Vice-Admiral of the West explained

The historical title Vice-Admiral of the West is sometimes applied to holders of the crown appointment Vice-Admiral of the Coast of counties in the South West of England.

The duties of a Vice-Admiral of the Coast were to control the shipping (especially piracy) around a maritime county's coast and organise defence on land and at sea. He also acted as a local judge to deal with maritime matters.

It is not entirely clear if the role of Vice-Admiral of the West was in fact separate or additional to the role either Vice-Admiral of the Coast of Cornwall or Vice-Admiral of the Coast of Devon. Appointees to both these posts seem to have been described in writings after their deaths as Vice-Admiral of the West despite appearing appointed to their counties in contemporary papers.

The following are said to have been Vice-Admirals of the West:

• Sir John Arundell of Trerice - said to have held the post under Edward VI^[1]
• Sir John Pole (the great-great-great grandfather of William Pole and great-great-great-great grandfather of Sir William Pole, the noted antiquary of Devon) held the post of Vice-Admiral of the West of England^{[2] [3]}
• Sir Arthur Champernowne - Vice-Admiral of the Devon Coast 1562 - 1577^[4]
• Sir Walter Raleigh - Vice-Admiral of the Devon Coast 1586 - 1603^[5]

In his History of the Royal Navy, Nicholas Harris Nicolas refers to both a Vice-Admiral of the West, whose command extended "from the Foreland of Thanet towards all the coasts of the south-west", and a Vice-Admiral of the North, whose command extended "from the said Foreland towards the North and East".^[6]

See also

• Vice-Admiral of the Coast

Notes and References

1. Book: The Visitations of Cornwall: Comprising the Heralds' Visitations of 1530, 1573 & 1620 . 1887 . W. Pollard . 12 . 28 October 2024 . en.
2. Book: Bridie . Marion Ferguson . The story of Shute: the Bonvilles and Poles . 1955 . 78–79 . 29 October 2024.
3. Book: Burke . Bernard . A Genealogical and Heraldic Dictionary of the Peerage and Baronetage of the British Empire . 1858 . Harrison . 797 . 29 October 2024 . en.
4. Web site: MDV32486 Park and Gardens at Dartington Hall, Totnes . heritagegateway.org.uk . Devon & Dartmoor Historic Environment Record . 28 October 2024.
5. Book: Pointner . Frank Erik . Substituting Fantasy for Achievement: Walter Ralegh's Failure as Discoverer and its Vindication . Substituting Fantasy for Achievement . Fiasko – Scheitern in der Frühen Neuzeit . 2015 . 173 . https://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctv8d5t2b.10 . 28 October 2024 . Transcript Verlag. j.ctv8d5t2b.10 . 978-3-8376-2782-4 .
6. Book: Nicolas . Sir Nicholas Harris . A History of the Royal Navy: From the Earliest Times to the Wars of the French Revolution . 1847 . R. Bentley . 487 . en.