ADMIRALTY ACT (1690). An Act concerning the Commissioners of the Admiralty.

NINE YEARS WAR. Great Britain. Parliament.

Published by London: Charles Bill and Thomas Newcomb, 1690

About this Item

Folio (10.5 inches). 2 William & Mary, Session 2, Chapter 2. General title leaf + pages 183-184. Woodcut Royal coat of arms, headband, and decorative initial. Text in Black Letter. Neatly extracted from a bound volume and expertly mended. Some ink smudges on final page. England had been at war with France since King Williams formal declaration on May 7, 1689. At the time, all authority, jurisdiction, and power related to the Royal Navy had been vested in the Lord High Admiral. The crushing defeat of England by the French navy at the Battle of Beachy Head (wherein on July 10, 1690, the English and Dutch fleet lost 11 ships, and the French lost none) became the catalyst for Britain to rebuild its Navy into a world power. By this Act, some powers of the Lord High Admiral were transferred to Commissioners, who were considered more appropriate for handling certain matters, and laid the foundation of what would become the Board of Admiralty, the key institution exercising oversight of the Royal Navy. Seller Inventory # 012

Bibliographic Details

Title: ADMIRALTY ACT (1690). An Act concerning the ...

Publisher: London: Charles Bill and Thomas Newcomb

Publication Date: 1690

Binding: Soft cover

Condition: Very Good

Edition: 1st Edition