Elizabethan naval administration / edited by C.S. Knighton and David Loades

Includes bibliographical references and index

First Naval Business in the State Papers -- The Navy Treasurer's Quarter Book for 1562-1563 -- The Navy Treasurer's Declared Account for 1562-1563 -- Extracts from James Humphrey's Book of Forms, 1568 -- Papers relating to Wages and Wage Rates -- The Navy Victualler's 1565 Contract and related papers -- Papers relating to Sir John Hawkins as Treasurer of the Navy -- Edward Fenton's Notebook and other papers relating to the Expedition of 1590

This is the first general selection from the substantial body of surviving documents about Elizabeth's navy. It is a companion to The Navy of Edward VI and Mary I (Vol.157 in the NRS Series), where the apparatus serving both volumes was printed, and it complements the other NRS volumes that deal specifically with the Spanish Armada. This collection concentrates (though not exclusively so) on the early years of Elizabeth's reign when there was no formal war. From 1558-1585 the navy was involved in a number of small-scale campaigns, pursuit of pirates and occasional shows of force. The documents selected emphasize the financial and administrative processes that supported these operations, such as mustering, victualing, demobilisation, and ship maintenance and repair. The fleet varied in size from about 30 to 45 ships during the period and a vast amount of maintenance and repair was required. The main component of the volume is the massively detailed Navy Treasurer's account for 1562-3 which is followed by and collated with the corresponding Exchequer Account. The documents illustrate just how efficiently the dockyards functioned. They were one of the great early Elizabethan achievements. -- Publisher website