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 Navy Office .
121-735: The Commissioners for the Victualling of the Navy , often called the Victualling Commissioners or Victualling Board , was the body responsible under the Navy Board for victualling ships of the British Royal Navy . It oversaw the vast operation of providing naval personnel (140,000 men in 1810) with enough food, drink and supplies to keep them fighting fit, sometimes for months at a time, in whatever part of
242-483: A Franco-Bavarian army was defeated at Pfaffenhofen on 15 April. With most of his electorate once again occupied, on 22 April he signed the Treaty of Füssen , in which he agreed to vote for Francis Stephen as Emperor, and made peace with Austria. Prussia was now isolated; attempts by Frederick to divide his opponents by supporting Frederick Augustus of Saxony for Emperor were unsuccessful, while neither Britain or Russia
363-751: A French army invaded the Austrian Netherlands . As in 1744, they were greatly helped by divisions between the Pragmatic Allies, making it very difficult to formulate a consistent strategy. The British and Hanoverians detested each other, Austrian resources were focused in Alsace , while the Dutch were reluctant to declare war on France, and unsuccessfully tried to persuade Louis to withdraw. The Dutch however did want to protect their Barrier fortresses and Isaac Cronström thus argued to engage
484-547: A Habsburg for over 300 years, it was an elective position and could not be held by a woman. The problem was exacerbated by tensions within the Holy Roman Empire , caused by dramatic increases in the size and power of Bavaria, Prussia, and Saxony, mirrored by the post-1683 expansion of Habsburg power into lands previously held by the Ottoman Empire . These were the centrifugal forces behind a war that reshaped
605-640: A commissioner and did not therefore have a vote. List of Principal Officers and Commissioners 1796-1832 included: To all of these lists must be added the Commissioners of the Navy with oversight of the Royal Navy Dockyards . Normally resident at their respective dockyards and thus known as resident commissioners , these commissioners did not normally attend the board's meetings in London; nevertheless, they were considered full members of
726-586: A crippling British naval blockade. The stalemate led to the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle which confirmed Maria Theresa in her titles but failed to resolve underlying tensions between the signatories, many of whom were unhappy with the terms. France achieved minimal gains for vast expenditure, while the Spanish gained the Duchies of Parma , Piacenza and Guastalla . Prussia, often considered the clearest winner, acquired Silesia from Austria, an outcome that undermined
847-426: A detached slaughterhouse, remains of the brewery storehouse (which also dates from the 18th century), a self-contained workshop complex, and officers' houses flanking the gateway arch. There is also an unusual building designed for storing and maintaining up to 3,000 cast iron ships' water tanks; a nearby reservoir (which also powered hydraulic machinery in the yard) was used to replenish HM Ships with fresh water. Both
968-558: A fifth between 1625 and 1640 they included: . As defined by a set of Ordinances drawn up under Henry VIII's successor, Edward VI , the Navy Board was given a high degree of autonomy, yet remained subordinate to the Lord High Admiral until 1628. This – at times ambiguous – relationship with The Admiralty was an enduring characteristic of the board, and was one of the reasons behind its eventual demise in 1832. During
1089-625: A number of subsidiary Boards were established to oversee other aspects of the board's work. These included: Each of these subsidiary Boards went on to gain a degree of independence (though they remained, nominally at least, overseen by the Navy Board). List of Principal Officers and Commissioners 1546-1660 included. Instrumental in the early administration of the Navy Office were between four and seven "Principal Officers" though some were styled differently prior to 1660. Charles I added
1210-401: A planned state manufacturing complex, on such a lavish scale, it is without comparison". Deptford's Yard was not comprehensively rebuilt in this way, but it did continue to grow, even after the adjacent Dockyard had closed. (At its greatest extent, the site covered 35 acres.) During the 19th century, Deptford in particular began to stock or manufacture more specialised foodstuffs, in addition to
1331-474: A population of 16 million, Austria had an authorised standing army of 157,000, although financial restraints meant its true size was considerably less than that in 1740. Since they had a much greater area to defend, their army was more of "a sieve" than a shield against foreign invasion. In contrast, the Prussian Army was better trained and led than its opponents, while its standing army of 80,000
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#17327733179711452-539: A proposed invasion of Britain , aimed at restoring the exiled Stuarts , and over the winter, 12,000 French troops and transports were assembled at Dunkirk . In the February 1744 Battle of Toulon , a combined Franco-Spanish fleet fought an indecisive action with a British naval force commanded by Admiral Mathews . Although Mathews prevented them exiting the Mediterranean and supporting the invasion attempt, he
1573-471: A range of ports at home; by 1810 they were in such diverse locations as Malta , Rio de Janeiro , the Cape and Heligoland . For maximum flexibility, any necessary buildings were for the most part rented, rather than purpose-built; (although, in the 18th century, Yards were established on Jamaica and Antigua , these did not prove durable). On Gibraltar, however, a Victualling Yard was built in 1799 (following
1694-603: A result of this, a salaried Board of Commissioners was established in 1683, and this body retained oversight of victualling for the next 150 years. Though nominally under the direction of the Navy Board (which had its headquarters nearby on Tower Hill), the Victualling Board was effectively independent. The Victualling Board took over certain functions, including medical services, from the Transport Board on its dissolution in 1817. The Victualling Board itself
1815-615: A result, the French made rapid progress, quickly capturing most of the Dutch-held Barrier fortresses along the border, including Menen and Ypres . When an Austrian army under Prince Charles of Lorraine invaded Alsace in early June, Louis went on the defensive in the Southern Netherlands , and travelled to Metz to meet this threat. In early August, he fell dangerously ill with smallpox , a disease often fatal at
