The Treasurer of the Navy, originally called Treasurer of Marine Causes or Paymaster of the Navy, was a civilian officer of the

Royal Navy 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 ...

, one of the principal commissioners of the

Navy Board The Navy Board (formerly known as the Council of the Marine or Council of the Marine Causes) was the commission responsible for the day-to-day civil administration of the Royal Navy between 1546 and 1832. The board was headquartered within the ...

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 Vice-Admiral Sir William Gonson (1482–1544), was a Naval Judge and Naval Administrator of the English Royal Navy who served under King Henry VIII. Biography Career During the Tudor Period William Gonson's early career was as a private Mer ...

; 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

. 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 The Department of the Accountant-General of the Navy also known as Accountant-General's Department was the department charged by the British Government with reviewing all naval estimates, conducting naval audits and processing payments from 1829 t ...

(1829–1832)

References

Sources

Sainty, J. C. (2003), A provisional list: Navy Treasurer c. 1546–1836, The Institute of Historical Research (IHR), School of Advanced Study at the University of London

External links

{{Navy Board, state=collapsed Defence ministers of the United Kingdom T 16th-century Royal Navy personnel 1836 disestablishments Defunct ministerial offices in the United Kingdom

Navy A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval warfare, naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral zone, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and ...

1546 establishments in England