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{{Short description|Civilian judicial appointment in the Royal Navy}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Infobox official post
| post            = Office of the Judge Advocate of the Fleet
| body            =
| nativename      =
| insignia        = Naval Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg
| insigniasize    = 150px
| insigniacaption = Ensign of the [[Royal Navy]]
| image           = 
| imagesize       = 
| incumbent       =  
| incumbentsince  =  
| department      = [[British Admiralty|Department of the Admiralty]], [[Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom)|Ministry of Defence]]
| member_of       = [[Board of Admiralty]], [[Admiralty Board (United Kingdom)|Admiralty Board]], [[Navy Board]]
| reports_to      = [[First Sea Lord]]
| nominator       = [[First Lord of the Admiralty]], [[Secretary of State for Defence]] 
| appointer       = ''[[Prime Minister of the United Kingdom|Prime Minister]]''
| appointer_qualified = <small>Subject to formal approval by the [[King-in-Council]]</small>
| termlength      = Not fixed (typically 1–5 years)
| inaugural       = Judge Advocate, J. Fowler
| formation       = 1663-2003
| website=
}}

The '''Judge Advocate of the Fleet''' was an appointed civilian [[judge]] who was responsible for the supervision and superintendence of the [[court martial]] system in the [[Royal Navy]] from 1663 to 2008.

==History==
The position dates to the sixteenth century but was filled on an occasional basis until 1663 when it became a permanent role. Appointments were by Admiralty Order and included an annual stipend worth £146 between 1663 and 1666, and £182 thereafter. From 1824 the Judge Advocate jointly held the office of [[Counsel to the Navy Department, Ministry of Defence|Counsel to the Admiralty]].<ref name=sainty/> later styled as Counsel to the Navy Department, Ministry of Defence. A remunerated position of Deputy Judge Advocate existed from 1668 to 1679, and again from 1684 to 1831.<ref name=sainty/>

Until 2004 the Judge Advocate shared responsibility for the naval court martial system with the [[Chief Naval Judge Advocate]] previously known as the Deputy Judge Advocate of the Fleet, a legally trained serving naval [[commissioned officer|officer]] who was responsible for the appointment of judge advocates. However the Chief Naval Judge Advocate's post was abolished in 2004<ref>Naval Discipline Act 1957 (Remedial) Order 2004, [http://www.opsi.gov.uk/si/si2004/20040066.htm SI 2004/66] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081012073127/http://www.opsi.gov.uk/si/si2004/20040066.htm |date=2008-10-12 }}</ref> following a ruling by the [[European Court of Human Rights]] that held that, as a serving naval officer, his position was insufficiently [[judicial independence|independent]].<ref>''Grieves v. United Kingdom'' (N° 57067/00)
Judgment 16.12.2003 [Grand Chamber]</ref>

The role of Judge Advocate of the Fleet was taken over by the [[Judge Advocate General (United Kingdom)|Judge Advocate General]] from 2004 onwards.<ref>{{ cite web|url=http://www.judiciary.gov.uk/about_judiciary/roles_types_jurisdiction/military_justice/index.htm |publisher=Judiciary of England and Wales |title=Military Justice |year=2008 |access-date=2008-07-16 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080413180525/http://www.judiciary.gov.uk/about_judiciary/roles_types_jurisdiction/military_justice/index.htm |archive-date=2008-04-13 |url-status=dead }}</ref> It was formally abolished on 31 December 2008 under the [[Armed Forces Act 2006]].<ref>S.272(2)/ Sch.8; s.378(2)/ Sch.17; Armed Forces Act 2006 (Commencement No. 2) Order 2007, [http://www.opsi.gov.uk/si/si2007/uksi_20072913_en_1 SI 2007/2913] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080908054302/http://www.opsi.gov.uk/si/si2007/uksi_20072913_en_1 |date=2008-09-08 }}</ref>

