Secretaries of State: State Papers Naval
Item
Country
GB
Name of institution (official language of the state)
Language of name of institution
eng
Contact information: postal address
Kew, Richmond TW9 4DU
Contact information: phone number
0044 020 8876 3444
Contact information: web address
Contact information: email
Reference number
SP 42
Type of reference number
Archival reference number
Title (official language of the state)
Secretaries of State: State Papers Naval
Language of title
eng
Creator / accumulator
Secretaries of State
Date(s)
1689/1782
Language(s)
eng
Extent
144 bundles and volumes
Type of material
Textual Material
Scope and content
This series comprises the records left in the State Paper Office by Secretaries of State acting in their naval capacity. The series includes general correspondence and letters from the Board of Admiralty or its secretary to the secretaries, in many cases forwarding papers from admirals and other naval officers; drafts of secretarial out-letters, whether addressed to the Admiralty or admirals; resolutions of councils of war held during fleet operations; lists of royal naval ships, convoys, and foreign fleets; correspondence from the Sick and Wounded Office; complaints of Spanish depredations at sea; law reports on Admiralty matters, supplied chiefly by the King's Advocates (including a report on the Palatine refugees); orders in council of naval interest; copies of naval correspondence required by Parliament to pursue inquires; and Court of Admiralty decisions regarding prizes.
This series includes some documents regarding the escape of Portuguese conversos on board English vessels. It is the case of a letter on November 15, 1720, from James Cragg, Secretary of State, regarding the complaint of the Portuguese Court about a British captain (Captain Protheroe of HMS Looe) who received aboard his ship a large quantity of Brazil wood and a New Christian fleeing from the Inquisition (SP 42/17/29). SP 42/68 includes documents regarding the situation of the Jews of Gibraltar after it had been ceded to Britain in the sequence of the Treaty of Utrecht in 1713 (See SP 42/68/126 and SP 42/68/132-133).
This series includes some documents regarding the escape of Portuguese conversos on board English vessels. It is the case of a letter on November 15, 1720, from James Cragg, Secretary of State, regarding the complaint of the Portuguese Court about a British captain (Captain Protheroe of HMS Looe) who received aboard his ship a large quantity of Brazil wood and a New Christian fleeing from the Inquisition (SP 42/17/29). SP 42/68 includes documents regarding the situation of the Jews of Gibraltar after it had been ceded to Britain in the sequence of the Treaty of Utrecht in 1713 (See SP 42/68/126 and SP 42/68/132-133).
Archival history
The State Paper Office evolved informally and gradually from the collections of papers kept by the secretaries of state during the 16th century in the royal palace at Whitehall. The increasing complexity of administration during Elizabeth's reign suggested the need for a private library of confidential papers concerning domestic and foreign affairs to which the public did not have access, and in the 1580s such records were placed in the custody of Dr Thomas Wilson (c.1560-1629).
The office of Keeper of the State Papers first appeared in 1610, when Levinus Monk and Thomas Wilson, nephew of the above, were jointly appointed "keeper and registers". Wilson did all he could to increase the importance of his office. He resumed a considerable number of papers removed by earlier secretaries of state and sorted and arranged the collection under domestic and foreign divisions.
By the early 18th century, the State Paper Office was suffering from a marked lack of organisation. As an attempt to remedy this, an official known as the collector and transmitter of the state papers was appointed from 1725 onwards; this post was held in conjunction with the keepership from the 1740s. In 1764, a royal commission appointed a group of methodisers of the state papers who made further attempts to regulate the State Paper Office. These efforts were hindered by the division of the papers between rooms in the palace of Whitehall, the Holbein gate (from 1618 until 1759) and unsuitable houses in the vicinity. This problem was not solved until 1834 with the completion of Soane's purpose-built State Paper Office in Duke Street.
The Public Record Office Act 1838 brought existing and accumulating records of the central courts under the aegis of the Master of the Rolls, and the state papers and other departmental records were subsequently added to his custody. The state papers were transferred by an order in council of March 5, 1852, and in 1854 the Master of the Rolls instructed by warrant the deputy keeper of the public records to take the state papers into his charge. The State Paper Office now became a branch office of the Public Record Office until the records were removed to the Chancery Lane building in 1861. Soane's State Paper Office was then demolished.
Although attempts were made to calendar the state papers in the later 18th century, nothing concrete was achieved until in 1825 a commission was entrusted with printing and publishing the documents in the State Paper Office. Under its auspices, selections of the most important letters of the reign of Henry VIII were printed between 1830 and 1852. It was not, however, until the state papers were placed under the charge and superintendence of the Master of the Rolls by the operation of the Public Record Office Act 1838 and the order in council of March 5, 1852, that any regular system of calendars was adopted. Since that date, over 200 volumes of calendars of the Domestic, Foreign and Colonial papers, ranging from the early 16th to the later 18th century, have been published.
The State Papers Naval series was previously known as State Papers Domestic Naval, and before that as HO Admiralty and was formerly part of SP 34.
The office of Keeper of the State Papers first appeared in 1610, when Levinus Monk and Thomas Wilson, nephew of the above, were jointly appointed "keeper and registers". Wilson did all he could to increase the importance of his office. He resumed a considerable number of papers removed by earlier secretaries of state and sorted and arranged the collection under domestic and foreign divisions.
By the early 18th century, the State Paper Office was suffering from a marked lack of organisation. As an attempt to remedy this, an official known as the collector and transmitter of the state papers was appointed from 1725 onwards; this post was held in conjunction with the keepership from the 1740s. In 1764, a royal commission appointed a group of methodisers of the state papers who made further attempts to regulate the State Paper Office. These efforts were hindered by the division of the papers between rooms in the palace of Whitehall, the Holbein gate (from 1618 until 1759) and unsuitable houses in the vicinity. This problem was not solved until 1834 with the completion of Soane's purpose-built State Paper Office in Duke Street.
