The Vice-Admiral of Kent was responsible for the defence of the

county of Kent Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces the ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

History

As a vice-admiral, the post holder was the chief of naval administration for his district. His responsibilities included pressing men for naval service, deciding the lawfulness of

prizes A prize is an award to be given to a person or a group of people (such as sporting teams and organizations) to recognize and reward their actions and achievements.

(captured by

privateer A privateer is a private person or ship that engages in maritime warfare under a commission of war. Since robbery under arms was a common aspect of seaborne trade, until the early 19th century all merchant ships carried arms. A sovereign or deleg ...

s), dealing with salvage claims for wrecks and acting as a

judge A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as a part of a panel of judges. A judge hears all the witnesses and any other evidence presented by the barristers or solicitors of the case, assesses the credibility an ...

. The earliest record of an appointment was of

William Brooke, 10th Baron Cobham Sir William Brooke, 10th Baron Cobham, KG (1 November 1527 – 6 March 1597), lord of the Manor of Cobham, Kent, was Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports, and a member of parliament for Hythe. Although he was viewed by some as a religious radical d ...

1559–1597. In 1863 the registrar of the

Admiralty Court Admiralty courts, also known as maritime courts, are courts exercising jurisdiction over all maritime contracts, torts, injuries, and offences. Admiralty courts in the United Kingdom England and Wales Scotland The Scottish court's earliest ...

stated that the offices had "for many years been purely honorary" (HCA 50/24 pp. 235–6). Appointments were made by the Lord High Admiral when this officer existed. When the admiralty was in commission appointments were made by the crown by letters patent under the seal of the admiralty court.

Vice-admirals of Kent

This is a list of people who have served as Vice-Admiral of

Kent Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...

. From 1585 to 1607, a separate vice-admiral was appointed for the Hundred of Milton. *

1559–1597 *''The Vice-admiral of Kent was vacant'' 1597-1607 * Sir Edward Hoby 1607–1617 * Sir Francis Howard 1617–1626 * Sir Thomas Walsingham 1626–1659 *''The Vice-admiral of Kent was vacant'' 1659-1668 *

Charles Stewart, 3rd Duke of Richmond Charles Stewart, 3rd Duke of Richmond, 6th Duke of Lennox KG (7 March 1639December 1672) of Cobham Hall in Kent and of Richmond House in Whitehall, London, 11th Seigneur d'Aubigny in France, was an English nobleman of Franco-Scottish ancestry an ...

1668–1672 *

Heneage Finch, 3rd Earl of Winchilsea Sir Heneage Finch, 3rd Earl of Winchilsea (1628 – 28 September 1689) of Eastwell, Kent, was the 3rd Earl of Winchilsea. Early life Finch was the only surviving son of Thomas Finch, 2nd Earl of Winchilsea and the former Cecille Wentworth of G ...

1673–1687 *

Christopher Roper, 5th Baron Teynham Christopher is the English version of a Europe-wide name derived from the Greek name Χριστόφορος (''Christophoros'' or '' Christoforos''). The constituent parts are Χριστός (''Christós''), "Christ" or "Anointed", and φέρει� ...

1687–1689 *

Henry Sydney, 1st Earl of Romney Henry Sidney, 1st Earl of Romney (also spelt Sydney; March 1641 – 8 April 1704) was an English Whig politician, soldier and administrator. He is now best remembered as one of the Immortal Seven who drafted the Invitation to William of Oran ...

1689–1702 *

Charles Finch, 4th Earl of Winchilsea Charles Finch, 4th Earl of Winchilsea PC (26 September 1672 – 16 August 1712) was a British peer and Member of Parliament, styled Viscount Maidstone until 1689. He was the son of William Finch, Lord Maidstone (son of Heneage Finch, 3rd Earl ...

1702–1705 *

Lewis Watson, 1st Earl of Rockingham {{Infobox noble , name = Lewis Watson , title = Earl of Rockingham , image = , caption = , alt = , CoA = , more = no , succession = , rei ...

1705–1724 *

Lionel Sackville, 1st Duke of Dorset Lionel Cranfield Sackville, 1st Duke of Dorset (18 January 168810 October 1765) was an English political leader and Lord Lieutenant of Ireland. Life He was the son of the 6th Earl of Dorset and 1st Earl of Middlesex, and the former Lady Mary ...

1725–1765 *''The Vice-admiral of Kent was vacant'' 1765-1808 *

John Pratt, 1st Marquess Camden John Jeffreys Pratt, 1st Marquess Camden, (11 February 17598 October 1840), styled Viscount Bayham from 1786 to 1794 and known as The 2nd Earl Camden from 1794 to 1812, was a British politician. He served as Lord Lieutenant of Ireland in the re ...

1808–1840

Vice-admirals of the Hundred of Milton

* Sir Edward Hoby 1585–1607 *''merged with Kent''

References

External links

Institute of Historical Research
{{Vice-Admiralties of the Coast Military ranks of the United Kingdom

Vice Admiral Military history of Kent