Royal Navy Club of 1765 Royal Navy Club of 1785 United Club

The inaugural meeting of the Royal Naval Club of 1765 took place in February of that year. The object was to dine fortnightly at the St Albans' Tavern, St Albans Street from November to April. At the end of the first 'season', the meetings were transferred to the Castle Tavern, Henrietta Street and in 1767 to the Shakespeare's Head Tavern, Covent Garden. Members were elected by ballot and in 1768 an annual subscription of one guinea was imposed. The 'Widows and Legitimate Orphans' Fund' was started in 1792, using the money in hand from the surplus of the annual subscriptions. The club met at the Crown and Anchor Tavern in the Strand from 1806 to 1825 and then transferred to the Piazza Coffee House, Covent Garden, in 1826. A Copenhagen dinner was instituted in 1831 and a Trafalgar dinner in 1833. The Thatched Tavern, St James Street, became the venue of dinners in 1850 and Willis's Rooms, King Street, served that purpose from 1862 to 1889. As the 1765 club met from November to April and Parliament sat from February to June, there was room for a new club to cater for officers who were likely to be in town when Parliament was sitting. The first recorded meeting of the new club, called the Royal Navy Club of 1785, was in February of that year at the Star and Carter Tavern, Pall Mall. At the outset membership was limited to 150 whereas the 1765 club had unlimited membership. H J Kelly (d 1893), who was already secretary of the older club, was appointed first salaried secretary of the 1785 club in 1871. Before this time the books were apparently kept by the master of the tavern. Since 1862 both clubs held their meetings in Willis's Rooms and more than two-thirds of the members belonged to both, so that amalgamation seemed logical. This came into effect on 1 January 1889. Kelly was a natural choice for the secretary of the new club. Most of the prominent naval officers of their day were members of the club, which still exists today.