The lighthouse authority for England and Wales, the Channel Islands, and Gibraltar. It is one of the principal pilotage authorities, and also supervises the maintenance of navigation marks carried out by local harbour authorities. Its pilotage role is undergoing a fundamental change, with control being gradually devolved to local port management.
The Corporation of Trinity House came into being in 1514 by Royal Charter granted by Henry VIII. Trinity House is financed from “Light Dues” levied on commercial shipping calling at ports in the United Kingdom. Previous Masters of Trinity House have included the diarist Samuel Pepys and the Duke of Wellington, and Admiral William Penn (father of William Penn, founder of Pennsylvania). Other prominent individuals in Britain, often connected with commercial shipping or the Admiralty, have been associated with Trinity House, including Winston Churchill, who gained his status as an Elder Brother of Trinity House as a result of his position as First Lord of the Admiralty before and during World War I. Often, especially on naval-related forays during the Second World War, he was seen in Trinity House cap or uniform.
Equivalent bodies in other parts of the British Isles:
Commissioners of Irish Lights - Ireland (Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland) Commissioners for Northern Lights - Scotland
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