English navy under the later Stuarts
James Stuart, Duke of York, was Lord High Admiral from 1660 to 1673 and had taken a close personal interest in the Navy. But he was required to step down from this post in 1673 after the passing of the Test Act. Interestingly, he remained Lord High Admiral of Ireland and of the Plantations, which allowed him a share of profits from prizes and wrecks in those jurisdictions. He had also, shortly before his resignation in England, managed to succeed to the same responsibility for Scotland. The previous holder of the post, a distant Stuart cousin, drowned in the icy waters off Copenhagen while attempting to get on board his own ship - having enjoyed rather too much Danish hospitality
. (Davies 2017, p. 108)
For the next six years (1673 - 1679), James continued to play a considerable role behind the scenes while the Admiralty was technically in commission (overseen by a …