Vice-Admiral of the West
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (October 2024) |
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:
- Sir John Arundell of Trerice - said to have held the post under Edward VI[1]
- Sir John Pole (the great-great-great grandfather of William Pole and great-great-great-great grandfather of Sir William Pole, the noted antiquary of Devon) held the post of Vice-Admiral of the West of England[2][3]
- Sir Arthur Champernowne - Vice-Admiral of the Devon Coast 1562 - 1577[4]
- Sir Walter Raleigh - Vice-Admiral of the Devon Coast 1586 - 1603[5]
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".[6]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ The Visitations of Cornwall: Comprising the Heralds' Visitations of 1530, 1573 & 1620. W. Pollard. 1887. p. 12. Retrieved 28 October 2024.
- ^ Bridie, Marion Ferguson (1955). The story of Shute: the Bonvilles and Poles. pp. 78–79. Retrieved 29 October 2024.
- ^ Burke, Bernard (1858). A Genealogical and Heraldic Dictionary of the Peerage and Baronetage of the British Empire. Harrison. p. 797. Retrieved 29 October 2024.
- ^ "MDV32486 | Park and Gardens at Dartington Hall, Totnes". heritagegateway.org.uk. Devon & Dartmoor Historic Environment Record. Retrieved 28 October 2024.
- ^ Pointner, Frank Erik (2015). "Substituting Fantasy for Achievement". Substituting Fantasy for Achievement: Walter Ralegh's Failure as Discoverer and its Vindication. Transcript Verlag. p. 173. ISBN 978-3-8376-2782-4. JSTOR j.ctv8d5t2b.10. Retrieved 28 October 2024.
{{cite book}}:|journal=ignored (help) - ^ 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.