| [[Edward Marjoribanks, Second Baron Tweedmouth|The Right Honourable The Lord Tweedmouth]] || 21 December, 1905<ref name=staff/> || Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman || rowspan=3 | Liberal || [[File:BaronTweedmouth.jpg|75px]]
|-
| [[Reginald McKenna|The Right Honourable Reginald McKenna]], M.P. || 16 April, 1908<ref name=staff/> || rowspan=3 | Herbert H. Asquith || [[File:ReginaldMcKenna.jpg|75px]]
|-
| [[Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill|The Right Honourable Winston L. S. Churchill]], M.P. || 24 October, 1911<ref name=staff/> || [[File:WinstonChurchill.jpg|75px]]
|-
| [[Arthur James Balfour, First Earl of Balfour|The Right Honourable Arthur J. Balfour]], M.P. || 27 May, 1915<ref name=staff/> || rowspan=5 | Coalition || [[File:EarlOfBalfour.jpg|75px]]
|-
| [[Edward Henry Carson, Baron Carson|The Right Honourable Sir Edward H. Carson]], M.P., Q.C. || 11 December, 1916<ref name=staff/> || rowspan=4 | David Lloyd George || [[File:BaronCarson.jpg|75px]]
|-
| [[Eric Campbell Geddes|The Right Honourable Sir Eric C. Geddes]], M.P. || 20 July, 1917<ref>''The London Gazette''. 20 July, 1917. Issue 30192. p. 7337.</ref> || [[File:EricGeddes.jpg|75px]]
|-
| [[Walter Hume Long, First Viscount Long|The Right Honourable Walter H. Long]], M.P. || 16 January, 1919<ref name=staff/> || [[File:ViscountLong.jpg|75px]]
|-
| [[Arthur Hamilton Lee, First Viscount Lee of Fareham|The Right Honourable The Lord Lee of Fareham]] || 18 February, 1921<ref name=staff/> || [[File:ViscountLee.jpg|75px]]
|-
| [[Leopold Charles Maurice Stennett Amery|The Right Honourable Leo C. M. S. Amery]], M.P. || 31 October, 1922<ref name=staff/> || Andrew Bonar Law || Conservative || [[File:LeoAmery.jpg|75px]]
|-
| [[Frederic John Napier Thesiger, First Viscount Chelmsford|The Right Honourable Viscount Chelmsford]] || 28 January, 1924<ref name=staff/> || Ramsay MacDonald || Labour || [[File:ViscountChelmsford.jpg|75px]]
|-
| [[William Bridgeman, First Viscount Bridgeman|The Right Honourable William C. Bridgeman]], M.P. || 7 November, 1924<ref name=staff/>|| Stanley Baldwin || Conservative || [[File:ViscountBridgeman.jpg|75px]]
|-
| [[Albert Victor Alexander, First Earl Alexander of Hillsborough|The Right Honourable Albert V. Alexander]], M.P. || 10 June, 1929<ref name=staff/> || Ramsay MacDonald || Labour || [[File:EarlAlexander.jpg|75px]]
|}


==Footnotes==
==Footnotes==
Line 38: Line 316:
==Bibliography==
==Bibliography==
{{refbegin}}
{{refbegin}}
*{{BibUKNavalStaff}}
*''Report from the Select Committee on Official Salaries; Together with the Proceedings of the Committee, Minutes of Evidence, Appendix, and Index''. H.C. 611 (1850).
*Hamilton, C. I. (2011). ''The Making of the Modern Admiralty: British Naval Policy-Making, 1805-1927''. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-76518-3.
*''Report from the Select Committee on the Board of Admiralty; Together with the Proceedings of the Committee, Minutes of Evidence, Appendix, and Index''. H.C. 438 (1861).
*''Report from the Selection Committee on the Admiralty and War Office (Sites); Together with the Proceedings of the Committee, Minutes of Evidence, and Appendix''. H.C. 184 (1887).
*{{HamiltonAdmiralty}}
*{{UKNavalStaff}}
*Smith, D. B. (1923). "The Admiralty Building." ''The Mariner's Mirror''. 9:9. pp. 271-282.
{{refend}}
{{refend}}
{{Template:Board of Admiralty}}


[[Category:First Lords of the Admiralty|*]]
[[Category:First Lords of the Admiralty|*]]

Latest revision as of 15:23, 14 December 2024

The First Lord of the Admiralty was the minister responsible to Crown and Parliament for the administration of the Naval Service of the United Kingdom, encompassing the Royal Navy, the Royal Marines and other services. By custom and design he was the pre-eminent Lord Commissioner on the Board of Admiralty.