The Public Record Office Act 1838 brought existing and accumulating records of the central courts under the aegis of the Master of the Rolls, and the state papers and other departmental records were subsequently added to his custody. The state papers were transferred by an order in council of March 5, 1852, and in 1854 the Master of the Rolls instructed by warrant the deputy keeper of the public records to take the state papers into his charge. The State Paper Office now became a branch office of the Public Record Office until the records were removed to the Chancery Lane building in 1861. Soane's State Paper Office was then demolished.
Although attempts were made to calendar the state papers in the later 18th century, nothing concrete was achieved until in 1825 a commission was entrusted with printing and publishing the documents in the State Paper Office. Under its auspices, selections of the most important letters of the reign of Henry VIII were printed between 1830 and 1852. It was not, however, until the state papers were placed under the charge and superintendence of the Master of the Rolls by the operation of the Public Record Office Act 1838 and the order in council of March 5, 1852, that any regular system of calendars was adopted. Since that date, over 200 volumes of calendars of the Domestic, Foreign and Colonial papers, ranging from the early 16th to the later 18th century, have been published.
The State Papers Naval series was previously known as State Papers Domestic Naval, and before that as HO Admiralty and was formerly part of SP 34.
Administrative / Biographical history
In the Middle Ages, the affairs of the state in England as directed by the King's Council were put in execution through the Chancery, the Chancellor exercising all the functions which can pertain to a modern secretary of state. The acts of Chancery had to be authenticated by the great seal, of which the Chancellor was the keeper, and were recorded on the rolls of that department.
In time the business of the state began to be exercised in a less formal manner and to be diverted into other channels. The King's Secretary (who was at first styled the King's Clerk, then Secretary, afterwards Principal Secretary, and who was probably first called Secretary of State in the time of Elizabeth I) was increasingly employed to execute much of the business formerly pertaining to the Chancellor. In the reign of Henry VIII, the king's Principal Secretary had become a person of such great importance that his rank and precedence were determined by statute, and the business and correspondence of his office so much increased as to require in the same reign a Second Principal Secretary.
Both domestic and foreign affairs were the joint responsibility of the principal secretaries. In 1640, the king made a rough geographical division of foreign affairs between them, and out of this division, the secretaries' office was separated into the Southern and Northern Departments. From 1709 to 1726 and from 1742 to 1746 there was a Third Secretary with responsibility for Scottish affairs. Although the allocation of countries between the Northern and Southern Departments varied slightly from time to time to take account of particular circumstances, the general rule in the 18th century was that the Southern Department embraced France, Spain, Italy, Portugal, Switzerland, Turkey and the Barbary States, as well as Home and Irish affairs; also the Colonies, until 1768 when a Third Secretary was added to take charge of colonial businesses. The Northern Department was concerned with the remaining overseas countries with which diplomatic relations were maintained.
In 1782, the Colonial Department was abolished, and a clear division was made in the business of the two principal secretaries of state, all domestic and colonial business passing to the Southern Department, which became the Home Office, while all foreign business was allocated to the Northern Department, which became the Foreign Office.
In time the business of the state began to be exercised in a less formal manner and to be diverted into other channels. The King's Secretary (who was at first styled the King's Clerk, then Secretary, afterwards Principal Secretary, and who was probably first called Secretary of State in the time of Elizabeth I) was increasingly employed to execute much of the business formerly pertaining to the Chancellor. In the reign of Henry VIII, the king's Principal Secretary had become a person of such great importance that his rank and precedence were determined by statute, and the business and correspondence of his office so much increased as to require in the same reign a Second Principal Secretary.
Both domestic and foreign affairs were the joint responsibility of the principal secretaries. In 1640, the king made a rough geographical division of foreign affairs between them, and out of this division, the secretaries' office was separated into the Southern and Northern Departments. From 1709 to 1726 and from 1742 to 1746 there was a Third Secretary with responsibility for Scottish affairs. Although the allocation of countries between the Northern and Southern Departments varied slightly from time to time to take account of particular circumstances, the general rule in the 18th century was that the Southern Department embraced France, Spain, Italy, Portugal, Switzerland, Turkey and the Barbary States, as well as Home and Irish affairs; also the Colonies, until 1768 when a Third Secretary was added to take charge of colonial businesses. The Northern Department was concerned with the remaining overseas countries with which diplomatic relations were maintained.
In 1782, the Colonial Department was abolished, and a clear division was made in the business of the two principal secretaries of state, all domestic and colonial business passing to the Southern Department, which became the Home Office, while all foreign business was allocated to the Northern Department, which became the Foreign Office.
Access points: locations
Access points: subject terms
Access points: document types
System of arrangement
The series is divided into seven subseries: General correspondence (SP 42/1 - SP 42/5); Lords of the Admiralty (SP 42/6 - SP 42/57); Lords of the Admiralty (Supplementary) (SP 42/58 - SP 42/66); Naval commanders (SP 42/67 - SP 42/110); Lists of ships (SP 42/111 - SP 42/116); Miscellaneous (Sick and Wounded, etc.) (SP 42/117 - SP 42/138); and Orders in Council (SP 42/139 - SP 42/144).
Folio numbers do not necessarily equate with item numbers because some items have more than one folio number.
Folio numbers do not necessarily equate with item numbers because some items have more than one folio number.
Links to finding aids
Author of the description
Carla Vieira, 2022