1936-564: A second column under Johann Bärenklau moved through the Tyrol , towards Munich . On 17 January, von Khevenhüller defeated a Bavarian army at Schärding while seven days later 10,000 French soldiers surrendered at Linz. On 12 February, Charles Albert of Bavaria was crowned Emperor Charles VII, the first non-Habsburg to hold the position in 300 years, although Bärenklau captured Munich the same day. Although technically all allies, Prussia, Saxony and Bavaria had no desire to see France established in
2057-574: A seventh officer, the Master of Naval Ordnance a year later. By January 1545 this group was already working as a body known as the Council of the Marine or King's Majesty's Council of His Marine . In the first quarter of 1545 an official memorandum proposed the establishment of a new organisation that would formalize a structure for administering the navy with a clear chain of command. The Navy Board
2178-470: A town of far less importance to Maria Theresa than Bohemia. Frederick was left dangerously exposed, a situation worsened in early October when Saxony joined the coalition against him as an active belligerent. Under pressure from Charles of Lorraine and a combined Austro-Saxon force under Count Traun , the Prussians were forced to retreat; by the time they entered Silesia in late November, Frederick's army
2299-627: A victualling storehouse was in place by 1827, later to be joined by a bakery (a rare instance of manufacturing in an overseas Yard) and a set of tanks for collecting and storing fresh water. In 1845, a Victualling Yard was built at Malta Dockyard ; the Malta Maritime Museum is housed in one of its former buildings (the mill/bakery - of a monumental character similar to that of the Royal William Yard in Plymouth). At around
2420-530: A winter offensive to retake Upper Austria, and attack Bavaria. While Frederick completed his conquest of Silesia, a French force under Maurice de Saxe took Prague on 26 November 1741, allowing the Bavarian elector, Charles Albert , to be crowned King of Bohemia . The year ended with Khevenhüller decisively defeating a bigger Franco-Bavarian army at Sankt Pölten and advancing up the Danube towards Linz, while
2541-417: Is disputed; one suggestion is that it was a fabrication by Frederick, designed to remove anti-Prussian opponents, chiefly Chancellor Bestuzhev-Ryumin . Anna Bestuzhev, wife of his brother Mikhail, and her friend Natalia Lopukhina , confessed to the plot after 25 days of torture; they were publicly flogged, and had their tongues removed before being exiled to Siberia . Fredrick's supporters referred to it as
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#17327733179712662-499: Is not practically restrained ... Old modes of conducting public business, full of complexity and inconsistency, have too long been suffered to exist; official forms and returns have been multiplied; and the result has been an unnecessary increase of establishments. The Government's response was delivered on 14 February 1832, with a Bill to abolish both the Navy Board and the Victualling Board and merge their functions into
2783-524: The Austrian Netherlands , along with a wider naval conflict. The war itself can be divided into three separate but connected conflicts, the first being the Silesian Wars between Prussia and Austria. In the second, Austria and Sardinia defeated Spanish attacks in Northern Italy , while the third featured an increasingly global contest between Britain and France. In the end, French conquest of
2904-561: The Board of Admiralty . This Bill was moved by Sir James Graham as First Lord of the Admiralty , who argued that the Boards had been "constituted at a period when the principles of banking were unknown," and were redundant in an era of greater Parliamentary oversight and regulation. An amendment proposed by First Sea Lord Sir George Cockburn suggested that Navy Board be preserved and only
3025-572: The Commonwealth the business of both Navy Board and Admiralty was carried out by a committee of Parliament. Following the Restoration , James, Duke of York (as Lord High Admiral) oversaw the reconstitution of the Navy Board. Alongside the aforementioned "Principal Officers" further officials were appointed to serve as "Commissioners" of the Navy, and together these constituted the board. By tradition, commissioners were always Navy officers of
3146-527: The Habsburgs became extinct in the male line, these possessions would go first to Maria Josepha and Maria Amalia , daughters of Emperor Joseph I , then those of Charles, his younger brother. Since Salic law excluded women from the inheritance, this agreement required approval by the various Habsburg territories and the Imperial Diet . Charles succeeded Joseph in 1711 and two years later issued
3267-521: The Kingdom of Naples was unsuccessful, largely due to the incompetence of their commanders. In the north, arguments over strategy, and Spanish accusations of French cowardice at Toulon prevented them from taking full advantage of their victories earlier in the year. This was offset by similar divisions among their opponents; Charles Emmanuel was reluctant to see the Bourbons expelled from Italy, leaving
3388-606: The Marquis d'Ormea . On 1 February 1742, Schulenburg and Ormea signed the Convention of Turin which resolved (or postponed resolution) many differences and formed an alliance between the two countries. In 1742, field marshal Count Traun held his own with ease against the Spanish and Neapolitans. On 19 August 1742, Naples was forced by the arrival of a British naval squadron in Naples ' own harbour, to withdraw her 10,000 troops from
3509-910: The Navy Office moved into new accommodation in Somerset House . Included: Comptroller of Victualling and Chairman of the Victualling Board Deputy Chairman of the Victualling Board Additional Comptrollers of the Victualling Board Victualling Commissioners Included: Note: Below is a timeline of responsibility for victualling for the Royal Navy. Navy Board The origins of
3630-692: The Parliamentary and Financial Secretary , which became responsible for purchasing, management of the victualling stores facilities were under the control of the Superintendent of Victualling and the Victualling Department under the control of the Director of Victualling . By 1739 the various Victualling Office facilities cost the state £16,241 to maintain, in addition to expenses for the purchase of victuals. In 1747, during
3751-590: The Pragmatic Allies . As the conflict widened, it drew in other participants, among them Spain , Sardinia , Saxony , Sweden , and Russia . Prussia occupied the Austrian province of Silesia in 1740, although Austria and Sardinia defeated Spanish attacks in Northern Italy. By early 1748, France held most of the Austrian Netherlands , but was close to bankruptcy due to the cost of the war and