==Judge Advocates of the Fleet==
*1663 J. Fowler<ref name=sainty>{{cite web |url=http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=16690 |title=Judge Advocate of the Fleet 1663-1870 |author=J.C. Sainty |publisher=Institute of Historical Research |year=1975 |work=Office-Holders in Modern Britain: Volume 4: Admiralty Officials 1660-1870|access-date=6 December 2015}}</ref>
*1672 J. Brisbane<ref name=sainty/>
*1680 H. Croone<ref name=sainty/>
*1689 P. Foster<ref name=sainty/>
*1689 F. Bacher<ref name=sainty/>
*1690 [[Villiers Bathurst]]<ref name=sainty/>
*1711 W. Strahan<ref name=sainty/>
*1714 E. Honywood<ref name=sainty/>
*1724 J. Copeland<ref name=sainty/>
*1729 T. Hawes<ref name=sainty/>
*1743 T. Kempe<ref name=sainty/>
*1744 Charles Fearne<ref name=sainty/>
*1768 [[Sir George Duckett, 1st Baronet|Sir George Jackson, Bt.]], MP (Sir George Duckett, Bt. from 1797)<ref name=sainty/>
*1824 Horace Twiss, KC, MP<ref name=sainty/>
*1828 Henry John Shepherd, QC<ref name=sainty/>
*1845 [[Richard Godson]], QC, MP<ref name=sainty/>
*1849 [[Richard Budden Crowder]], QC, MP<ref name=sainty/>
*1854 [[Thomas Phinn]]<ref name=sainty/>
*1855 [[William Atherton (MP)|William Atherton]], QC, MP<ref name=sainty/>
*1859 [[Robert Collier, 1st Baron Monkswell|Robert Porrett Collier]], QC<ref name=sainty/>
*1863 [[Thomas Phinn]], QC<ref name=sainty/>
*1866 [[John Walter Huddleston]], KC<ref name=sainty/>
*1875–1904 [[Alexander Staveley Hill]], KC<ref name = Debrett1901>{{cite book | last = Debrett | first = John | title = Debrett's Peerage, Baronetage, Knightage and Companionage | publisher = Dean & Son Ltd. | location = London | year = 1901 | pages = 361 }}</ref>
*1904–1924 [[Reginald Brodie Dyke Acland|Sir Reginald Brodie Dyke Acland]], KC<ref name = Debrett1922>{{cite book | last = Debrett | first = John | title = Debrett's Peerage, Baronetage, Knightage and Companionage | publisher = Dean & Son Ltd. | location = London | year = 1922 | pages = 375 | editor = Arthur G. M. Hesilrige }}</ref> 
*1924-1933 [[Charles Murray Pitman]], KC<ref>Mr. C. M. Pitman, K.C. The Times (London, England), Friday, Oct 15, 1948; pg. 7; Issue 51203. (471 words)</ref>
*1933 [[John Graham Trapnell]], KC
*1943 [[John Lhind Pratt]]
*1945 [[Ewen Montagu|Hon. Ewen Edward Samuel Montagu]], CBE, QC
*1973 [[William McLaren Howard]], QC
*1986 HHJ [[Felix Waley|Andrew Felix Waley]], VRD, QC
*1995 HHJ [[John Lionel Sessions]]
*2004 Moribund
*2008 Abolished

==Deputy Judge Advocates of the Fleet==
*1668 J. Smith
*1675 J. Southerne
*1677 W. Hewer
*1684 J. Walbanke
*1687 S. Atkins
*1689 M. Tindall
*1692 S. Pett
*1693 J. Burchett
*1694 G. Larkin
*1697 J. Fawler
*1703 W. Rock
*1707 M. Ferrabosco
*1707 E. Honywood
*1714 J. Copeland
*1724 W. Bell
*1740 T. Kempe
*1743 Charles Fearne
*1744 E. Mason
*1745 G. Atkins
*1754 J. Clevland
*1762 R. Higgens
*1780 T. Binsteed
*1804 M. Greetham
*1843 G. L. Greetham
*1856 W. J. Hellyer
*1861 W. Eastlake

==References==
{{Reflist|2}}

{{Navy Department (Ministry of Defence)}}
{{Admiralty Department}}
{{Naval Service (British)|state=collapsed}}
{{British Military}}

[[Category:Royal Navy appointments]]
[[Category:Legal history of England]]
[[Category:Judiciary of England and Wales]]
[[Category:Judiciary of Scotland]]
[[Category:1661 establishments in England]]
[[Category:2008 disestablishments in the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Legal occupations in the military]]
[[Category:Law officers of the Royal Navy]]
[[Category:United Kingdom military law]]
[[Category:Courts-martial in the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Judge Advocate General's Corps|United Kingdom]]