History

By Order in Council of 14 January, 1869, the powers of the First Lord were fixed in law for the first time:

The First Lord being responsible to Your Majesty and to Parliament for all the business of the Admiralty, the other Members of the Board should act as his Assistants in the transaction of the duties.[1]

The supremacy of the First Lord was reinforced by the Orders in Council of 19 March, 1872, and 10 August, 1904, whereby the other Lords Commissioners were no longer labelled "Assistants" but still had their duties assigned to them by the First Lord.

In its obituary of First Lord G. Ward Hunt in 1877 The Times opined that the office "is, perhaps, one of the least enviable in the Cabinet and most open to criticism."[2]

Salary & Residence

In 1786 a house next to the Admiralty was purchased, demolished, and Admiralty House erected as a residence for the First Lord in its place.[3] The salary had been reduced from £5,000 per annum with residence to £4,500 per annum with residence in 1830/1831 as part of cost-cutting across government.[4] In 1870 Hugh Childers allegedly proposed giving up all but the ground floor of the residence for office space, but like so many other unrealised schemes this was thwarted by his illness and premature retirement as First Lord.[5]

From 1899 the First Lord was granted "an allowance of 50l. To be reconsidered on vacancy".[6] Evidently it was as it disappears after George Goschen's time as First Lord. When his successor Lord Selborne was appointed he was apparently granted £500 per annum because he "was unable to take up his residence in the official house owing to alterations".[7]

By Order in Council of 17 January, 1912, the salary was changed to £4,500 per annum with residence or £4,500 per annum with a £500 per annum allowance in lieu of a residence.[8] This change had been made specifically at the behest of the perennially cash-strapped new First Lord, Winston Churchill. The official letter proposing the change made clear:

the benefit to the occupier of receiving a furnished residence is a great deal more than balanced by the incidental expenses involved in the occupation of a house of the size far in excess of the normal requirements of a Minister unprovided with a large private income.[9]

There were, of course, other reasons. It was "estimated that the expense of repairing and refitting Admiralty House as a residence on each change of occupier amounts to £4,000 to £5,000, apart from the annual charges for maintenance", which was given as roughly £300. It was also proposed to convert the first floor into accommodation for the Admiralty War Staff which was created in January, 1912, as "the Admiralty offices are inadequate for the accommodation of the existing staff". Apparently the cost of new office space had been "estimated by the Office of Works, to no less than £40,000" (given the floorspace of the first floor amounted to approximately 3,000 square feet across a mere five rooms, this is exceedingly debatable). Perhaps unsurprisingly, given the promise of savings—both actual and projected—the Treasury approved the proposals the next day in a stunning display of speed, and Churchill's salary was increased to £5,000 per annum.[10]

At the beginning of 1913 Churchill changed his mind and instructed the Admiralty to claim that:

the experience of the past year having shown that the arrangement then made is attended with inconvenience to the Public Service, the First Lord is prepared to occupy Admiralty House as a residence, and it is proposed that such a use should be resumed as soon as practicable.[11]

Naturally Churchill hoped that he would be allowed to keep the £500 allowance on account of "the fact that such an important part of Admiralty House will be reserved for office purposes".[12] Louis J. Hewby, a senior clerk at the Treasury, savagely noted:

This is the first I have heard of any inconvenience to the public service arising from the First Lord's vacation of his official residence, and while the Secies for War and for Foreign Affairs can conduct their business without an official residence, it is not easy to see why the First Lord of the Admy cannot do the same.[13]

Hewby then stated "It is clearly out of the question that he shd retain his £500 in lieu of residence + the residence. This wd put him in a better position than his colleagues the Secretaries of State."[14] His superiors approved Churchill's moving in, however, but not the retention of the £500.[15]