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3872-583: The Pragmatic Sanction of 1713 , which confirmed the principle of female inheritance. However, it also modified the 1703 agreement by placing the rights of his own children first and after his first child Maria Theresa was born in 1717, Charles' internal and external policy was dominated by ensuring her succession ahead of his two nieces. Prior to their respective marriages to Frederick Augustus of Saxony and Charles Albert of Bavaria in 1719, both nieces were obliged to formally renounce their rights to
3993-590: The Second Pacte de Famille in October, and Louis XV began plans to invade the Austrian Netherlands . The year ended with Saxony agreeing a pact of mutual defence with Austria, leaving Prussia isolated, and facing a renewed offensive as Maria Theresa sought to regain Silesia. Under the 1743 Treaty of Fontainebleau, Louis XV and his uncle, Philip V of Spain agreed on joint action against Britain. This included
4114-663: The Treaty of Worms , intended to expel Spain from Italy. In return for Sardinian support in Lombardy , the Austrians ceded all their territories west of the river Ticino and Lake Maggiore , along with lands south of the Po . In return, Charles Emmanuel renounced his claim to the strategic Duchy of Milan , guaranteed the Pragmatic Sanction, and provided 40,000 troops, paid for by Britain. France and Spain responded with
4235-703: The War of Jenkins' Ear , the First Carnatic War , and the First and Second Silesian Wars . Its pretext was the right of Maria Theresa to succeed her father, Emperor Charles VI , as ruler of the Habsburg monarchy . France , Prussia , and Bavaria saw it as an opportunity to challenge Habsburg power, while Maria Theresa was backed by Britain , the Dutch Republic , and Hanover , collectively known as
4356-539: The War of the Austrian Succession , this had risen to £30,393. In due course facilities were consolidated into Victualling Yards each with several processes and related storehouses accommodated on a single site. The Yards had deep-water wharves and were accessible (wind and weather permitting) from the major anchorages used by the Fleet. Under normal circumstances, ships due to set sail were expected to come to
4477-468: The "Botta Conspiracy", alleging the involvement of Austrian envoy Antoniotto Botta Adorno . When Tsarina Elizabeth demanded Botta be punished, Maria Theresa refused, and the episode poisoned the relationship between Austria and Russia. Frederick managed to divide his two main opponents, but Alexey Bestuzhev-Ryumin remained in place, leaving the overall position unchanged. On 13 September, Charles Emmanuel III of Sardinia , Maria Theresa and Britain agreed
4598-481: The 'William' and the 'Clarence' yards were named after the future King William IV , who had taken an active interest in developments. Each was designed to maximize efficient storage, manufacture and seafront delivery of provisions, whilst also presenting a strikingly monumental symmetrical frontage to the sea. The Royal William Yard, in particular, has been described as "a unique concept in English industrial history: as
4719-563: The Acts of the Navy , reformed the system of having a Purser assigned to each ship to oversee the distribution of supplies, and obliged each one to lodge a cash surety, and to keep complete accounts of every item issued. By the time of the Anglo-Dutch Wars , however, the system was breaking down (the government complaining that sufficient provisions had not been delivered, and the contractor complaining that payment had not been made). As
4840-703: The Allies to fight on ground of his own choosing. On 11 May, he won a hard-fought victory at Fontenoy , a success that established French dominance in the Netherlands, and caused bitter disputes between the British and Dutch. On 4 June, Frederick won a major victory at Hohenfriedberg , but despite this, Austria and Saxony continued the war. Prussian requests for French support were ignored; Louis had been warned by his ministers state finances were increasingly strained, making it important to focus their efforts. One area
4961-481: The Allies to win a narrow victory . This was the last time a British monarch would personally lead troops in battle. While the Pragmatic Army were able to continue their retreat, they had to abandon their wounded, and although reinforced by Charles of Lorraine were unable to agree what to do next. Charles later described Allied headquarters as a 'republic', while Adrien Maurice de Noailles told Louis XV he
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5082-508: The Austrian Netherlands gave them clear dominance on land, while Britain's victories at sea cemented its place as the dominant naval power. For much of the 18th century, French military strategy focused on potential threats on its eastern and northern borders, which required a strong land army. Its colonies were left to fend for themselves, or given minimal resources, anticipating they would likely be lost anyway. This strategy
5203-643: The Austrians had an army at Tábor , while Neipperg was recalled from Silesia to defend Vienna. Apparently close to defeat, on 21 September Maria Theresa made an emotional speech to the Hungarian Diet in Pressburg . They approved a levée en masse , which ultimately produced 22,000 troops, rather than the promised 60,000, but was an assertion of loyalty long remembered. Maria Theresa was also helped by deep divisions among her opponents and Frederick's duplicity. Hoping to weaken Saxony, on 9 October he signed
5324-626: The Austrians, Charles VII fled to Augsburg , from where he initiated talks with Vienna and London , feeling he had been abandoned by his French allies. Divided at the top, and their troops weakened by disease, the Franco-Bavarian forces offered limited resistance to the Austrian advance; on 9 May, the Bavarians were defeated outside Simbach , by Charles of Lorraine. In mid-June, the Pragmatic Army arrived at Aschaffenburg , on
5445-669: The Board . In 1832, following proposals by Sir James Graham to restructure the Naval Service, the Navy Board was abolished (along with its subsidiary boards for Sick and Hurt , Transport , and Victualling ). Operational functions were taken over by the Board of Admiralty and administrative functions were dispersed between the Naval Lords . The Navy Board's responsibilities included: Individual officials held responsibility as follows: Note: The Navy Pay Office (domain of
