Erith Dockyard

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HM Dockyard Erith
English White Ensign 1620.svg
Erith, Kent in  England
Coordinates 51°28′57″N0°10′54″E / 51.4825°N 0.1817°E / 51.4825; 0.1817
Site information
Operator English Navy
Site history
In use1512-1521

Erith Dockyard located at Erith, Kent, England was an early Tudor naval dockyard operated by the English Navy that opened in 1512 due to persistent flooding the dockyard closed in 1521. [1]

Erith district of South East London within the London Borough of Bexley

Erith is an area of south-east London, England, located 13.3 miles (21.4 km) east of Charing Cross. Historically part of Kent, it has formed part of the London Borough of Bexley since 1965. Erith is located to the north-east of Bexleyheath and north-west of Dartford, and lies on the south bank of the River Thames.

Tudor period historical era in England coinciding with the rule of the Tudor dynasty

The Tudor period occurred between 1485 and 1603 in England and Wales and includes the Elizabethan period during the reign of Elizabeth I until 1603. The Tudor period coincides with the dynasty of the House of Tudor in England whose first monarch was Henry VII. Historian John Guy (1988) argued that "England was economically healthier, more expansive, and more optimistic under the Tudors" than at any time in a hundred years.

Royal Navy Dockyard series of government dockyard in the United Kingdom

Royal Navy Dockyards were harbour facilities where commissioned ships were either built or based, or where ships were overhauled and refitted. Historically, the Royal Navy maintained a string of dockyards around the world; these publicly owned establishments were officially designated Royal Dockyards or HM Dockyards until the late 1960s. Today, the few shipbuilding/maintenance yards that remain operational have been privatised ; and Babcock International, which in 2011 acquired freehold ownership of the working North Yard at Devonport from the British Ministry of Defence, has reverted to calling it Devonport Royal Dockyard.

Contents

History

The name Erith comes from the Saxon ‘Earhyth’ meaning muddy landing place. It was traditionally a small port along the River Thames. In the 16th century King Henry VIII established a naval dockyard in Erith. It became a trading hub, as spices and cotton from the East Indies were delivered onto London. A naval storehouse was constructed at Erith in 1512 that was managed by the Keeper of the Kings Storehouses who was one of the Clerks of the Kings Marine a Tudor (naval administrator). [2] Erith Dockyard was used as an advance base for routine maintenance before ships were transferred to Deptford Dockyard. [3] It closed due to persistent flooding in 1521. [4] However, according to naval historian Nicholas A. M. Rodger although Erith dockyard closed it was an important center of naval administration of the English Navy from 1514 into the 1540s. [5]

River Thames river in southern England

The River Thames, known alternatively in parts as the Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At 215 miles (346 km), it is the longest river entirely in England and the second-longest in the United Kingdom, after the River Severn.

Deptford Dockyard former naval dockyard and base at Deptford on the River Thames

Deptford Dockyard was an important naval dockyard and base at Deptford on the River Thames, in what is now the London Borough of Lewisham, operated by the Royal Navy from the sixteenth to the nineteenth centuries. It built and maintained warships for 350 years, and many significant events and ships have been associated with it.

Nicholas A. M. Rodger British naval historian

Nicholas Andrew Martin Rodger FBA is a historian of the Royal Navy and senior research fellow of All Souls College, Oxford.

Administration of the dockyard and other key officials

The Master Shipwright was usually the key official at the royal navy dockyards until the introduction of resident commissioners by the Navy Board after which he became deputy to the resident commissioner. In 1832 the post of commissioner was usually replaced by the post of admiral superintendent.

Navy Board organisation with responsibility for day-to-day civil administration of the Royal Navy between 1546 and 1832

The Navy Board and formerly known as the Council of the Marine or Council of the Marine Causes was the commission with responsibility for day-to-day civil administration of the Royal Navy between 1546 and 1832. The board was headquartered within the Navy Office.

The admiral-superintendent was the Royal Navy officer in command of a larger Naval Dockyard. Portsmouth, Devonport and Chatham all had admiral-superintendents, as did some other dockyards in the United Kingdom and abroad at certain times. The admiral-superintendent usually held the rank of rear-admiral. His deputy was the captain of the dockyard.

Keeper of Kings Storehouse, Erith

Post holders included: [6]

  1. 1512-1524, John Hopton (also Keeper at Deptford Dockyard)
  2. 1524-1537, William Gonson (ditto)

Ships fitted out at the dockyard

Included: [7]

  1. HMS Trinity Sovereign, also known as HMS Sovereign, an English warship in service built in 1488 and listed until 1521.
  2. HMS Henry Grace à Dieu

Citations

  1. ↑ Rodger, N.A.M (1997). The safeguard of the sea : a naval history of Britain. Vol 1., 660-1649. London, England: Penguin. pp. 222–223. ISBN   9780140297249.
  2. ↑ Childs, David (March 2010). Tudor sea power : the foundation of greatness. Barnsley, England: Seaforth Pub. pp. 252–253. ISBN   9781848320314.
  3. ↑ Rodger, N.A.M (1997). The safeguard of the sea : a naval history of Britain. Vol 1., 660-1649. London, England: Penguin. pp. 222–223. ISBN   9780140297249.
  4. ↑ Childs, David (March 2010). Tudor sea power : the foundation of greatness. Barnsley, England: Seaforth Pub. pp. 252–253. ISBN   9781848320314.
  5. ↑ Rodger, N.A.M (1997). The safeguard of the sea : a naval history of Britain. Vol 1., 660-1649. London, England: Penguin. pp. 222–223. ISBN   9780140297249.
  6. ↑ Childs, David (March 2010). Tudor sea power : the foundation of greatness. Barnsley, England: Seaforth Pub. pp. 252–253. ISBN   9781848320314.
  7. ↑ Oppenheim, Michael (1896). A history of the administration of the royal navy and of merchant shipping in relation to the navy, from MDIX to MDCLX, with an introduction treating of the preceding period. London, New York, J. Lane. p. 72.

Sources

  1. Childs, David (March 2010). Tudor sea power : the foundation of greatness. Barnsley, England: Seaforth Pub. ISBN   9781848320314.
  2. Oppenheim, Michael (1896). A history of the administration of the royal navy and of merchant shipping in relation to the navy, from MDIX to MDCLX, with an introduction treating of the preceding period. London, New York, J. Lane.
  3. Rodger, N.A.M (1997). The safeguard of the sea : a naval history of Britain. Vol 1., 660-1649. London, England: Penguin. ISBN   9780140297249.

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