John Hopton (c. 1470 – 1524) was an English naval officer and naval administrator who was appointed the first

Clerk Comptroller of the Navy The Comptroller of the Navy originally called the Clerk Comptroller of the Navy was originally a principal member of the English Navy Royal, and later the British Royal Navy, Navy Board. From 1512 until 1832, the Comptroller was mainly responsibl ...

(1512–1524). He was one of the Clerks of His Majesty's Kings Marine who served under King

Henry VIII of England Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is best known for his six marriages, and for his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. His disa ...

Career

John Hopton was a

gentleman usher Gentleman Usher is a title for some officers of the Royal Household of the United Kingdom. See List of Gentlemen Ushers for a list of office-holders. Gentlemen Ushers as servants Historical Gentlemen Ushers were originally a class of servants fou ...

of chamber of King Henry VIII, whom he served as both a naval officer and naval administrator. The King had ordered the construction of new dockyards at

Erith Erith () is an area in south-east London, England, east of Charing Cross. Before the creation of Greater London in 1965, it was in the historical county of Kent. Since 1965 it has formed part of the London Borough of Bexley. It lies nort ...

and

Limehouse Limehouse is a district in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets in East London. It is east of Charing Cross, on the northern bank of the River Thames. Its proximity to the river has given it a strong maritime character, which it retains throug ...

, both in Kent, England as the

Navy Royal The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...

was expanding. The workload of the Clerk of King's Ships,

Robert Brygandine The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of '' Hruod'' ( non, Hróðr) "fame, glory, honou ...

. was becoming too much for one official to handle and this led to the creation of a new office: in February 1512 Hopton was appointed

. The King ordered the construction of new storehouses at

Deptford Deptford is an area on the south bank of the River Thames in southeast London, within the London Borough of Lewisham. It is named after a ford of the River Ravensbourne. From the mid 16th century to the late 19th it was home to Deptford Dock ...

and

, and in 1513 Hopton was also appointed Keeper of the Kings Storehouse at both those dockyards. Sharing responsibility with Brygandine, he had responsibility for ships and stores in the Thames and Medway area, whilst Brygandine was responsible for Portsmouth and Southampton. Hopton held all these offices simultaneously until 1524. On 26 May 1513, Henry VIII appointed him Captain of the Fleet to carry the King's army to Calais, which later led to the

Battle of the Spurs The Battle of the Spurs or (Second) Battle of Guinegate (, "Day of the Spurs"; ''deuxième bataille de Guinegatte'') took place on 16 August 1513. It formed a part of the War of the League of Cambrai, during the Italian Wars. Henry VIII and ...

at which he commanded the troopships. From 1512 until his death in 1524, Hopton became the most prominent person in naval administration, responsible for almost all naval expenditure.

Footnotes

{{reflist 1524 deaths 16th-century Royal Navy personnel