5566-601: The Board as stores for up to six months at a time. By the late 1750s this diet was supplemented with portable soup . The quality of food was also slowly improved; by the period of the Napoleonic Wars only about 1% of supplies were actually condemned as unfit to eat. By the early eighteenth century, Victualling Yards of various sizes had been established alongside several Royal Naval Dockyards in Britain, including Portsmouth , Plymouth , Deptford and Harwich (though
5687-426: The Chairman (who had direct oversight of the Cash department). The Victualling Board proceeded to build breweries, slaughterhouses, mills and bakeries near to the Royal Navy Dockyards to provide beer, salted meat, ship's biscuits and other supplies under its own quality control. In 1725, the Victualling Commissioners, the Navy Board, the Sick and Hurt Commissioners and the Navy Pay Office all of which were components of
5808-431: The Continent. They sought to offset the disadvantage this created in Europe by allying themselves with one or more Continental powers whose interests were antithetical to those of their enemies, particularly France. In the War of the Austrian Succession, the British were allied with Austria; by the time of the Seven Years' War , they were allied with its enemy, Prussia . In contrast to France, once Britain became engaged in
5929-426: The Empire, nor to see one another gain relative ground. Maria Theresa ended Austria's secret truce with Frederick, first releasing the details. The Austrians assembled a second army of 28,000 to retake Prague, under Charles of Lorraine . News of the secret truce badly damaged the relationship between Frederick and his allies, but Emperor Charles asked him to relieve the pressure by invading Moravia. Frederick had used
6050-402: The French due to Louis' illness. By mid-September, Frederick had captured Prague, Tabor , Budweis and Frauenberg ; he now advanced up the river Moldau , hoping to catch the Austrians between his forces, and the Franco-Bavarian army he assumed was in pursuit. However, the Bavarians contented themselves with re-occupying Munich, while the French settled down to besiege Freiburg im Breisgau ,
6171-448: The French in the open field. George Wade , supreme commander of the allied army, disagreed. He was under strict orders of the British government to not risk losing his connection to Ostend and not to risk British or Hanoverians troops becoming prisoners of war, which also meant that he refused to put them on garrison duty. The British feared another Jacobite uprising and therefore wanted to be able to send their troops home in time. As
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#17327733179716292-457: The Habsburgs as the dominant power, while his territorial ambitions could only be achieved at Austrian expense. As a result, neither side could make significant progress in this area. Frederick's position continued to deteriorate; on 8 January, Austria, Britain, the Dutch Republic and Saxony signed the Treaty of Warsaw , which was clearly aimed at Prussia. This was accompanied by ominous signs of Russian military activity in Livonia , followed by
6413-416: The Irish government in 1923. Overseas victualling was, where possible, arranged through contracts with local suppliers. In some places these were overseen by a resident Agent appointed by the Victualling Commissioners (though in more out-of-the-way locations ships' captains were expected to make their own arrangements). In the 17th century there were Agent Victuallers in Leghorn and Tangiers , as well as at
6534-455: The Klein–Schnellendorf agreement with Neipperg and in what is now considered a memorable act of diplomatic subterfuge, the Austrians surrendered Neisse after a mock defence. Under the prevailing rules of war, this allowed them to receive a pass to the nearest friendly territory and thus be used against Prussia's allies elsewhere, rather than being taken prisoner. Her best general, von Khevenhüller incorporated them into an army being assembled for
6655-400: The Montemar force to provide for home defence. The Spanish force under Montemar was now too weak to advance in the Po Valley and a second Spanish army was sent to Italy via France. Sardinia had allied herself with Austria in the Convention of Turin and at the same time neither state was at war with France and this led to curious complications, combats being fought in the Isère valley between
6776-407: The Navy Board and carried the full authority of the board when implementing or making decisions within their respective yards both at home and overseas. Not every Dockyard had a resident commissioner in charge, but the larger Yards, both at home and overseas, generally did (with the exception of the nearby Thames-side yards of Deptford and Woolwich , which were for the most part overseen directly by
6897-415: The Navy Board and that role was given to the Treasurer of the Navy also known as the Senior Commissioner . The Navy Board remained independent until 1628, when it became a subsidiary body of the Board of Admiralty now reporting to the First Lord of the Admiralty . In 1660 the Treasurer of the Navy ceased to direct the board and was replaced by the Comptroller who now held the new joint title of Chairman of
7018-417: The Navy Board can be traced back to the 13th century via the office Keeper of the King's Ports and Galleys ; later known as the Clerk of the King's Ships . The management of the navy expanded with the Keeper of the Storehouses appointed in 1514 and the Clerk Comptroller in 1522. The Lieutenant of the Admiralty , Treasurer of Marine Causes and Surveyor and Rigger of the Navy were all added in 1544, and
7139-408: The Navy. In 1550 he was listed as one of the seven members of the Board of Principal Officers and Commissioners of the Navy ; he was required to 'take care always to have in store a stock of victuals to supply a thousand men at sea for one month at a fortnight's notice'. At first the Victualling Office was accommodated in the Tower of London, but it soon spread outside the precincts to the east (on to
7260-430: The Polish Succession and the Russo-Turkish War of 1735–1739 , and it was weakened by the losses incurred. The situation was compounded by a failure to prepare Maria Theresa for her new role, and many European statesmen were skeptical Austria could survive the contest that would follow Charles' death, which finally came about in October 1740. On land, fighting focused on three main theatres, Central Europe , Italy , and
7381-409: The Pragmatic Sanction, acknowledged Francis as Emperor, and evacuated Saxony. After 1745, Germany ceased to be an active military theatre; although Frederick knew Maria Theresa still intended to regain Silesia, both sides needed a period of peace in order to re-organise. French objectives were less clear; for centuries, the central plank of its foreign policy was weakening the Habsburgs , but it began
