From 1694, Edward Russell combined the senior Naval Lordship, First Lordship of the Admiralty, and Treasurership of the Navy. The arrangement gave him two positions on the Admiralty Board and one on the Navy Board. It also made him the superior of the Navy Board's Controller while he simultaneously sat within that board's own hierarchy. Holding posts on both boards allowed him to exercise powers assigned to different offices and created obvious conflicts of interest.
Notable Point · 1:06:22-1:10:39
Russell's three offices turned naval authority into a circle
Russell's combined offices gave him two votes on the Admiralty Board and one on the Navy Board, with conflicting lines of authority.