Duties

First Lords of the Admiralty, 1853–1931

Name Date of Appointment Prime Minister Government Portrait
The Right Honourable Sir James Graham, Bart., M.P. 5 January, 1853[26] The Earl of Aberdeen Peelite JamesGraham.png
The Right Honourable Sir Charles Wood, Bart., M.P. 8 March, 1855[26] Lord Palmerston Whig ViscountHalifax.jpg
The Right Honourable Sir John Pakington, Bart., M.P. 8 March, 1858[26] The Earl of Derby Conservative BaronHampton.jpeg
The Right Honourable The Duke of Somerset 28 June, 1859[26] Lord Palmerston
Earl Russell		 Liberal DukeOfSomerset.jpg
The Right Honourable Sir John Pakington, Bart., M.P. 13 July, 1866[26] The Earl of Derby Conservative BaronHampton.jpeg
The Right Honourable H. T. Lowry Corry, M.P. 8 March, 1867[26] The Earl of Derby
Benjamin Disraeli		 LowryCorry.jpeg
The Right Honourable Hugh C. E. Childers, M.P. 18 December, 1868[26] William E. Gladstone Liberal HughChilders.jpg
The Right Honourable George J. Goschen, M.P. 9 March, 1871[26] ViscountGoschen1877.jpeg
The Right Honourable G. Ward Hunt, M.P. 3 March, 1874[26] Benjamin Disraeli
(Earl of Beaconsfield, 1876)		 Conservative GeorgeWardHunt.jpeg
The Right Honourable W. H. Smith, M.P. 14 August, 1877[26] WilliamHenrySmith.jpg
The Right Honourable The Earl of Northbrook 12 May, 1880[26] William E. Gladstone Liberal EarlOfNorthbrook.jpg
The Rt. Hon. Lord George Hamilton, M.P. 1 July, 1885[26] The Marquess of Salisbury Unionist LordGeorgeHamilton.jpeg
The Right Honourable The Marquess of Ripon 16 February, 1886[27] William E. Gladstone Liberal MarquessOfRipon.jpg
The Right Honourable Lord George Hamilton, M.P. 6 August, 1886[27] The Marquess of Salisbury Unionist LordGeorgeHamilton.jpeg
The Right Honourable The Earl Spencer 23 August, 1892[27] William E. Gladstone
The Earl of Rosebery		 Liberal EarlSpencer.jpg
The Right Honourable George J. Goschen, M.P. 4 July, 1895[27] The Marquess of Salisbury Unionist ViscountGoschen.jpeg
The Right Honourable The Earl of Selborne 20 November, 1900[27] The Marquess of Salisbury
Arthur Balfour		 EarlOfSelborne.jpg
The Right Honourable The Earl Cawdor 27 March, 1905[27] Arthur Balfour EarlCawdor.jpg
The Right Honourable The Lord Tweedmouth 21 December, 1905[27] Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman Liberal BaronTweedmouth.jpg
The Right Honourable Reginald McKenna, M.P. 16 April, 1908[27] Herbert H. Asquith ReginaldMcKenna.jpg
The Right Honourable Winston L. S. Churchill, M.P. 24 October, 1911[27] WinstonChurchill.jpg
The Right Honourable Arthur J. Balfour, M.P. 27 May, 1915[27] Coalition EarlOfBalfour.jpg
The Right Honourable Sir Edward H. Carson, M.P., Q.C. 11 December, 1916[27] David Lloyd George BaronCarson.jpg
The Right Honourable Sir Eric C. Geddes, M.P. 20 July, 1917[28] EricGeddes.jpg
The Right Honourable Walter H. Long, M.P. 16 January, 1919[27] ViscountLong.jpg
The Right Honourable The Lord Lee of Fareham 18 February, 1921[27] ViscountLee.jpg
The Right Honourable Leo C. M. S. Amery, M.P. 31 October, 1922[27] Andrew Bonar Law Conservative LeoAmery.jpg
The Right Honourable Viscount Chelmsford 28 January, 1924[27] Ramsay MacDonald Labour ViscountChelmsford.jpg
The Right Honourable William C. Bridgeman, M.P. 7 November, 1924[27] Stanley Baldwin Conservative ViscountBridgeman.jpg
The Right Honourable Albert V. Alexander, M.P. 10 June, 1929[27] Ramsay MacDonald Labour EarlAlexander.jpg