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#17327733179717502-409: The Prussian presence in Moravia remained a threat to Vienna. However, Habsburg policy was generally to avoid fighting on too many fronts at the same time; Prussia was the most dangerous, and most difficult to defeat. Although recovering Silesia remained a priority for decades, Maria Theresa was willing to agree a temporary truce with Prussia to improve her position elsewhere. This suited Frederick, who
7623-428: The Treasurer of the Navy) was independent of the Board; though the Board's Commissioners were required to authorize payments, all funds were held and issued by the Pay Office (which was also known as the Navy Treasury) . As the size of the fleet grew, the Admiralty sought to focus the activity of the Navy Board on two areas: ships and their maintenance, and naval expenditure. Therefore, from the mid- to late-17th century,
7744-496: The Victualling Board abolished, but this was defeated by 118 votes to 50. The Bill itself was passed on 23 May 1832, with the Navy Board formally ceasing operations from 1 June. War of the Austrian Succession The War of the Austrian Succession was a European conflict fought between 1740 and 1748, primarily in Central Europe , the Austrian Netherlands , Italy , the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea . Related conflicts include King George's War in North America ,
7865-626: The allied army of 40,000 Spaniards and Neapolitans under the command of the Duke of Montemar had advanced towards Modena , Francesco III d'Este, Duke of Modena had allied himself with them, but the vigilant Austrian commander, Count Otto Ferdinand von Traun had out-marched them, captured Modena and forced the Duke to make a separate peace. The aggressiveness of the Spanish in Italy forced Empress Maria Theresa of Austria and King Charles Emmanuel of Sardinia into negotiations in early 1742. These negotiations were held at Turin. Maria Theresa sent her envoy Count Schulenburg and King Charles Emmanuel sent
7986-491: The battlefield. His deputy von Schwerin managed to drag out a victory, both sides losing nearly 25% of their strength. On 5 June, Frederick signed an alliance against Austria with France, who crossed the Rhine on 15 August. A combined Franco-Bavarian force now advanced along the Danube , towards Vienna , capturing Linz on 14 September. Joined by a Saxon army of 20,000, they advanced on Prague from three different points, initially meeting little resistance. Before long,
8107-415: The board in London, although Woolwich did have a Resident Commissioner for some years). Chatham Dockyard , Devonport Dockyard , Portsmouth Dockyard , Sheerness Dockyard , Trincomalee Dockyard and the Bermuda Dockyard all had Resident Commissioners. After the abolition of the board in 1832 the duties of these commissioners were taken over by commissioned officers: usually an admiral-superintendent at
8228-439: The board would consist of the controller and a deputy controller (both of whom were normally commissioned officers), the surveyor (usually a master shipwright from one of the dockyards) and around seven other commissioners (a mixture of officers and civilians) to whom no specific duties were attached. The treasurer, though still technically a member of the board, was (like the dockyard commissioners) seldom in attendance. In fact
8349-418: The borders of Hanover and Prussia to each other, and British diplomats tried to persuade Austria to end the Second Silesian War. Franco-Prussian relationships were marked by mutual distrust, while Maria Theresa resented British attempts to persuade her to accept the loss of Silesia. In central Italy an army of Spaniards and Neapolitans was collected for the purpose of conquering the Duchy of Milan . In 1741,
8470-467: The building; the rear wing (which had its own entrance on Tower Hill) housed the offices of the Sick and Hurt Board. The Victualling Office was also located nearby, on Little Tower Hill, close to its early manufacturing base at Eastminster . The Navy Treasury, where the treasurer was based, was located from 1664 in Broad Street (having moved there from Leadenhall Street). It was also known as the Navy Pay Office . In 1789, all these offices were relocated into
8591-440: The century. At Gosport, the cooperage remained operational until 1970, when its work ceased along with the rum ration . Deptford's Royal Victoria yard remained open until 1961, after which a housing estate was built on the site (though some buildings/features were retained and converted for community use). The South Coast yards - the Royal Clarence and the Royal William - both closed in 1992; since then, both sites have been sold to
8712-471: The death of Emperor Charles VII on 20 January. Since Maria Theresa's husband, Grand Duke Francis, was the best-supported candidate to replace him, this was a major setback for the Franco-Prussian alliance. Charles' son and heir, Maximilian III Joseph made one last effort to drive the Austrians out of Bavaria, but his demoralised and ill-equipped army was out-manoeuvered by Count Batthyány , while
8833-618: The early 20th century, both at home (e.g. the Royal Elizabeth Yard, Dalmeny : a minor yard built to serve the new Dockyard at Rosyth ) and abroad (e.g. the Royal Edward Yard, Darling Island , Sydney Harbour, Australia: built by the Government of New South Wales ). Indeed, provisioning methods remained substantially unchanged until more widespread use of tinned foods, and then refrigeration, were adopted later in
8954-472: The establishment of a new manufacturing facility at the Deptford site (the future Deptford Victualling Yard ) in 1672. By the mid-seventeenth century the established arrangement was for a single contractor to be engaged to make all necessary victualling provisions, with the Navy Board laying down strict criteria on the quality of the provisions it required. In the 1660s, Samuel Pepys , who was then Clerk of
9075-701: The first decade of the nineteenth century, the Commissioners established new minor Yards at Sheerness and at Deal (which, like Dover, provided for ships anchored in the Downs). In the following decade, a complex of naval and victualling storehouses was built on Haulbowline Island in Cork Harbour , Ireland (successor to an earlier depot at Kinsale ). It was known as the Royal Alexandra Victualling Yard before being handed over to
9196-473: The food wharves and markets of London). The other Naval Dockyards in the Thames area ( Chatham , Sheerness and Woolwich ) were all dependent on Deptford for victualling. (The Commissioners did maintain a small Yard at Chatham but little or no manufacturing took place here, it was more a storage depot). Deptford also directly supplied a Victualling Yard at Gibraltar (established in the eighteenth century). In
