The Navy Board is today the body responsible for the day-to-day running of the British

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

 Royal Navy

Royal Navy

The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...

. Its composition is identical to that of the Admiralty Board of the Defence Council of the United Kingdom

Defence Council of the United Kingdom

The Defence Council of the United Kingdom is the body legally entrusted with the defence of the United Kingdom and its overseas territories and with control over the British armed forces, and is part of the Ministry of Defence.-Functions:...

, except that it does not include any of Her Majesty's Ministers.

From 1546 to 1831, the Navy Board was also the name of a body separate from the Admiralty

Admiralty

The Admiralty was formerly the authority in the Kingdom of England, and later in the United Kingdom, responsible for the command of the Royal Navy...

, originally called Council of the Marine and presided over by the Lieutenant of the Admiralty

Lieutenant of the Admiralty

The Lieutenant of the Admiralty is a now honorary office generally held by a senior retired Royal Navy admiral. He is the official deputy to the Lord High Admiral, an office vested in the Sovereign since 1964...

, which was responsible for the administrative affairs of the naval service, including the building and repair of and supplies to naval ships. In doing so, they ran the six major naval dockyards in England, Deptford

Deptford

Deptford is a district of south London, England, located on the south bank of the River Thames. It is named after a ford of the River Ravensbourne, and from the mid 16th century to the late 19th was home to Deptford Dockyard, the first of the Royal Navy Dockyards.Deptford and the docks are...

, Woolwich

Woolwich

Woolwich is a district in south London, England, located in the London Borough of Greenwich. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London.Woolwich formed part of Kent until 1889 when the County of London was created...

, Chatham

Chatham

-Places:In England:*Chatham, Kent**Chatham Dockyard, frequently referred to simply as "Chatham"**Chatham Historic Dockyard, a maritime museum that occupies part of the site of Chatham Dockyard...

, Sheerness

Sheerness

Sheerness is a town located beside the mouth of the River Medway on the northwest corner of the Isle of Sheppey in north Kent, England. With a population of 12,000 it is the largest town on the island....

, Portsmouth

HMNB Portsmouth

Her Majesty's Naval Base Portsmouth is one of three operating bases in the United Kingdom for the British Royal Navy...

 and Plymouth

HMNB Devonport

Her Majesty's Naval Base Devonport , is one of three operating bases in the United Kingdom for the Royal Navy . HMNB Devonport is located in Devonport, in the west of the city of Plymouth in Devon, England...

, as well as smaller operations elsewhere. However their armament was the responsibility of an independent body, the Board of Ordnance

Board of Ordnance

The Board of Ordnance was a British government body responsible for the supply of armaments and munitions to the Royal Navy and British Army. It was also responsible for providing artillery trains for armies and maintaining coastal fortresses and, later, management of the artillery and engineer...

.

In the 18th century, the Navy Board had subsidiary organisations such as the Sick and Hurt Commissioners

Sick and Hurt Commissioners

The Sick and Hurt Commissioners were responsible for medical services in the British Royal Navy from 1715 to 1806...

 (responsible for naval medical services) and the Victualling Commissioners

Victualling Commissioners

The Commissioners for the victualling of the Navy, often called Victualling Commissioners, were the body responsible under the Navy Board for victualling ships of the British Royal Navy.-Creation:...

 (responsible for food supplies).

Contractors

While the Navy Board operated the dockyards, it depended on a network of suppliers for many of the commodities needed for building and repairing ships.

Ironware

Most ironware was provided by contractors, but there were also smiths

Blacksmith

A blacksmith is a person who creates objects from wrought iron or steel by forging the metal; that is, by using tools to hammer, bend, and cut...

 employed in each dockyard. Shortly after the English Restoration, Robert Foley

Robert Foley (ironmonger)

Robert Foley of Stourbridge was a son of Richard Foley, the most important ironmaster of his time in the west Midlands, by his second marriage ....

 obtained a contract from the Navy Board to supply ironware to several dockyards. His son Robert Foley II

Robert Foley (MP)

Robert Foley of Stourbridge was the son of Robert Foley .- Biography :He succeeded to his father's business as an ironmonger and naval contractor for ironware. His contract with the Navy Board has been printed, and lists 30 different kinds of nails and nearly 60 other species of iron goods...

 succeeded him in this contract, but was replaced by Ambrose Crowley

Ambrose Crowley

Sir Ambrose Crowley III was a 17th century English ironmonger.-Early years:He was the son of Ambrose Crowley II , a Quaker Blacksmith in Stourbridge but rose Dick Whittington-style to become Sheriff of London .-Career:...

, whose family retained the contract for all the dockyards except Portsmouth until the 1780s.