Footnotes

  1. ↑ The Orders in Council for the Regulation of the Naval Service. III. pp. 254-256.
  2. ↑ "Death of Mr. Ward Hunt" (Obituaries). The Times. Monday, 30 July, 1877. Issue 29007, col F, p. 9.
  3. ↑ Smith. "The Admiralty Building". p. 278.
  4. ↑ For 1830 see Report from the Select Committee on Official Salaries. pp. 3, 23. Q. 206. For 1831 see Graham Greene to Secretary of the Treasury. Letter of 5 January, 1912. The National Archives. T 1/11517.
  5. ↑ Report from the Select Committee on the Admiralty and War Office (Sites). p. 90. Q. 1578.
  6. ↑ Navy Estimates for the Year 1900-1900. p. 140.
  7. ↑ Graham Greene to Robert Chalmers. Letter of 5 January, 1912. The National Archives. T 1/11517.
  8. ↑ The Orders in Council for the Regulation of the Naval Service. X. p. 221.
  9. ↑ Graham Greene to Robert Chalmers. Letter of 5 January, 1912. The National Archives. T 1/11517.
  10. ↑ Graham Greene to Robert Chalmers. Letter of 5 January, 1912. Robert Chalmers to Graham Greene. Draft of letter of 6 January, 1912. The National Archives. T 1/11517.
  11. ↑ Graham Greene to Secretary of the Treasury. Letter of 7 January, 1913. The National Archives. T 1/11517.
  12. ↑ Ibid.
  13. ↑ Hewby minute of 8 January, 1913. The National Archives. T 1/11517.
  14. ↑ Ibid.
  15. ↑ Charles Masterman to Graham Greene. Draft letter of 15 January, 1913. The National Archives. T 1/11517.
  16. ↑ The National Archives. ADM 1/5543.
  17. ↑ "Appendix No. 1. Distribution of Duties." Report of the Select Committee on the Board of Admiralty (1861). p. 639.
  18. ↑ Greene Papers. National Maritime Museum. GEE/2.
  19. ↑ Greene Papers. National Maritime Museum. GEE/2.
  20. ↑ The National Archives. ADM 1/6316..
  21. ↑ The National Archives. ADM 116/3392.
  22. ↑ The National Archives. ADM 116/3392.
  23. ↑ The National Archives. ADM 116/3392.
  24. ↑ The National Archives. ADM 116/3392.
  25. ↑ The National Archives. ADM 116/3392. The distribution of 27 June, 1917, is identical.
  26. ↑ 26.00 26.01 26.02 26.03 26.04 26.05 26.06 26.07 26.08 26.09 26.10 26.11 Hamilton. p. 317.
  27. ↑ 27.00 27.01 27.02 27.03 27.04 27.05 27.06 27.07 27.08 27.09 27.10 27.11 27.12 27.13 27.14 27.15 27.16 The Naval Staff of the Admiralty. p. 118.
  28. ↑ The London Gazette. 20 July, 1917. Issue 30192. p. 7337.

Bibliography

  • Report from the Select Committee on Official Salaries; Together with the Proceedings of the Committee, Minutes of Evidence, Appendix, and Index. H.C. 611 (1850).
  • Report from the Select Committee on the Board of Admiralty; Together with the Proceedings of the Committee, Minutes of Evidence, Appendix, and Index. H.C. 438 (1861).
  • Report from the Selection Committee on the Admiralty and War Office (Sites); Together with the Proceedings of the Committee, Minutes of Evidence, and Appendix. H.C. 184 (1887).
  • Hamilton, C. I. (2011). The Making of the Modern Admiralty: British Naval Policy-Making, 1805-1927. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 9780521765183. (on Amazon.co.uk).
  • Naval Staff, Training and Staff Duties Division (1929). The Naval Staff of the Admiralty. Its Work and Development. B.R. 1845 (late C.B. 3013). Copy No. 8 at The National Archives. ADM 234/434.
  • Smith, D. B. (1923). "The Admiralty Building." The Mariner's Mirror. 9:9. pp. 271-282.


Admiralty Seal.jpg
Board of Admiralty
Political Lords Commissioners
 • First Lord of the Admiralty
 • Civil Lord of the Admiralty
 • Fourth Civil Lord (1918 – 1919)
Naval Lords Commissioners
 • First Naval Lord (– 1904) • First Sea Lord (1904 – 1917) • First Sea Lord and Chief of Naval Staff (1917 –)
 • Second Naval Lord (– 1869, 1872 – 1904) • Second Sea Lord (1904 – 1917) • Second Sea Lord and Chief of Naval Personnel (1917 –)
 • Third Naval Lord (– 1869) • Third Lord and Controller (1869 – 1872) • Third Naval Lord and Controller of the Navy (1882 – 1904) • Third Sea Lord and Controller of the Navy (1904 – 1912) • Third Sea Lord (1912 – 1917) • Third Sea Lord and Chief of Naval Matériel (1917 – 1918) • Third Sea Lord and Controller of the Navy (1918 –)
 • Junior Naval Lord (– 1904) • Fourth Sea Lord (1907 – 1917) • Fourth Sea Lord and Chief of Supplies and Transport (1917 –)
 • Fifth Sea Lord (1917) • Fifth Sea Lord and Chief of Naval Air Service (1917 – 1918)
 • Deputy Chief of Naval Staff (1917 – 1940)
 • Assistant Chief of Naval Staff (1917 – 1929)
 • Deputy First Sea Lord (1917 – 1919)
Civil Lords Commissioners
 • Additional Civil Lord of the Admiralty (1882 – 1885, 1912 – 1919)
 • Third Civil Lord (1918 – 1919)
 • Controller (1917 – 1918)
Secretaries to the Board
 • First Secretary to the Board of Admiralty (– 1869) • Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Admiralty (1869 – 1904) • Parliamentary and Financial Secretary to the Board of Admiralty (1904 –)
 • Additional Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Admiralty (1917 – 1918)
 • Second Secretary to the Board of Admiralty (– 1869) • Permanent Secretary to the Board of Admiralty (1869 – 1877, 1880 –)
 • Naval Secretary to the Board of Admiralty (1872 – 1882)
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