9317-567: The globe they might be stationed. It existed from 1683 until 1832 when its function was first replaced by the Department of the Comptroller of Victualling and Transport Services until 1869 then that office was also abolished and replaced by the Victualling Department . Under Elizabeth I , a General Surveyor of Victuals had been appointed in 1550 a principal officer of the Navy Board to oversee contracts for food and other provisions for
9438-544: The inheritance. Charles assumed the rivalry between Saxony and Bavaria would secure his daughter's throne, since neither would be prepared to allow the other to inherit, but instead he gave his two greatest rivals a claim to the Habsburg lands. Charles was also seeking to ensure the succession of Maria Theresa not just to her family lands but the titles and powers of the Holy Roman Emperor . Although held by
9559-496: The interval to reorganise his cavalry, previously neglected in favour of the infantry, and who performed poorly at Mollwitz; they would prove more effective in the 1742 campaign. In December 1741, von Schwerin had captured Olmütz ; Frederick took Glatz , before moving onto Groß Seelowitz in March 1742. This allowed him to threaten Vienna; a few Prussian patrols even appeared in the suburbs, before withdrawing. In early May, he took
9680-582: The invasion. They held on to the fortresses of Glogau , Breslau , and Brieg , but abandoned the rest of the province and withdrew into Moravia , with both sides taking up winter quarters. In under two weeks Prussia had occupied most of the richest province in the Holy Roman Empire, containing a population of over one million, and the commercial centre of Breslau along with mining, weaving and dyeing industries. However, Frederick underestimated Maria Theresa's determination to reverse her loss, while
9801-535: The largest yards, or a captain-superintendent at smaller yards. From the 1650s the board, together with its staff of around 60 clerks, was accommodated in a large house at the corner of Crutched Friars and Seething Lane, just north of the Tower of London. Following a fire, the house was rebuilt by Sir Christopher Wren . This new Navy Office provided accommodation for the commissioners, as well as office space. Different departments were accommodated in different parts of
9922-642: The latter was closed, along with Harwich Dockyard, in 1713). There was also a Victualling Yard at Dover (which had no Dockyard, but was used to service ships in the nearby anchorage the Downs ); the Maison Dieu served as Dover's victualling store from 1544 until 1831, when the Yard closed. HM Victualling Yard, Deptford was the largest and busiest of the Victualling Yards (being advantageously close to
10043-503: The long-standing Anglo-Austrian Alliance , since Maria Theresa deeply resented Britain's insistence she cede Silesia to make peace and made it her main objective to regain it. At the same time, the war demonstrated that Hanover, then held in personal union with the British Crown , was vulnerable to Prussian attacks, while many British politicians felt they received little benefit from the enormous subsidies paid to Austria. The result
10164-524: The loss of a rented property), and remained in operation until the 1980s. The Victualling Yards in Britain had for the most part developed haphazardly over time. In 1822, however, the Victualling Board decided to rationalise its Plymouth operation in a new, centralised site at Stonehouse which was named the Royal William Victualling Yard . It consisted of a central Grand Storehouse, flanked by two sizeable manufactories alongside
10285-515: The more traditional fare: there were cocoa, pepper and mustard mills on the site, along with storehouses for tea, sugar, rice, raisins and wine, as well as tobacco. In 1858, Deptford was renamed the Royal Victoria Victualling Yard . Overseas, Yards and Storehouses continued to be established at different times when or where circumstances required; for example, at Georgetown on the remote settlement of Ascension Island
10406-480: The nearest Yard to be loaded up with provisions. These would include preserved foodstuffs designed to last weeks or even months: ship's biscuit , salted beef, salted pork, pease , oatmeal, butter, cheese and beer. Most of these items were transported and stored in casks, which were themselves manufactured by the Board in large numbers at its on-site cooperages. In addition, the Victualling Yards provided fresh meat, bread and other items to ships stationed in port. There
10527-558: The needs of the public service as a whole. The board's internal operations were also found wanting: The ancient and wise control vested by our financial policy in the hands of the Treasury over all the departments connected with the Public Expenditure, has been in a great degree set aside. Although it is the [Navy Board] practice to lay the annual estimates before the Board of Treasury, the subsequent course of expenditure
10648-543: The new Royal Clarence Victualling Yard was begun in 1827 (on a site in Gosport known as the Weevil yard, where the Commissioners already owned a brewery and cooperage established in the early eighteenth century). Here the layout was less regimented, as the old cooperage was incorporated into the new complex; but it still presented an impressive frontage to the dockside (the symmetry of which has recently been restored through
10769-464: The new purpose-built office complex of Somerset House . By the early nineteenth century, members of Parliament had begun raising concerns at the cost of Navy Board operations and the obscurity of its record-keeping. On 15 February 1828 Robert Peel , the Home Secretary , established a Parliamentary Committee to review the board's operations. The committee, chaired by Irish MP Henry Parnell ,
10890-523: The north bank of the river Main . Here they were joined by George II , who was attending the enthronement of a new Elector of Mainz in Wiesbaden . By late June, the Allies were running short of supplies and withdrew towards the nearest supply depot at Hanau , the road to which ran through Dettingen, now a part of Karlstein am Main , where 23,000 French troops blocked the road. Despite a strong position, mistakes made by their commander Gramont , allowed
11011-462: The offensive, and moved into north-east Bohemia; by 16 May, he had 10,000 infantry at Kuttenberg , and another 18,000 men under Leopold of Anhalt-Dessau a day's march behind. On the afternoon of 16 May, Charles of Lorraine's cavalry ran into Leopold's rearguard. Leopold recognized he was in contact with the Austrian main force and so accelerated his march ahead to close the gap with Frederick. At 2:00 am on 17 May, his exhausted troops stopped at
