Vice-Admiral of the West

The historical title Vice-Admiral of the West is sometimes applied to holders of the crown appointment Vice-Admiral of the Coast of counties in the South West of England.

The duties of a Vice-Admiral of the Coast were to control the shipping (especially piracy) around a maritime county's coast and organise defence on land and at sea. He also acted as a local judge to deal with maritime matters.

It is not entirely clear if the role of Vice-Admiral of the West was in fact separate or additional to the role either Vice-Admiral of the Coast of Cornwall or Vice-Admiral of the Coast of Devon. Appointees to both these posts seem to have been described in writings after their deaths as Vice-Admiral of the West despite appearing appointed to their counties in contemporary papers.

The following are said to have been Vice-Admirals of the West:

In his History of the Royal Navy, Nicholas Harris Nicolas refers to both a Vice-Admiral of the West, whose command extended "from the Foreland of Thanet towards all the coasts of the south-west", and a Vice-Admiral of the North, whose command extended "from the said Foreland towards the North and East".[4]

See also

References

  1. ^ The Visitations of Cornwall: Comprising the Heralds' Visitations of 1530, 1573 & 1620. W. Pollard. 1887. p. 12. Retrieved 28 October 2024.
  2. ^ "MDV32486 | Park and Gardens at Dartington Hall, Totnes". heritagegateway.org.uk. Devon & Dartmoor Historic Environment Record. Retrieved 28 October 2024.
  3. ^ Pointner, Frank Erik (2015). "Substituting Fantasy for Achievement: Walter Ralegh's Failure as Discoverer and its Vindication". Fiasko – Scheitern in der Frühen Neuzeit. Transcript Verlag: 173. Retrieved 28 October 2024.
  4. ^ Nicolas, Sir Nicholas Harris (1847). A History of the Royal Navy: From the Earliest Times to the Wars of the French Revolution. R. Bentley. p. 487.