11132-470: The post of treasurer was by this stage little more than a sinecure; the main work of his department was carried out by its senior clerk, the Paymaster of the Navy. Following the abolition of the office of Clerk of the Acts, the post of secretary to the board was created; as well as overseeing the administrative department, the secretary attended meetings of the board and took minutes; but he was not himself
11253-579: The private sector and their buildings (most of which are listed) have been converted to residential, office and leisure uses. On the Board, each Commissioner had responsibility for a key area of victualling activity: the Brewhouse department,, the Cutting House department, the Dry Goods department, Cooperage , Hoytaking and Stores. There were seven Commissioners; the aforementioned six, plus
11374-443: The quality of raw materials than it would have been to evaluate finished product bought in from other providers (some of whom were not so scrupulous). Therefore, the Commissioners oversaw not only supply, but manufacture: of beer from hops, of flour from grain, of meat from livestock. Though by no means perfect the system generally improved; if the food was of poor quality, at least there was plenty of it. Modern research has shown that
11495-504: The rank of post-captain or captain who had retired from active service at sea. List of Principal Officers and Commissioners 1660-1796 included. Additional Commissioners added after 1666, who were soon given specific duties (so as to lessen the administrative burden placed on the Controller. In 1796 the board was reconstituted: the post of Clerk of the Acts was abolished, as were the three controllers of accounts. Henceforward,
11616-490: The rebuilding of a wing to the Granary, which had been demolished after the war). Royal Clarence was one of the first large industrial food processing plants in the country. Here, as at Royal William, many key buildings have survived in situ (though for the most part their function changed over decades of use): in addition to the 18th-century cooperage yard with its pump house, there is the monumental granary and bakery complex,
11737-586: The retention of Austrian fortresses in Southern Silesia meant a quick victory could not be achieved. Early in the year, an Austrian army under von Neipperg relieved Neisse , and marched on Brieg , threatening to cut the Prussians off. On 10 April, just outside Brieg, they were defeated at the Battle of Mollwitz ; Frederick made serious mistakes in his first battle, and was so close to defeat that his subordinates ordered him to avoid capture and leave
11858-469: The sailor's diet during the mid-eighteenth century contained nearly twice as many calories per day than was available to men on shore or in the British Army. The single largest contributor of calories was beer, of which the Victualling Board purchased sufficient quantity that each sailor could consume a ration of one gallon per day. Food - principally bread, pork, beef, peas and oatmeal - was provided by
11979-522: The same time, work was beginning on the dockyard complex in Bermuda . Here, a spacious victualling yard was laid out between the dockyard proper and the fortified ordnance yard; still standing today, it consists of two long storehouses facing each other across an open quadrangle, the other two sides being formed by a cooperage and a row of officers' houses. The yard was eventually completed in around 1860. New Victualling Yards were still being established in
12100-486: The site of the recently dissolved and demolished Abbey of St Mary Graces ). The complex included storehouses, ovens, brewhouses and bakeries. (Milling took place across the river at Rotherhithe , and in 1650 a slaughterhouse was acquired in Deptford ). Officials of the Victualling Board were to remain accommodated here until the nineteenth century; however, the constraints of the site (and difficult riverside access) led to
12221-399: The small village of Chotusitz , still three hours from Kutná Hora. Fought later the same day, the Battle of Chotusitz was inconclusive, but technically a Prussian victory, since the Austrians withdrew. On 24 May, French Field Marshal de Broglie won a minor action at Sahay . The two victories left the strategic situation unchanged, since Charles was still able to move against Prague, while
12342-601: The stage for the Seven Years' War. Frederick II succeeded his father Frederick William as king of Prussia on 31 May 1740 at the age of 28. Although Prussia had increased in importance over the prior few decades, its disparate and scattered territories prevented it wielding significant power, a reality Frederick intended to change. The death of Emperor Charles VI on 20 October 1740 provided him with an ideal opportunity to acquire Silesia, but he needed to do so before Augustus of Saxony and Poland could pre-empt him. With
12463-762: The time; although he later recovered, this temporarily paralysed the French command system. With the bulk of the Austrian army occupied in Eastern France, Frederick launched the Second Silesian War on 15 August, and by the end of the month, all 80,000 of his troops were in Bohemia. Although Maria Theresa's main objective was to regain Silesia, the speed of the Prussian advance took the Austrians by surprise. On 23 August, Prince Charles withdrew from Alsace to defend Bohemia, with little interference from
12584-462: The traditional European balance of power ; the various legal claims were largely pretexts and seen as such. Bavaria and Saxony refused to be bound by the decision of the Imperial Diet, while in 1738 France agreed to back the 'just claims' of Charles Albert of Bavaria despite previously accepting the Pragmatic Sanction in 1735. Attempts to offset this involved Austria in the 1733–1735 War of
12705-581: The war due to concern at British commercial growth post-1713. Since the war in Northern Italy was largely fought to support Spanish aims, this left the Netherlands as the only remaining theatre where France could achieve strategic victory. Another significant development was the start of the realignment of alliances that became the Diplomatic Revolution in 1756. Under the August 'Convention of Hanover', Frederick and George II mutually guaranteed
12826-607: The war, it took advantage of the Royal Navy to expand it into the colonies. The British pursued a dual strategy of naval blockade and bombardment of enemy ports, and also utilized their ability to move troops by sea to the utmost. They would harass enemy shipping and attack enemy outposts, frequently using colonists from nearby British colonies in the effort. This plan worked better in North America than in Europe, but set
12947-402: The waterfront: a mill/bakery on one side, a brewery on the other (providing biscuits and beer respectively). The other buildings on site include cooperages (for manufacturing barrels), officers' residences and an elegant Slaughterhouse (for provision of salted beef), all in matching limestone and arranged on a symmetrical grid layout. A similar approach was taken with regard to Portsmouth: there,
13068-565: Was 'heavily indebted to the irresolutions of George II.' They ended by doing nothing, and in October, took up winter quarters in the Netherlands. Frederick had responded to Dettingen by renewing his search for allies, and building up his army once again. In July, the Russian court discovered an alleged plot to overthrow Empress Elizabeth , and restore three-year old Ivan VI , with his mother Grand Duchess Anna Leopoldovna as his regent. Whether this amounted to anything more than drunken gossip
13189-549: Was abolished in the Admiralty reforms of 1832, victualling then became the responsibility of the Comptroller of Victualling and Transports , who was superintended by the Fourth Sea Lord. In 1862 transport duties passed to a separate Transport Department and in 1869 the office of Comptroller of Victualling was abolished. His former duties were divided between the newly formed Contract and Purchase Department , under
13310-693: Was disproportionately large, at around 4% of its 2.2 million population. To add to these advantages, in April 1739 Frederick ensured Austria faced war on two fronts when Louis XV of France agreed to attack from the west, while Prussia did so from the north. In early December 1740, the Prussian army assembled along the river Oder and on 16 December invaded Silesia without a formal declaration of war. Since Austrian military resources were concentrated in Hungary and Italy , they had fewer than 3,000 troops in Silesia, although this increased to 7,000 shortly before
13431-461: Was driven by a combination of geography, and the superiority of the British navy, which made it difficult for the French navy to provide significant supplies and support to French colonies. The expectation was military victory in Europe would compensate for any colonial losses; in 1748, France recovered possessions like Louisbourg , in return for withdrawing from the Austrian Netherlands. The British tried to avoid large-scale commitments of troops on
13552-514: Was forced to retreat, which led to his dismissal. Success allowed Spain to land troops in Northern Italy, and in April they captured the important port of Villefranche-sur-Mer , then part of Savoy . However, storms sank or severely damaged many French ships, while most of Louis' ministers opposed what they considered an expensive and futile diversion of resources. The invasion was cancelled on 11 March, Louis formally declared war on Britain, and in May,
13673-664: Was officially appointed to this role by letters patent of Henry VIII on the 24 April 1546. It was directed by the Lieutenant of the Admiralty until 1557. The board was charged with overseeing the administrative affairs of the navy; directive, executive and operational duties of the Lord High Admiral remained with the Admiralty and Marine Affairs Office . In 1557 the Lieutenant of the Admiralty ceased to direct
13794-546: Was ongoing awareness of the need to stamp out corruption and improve quality. (In 1658 the crew of HMS Maidstone had demolished the Victualling Office at Rochester in protest at the foul quality of the food. Their captain Thomas Penrose refused to name any of the culprits.) The reason so much of the manufacturing process took place in-house was to guarantee a level of quality. It was far easier to gauge
13915-513: Was proclaimed Emperor Francis I on 13 September. Bolstered by this significant political victory, Maria Theresa continued her attempts to regain Silesia, only to be defeated once again at the Battle of Soor on 30 September. On 15 December, the Prussians forced Saxony out of the war with victory in the Battle of Kesselsdorf , leading to the Treaty of Dresden on 25th. Austria accepted Frederick's ownership of Silesia, while Saxony paid him an indemnity of one million crowns; in return, Prussia accepted
14036-485: Was reduced to 36,000, half of whom then died of dysentery. Despite the surrender of Freiburg and French advances in the Southern Netherlands, Austria seemed well-positioned at the end of 1744. Frederick's retreat damaged his reputation and weakened his army, but the most significant impact was on Franco-Prussian relations, with Louis accused of failing to support Prussia. In Italy, an Austrian attack on
14157-573: Was short of money and men and also suspected France was preparing a separate peace. In June, the Treaty of Breslau ended the First Silesian War; Prussian troops withdrew from Bohemia, and Austria recaptured Prague in December. At the beginning of the year, Louis XV insisted Broglie be given command of the Franco-Bavarian forces, creating tension with the Bavarians, and their general von Seckendorff . With most of his lands occupied by
14278-499: Was specifically charged with interpreting and reducing Navy Board costs. By the end of the year it had issued critical reports covering the board's administration of naval pensions, half-pay , revenue, expenditure and debt. In particular, the committee noted the Navy Board had long since abandoned financial controls; that it had instead "established a scale of expense greatly beyond what existed during former periods of peace," and that its operations tended to "exalt its own importance" over
14399-517: Was the Netherlands, particularly after British troops were recalled to deal with the Jacobite rising of 1745 . The other was Italy, where a Franco-Spanish army under Maillebois and Infante Philip defeated the Sardinians at Bassignano on 27 September, then captured Alessandria , Valenza and Casale Monferrato . As a result, France made no effort to block the election of Duke Francis, who
14520-564: Was the realignment known as the Diplomatic Revolution . Austria and France ended the rivalry which had dominated European affairs for centuries, while Prussia allied with Great Britain. These changes set the scene for the outbreak of the Seven Years' War in 1756. The immediate cause of the war was the death in 1740 of Emperor Charles VI (1685–1740) and the inheritance of the Habsburg monarchy , often collectively referred to as Austria. The 1703 Mutual Pact of Succession provided that if
14641-603: Was willing to mediate for him with Austria. Bavaria's exit allowed France to focus on the Low Countries, which Saxe persuaded Louis XV provided the best opportunity of defeating Britain, whose financial backing was crucial to the Pragmatic Alliance. He proposed to attack Tournai , a vital link in the trading network for Northern Europe, and strongest of the Dutch Barrier Forts , this forcing
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