Baptised on 12 September 1762 in the church of St Dunstan-in-the-West in the City of London, he was the son of Robert Crew and his wife Elizabeth Oare. By 1777 he had a position with the Ordnance Department. This was the government department responsible for the military establishment of the United Kingdom and its overseas possessions, excluding India. The Ordnance provided buildings, fortifications, weapons and supplies for the two fighting arms, the British Army and the Royal Navy, as well as controlling the Royal Artillery and the Royal Engineers. It was the second largest department after HM Treasury and its head, the Master-General of the Ordnance, had a seat in the Cabinet.
Secretary to the Board of Ordnance
In 1782, during the American Revolutionary War, it was decided to create the separate post of Secretary to the Board of Ordnance, with an office in Westminster close to the Houses of Parliament and a house so that he was always on site for urgent business. This senior post, equivalent to a permanent undersecretary in other civil service departments, carried pay and allowances of 556 pounds a year plus the free residence. In May 1794 during the French Revolutionary Wars, the Master-General, Charles Lennox, 3rd Duke of Richmond, appointed Robert as Secretary. in place of Augustus Rogers who had died. His duties were : To assist him, Robert had a staff of clerks and messengers. By 1810, after nearly 20 years of land and sea war, the activities of the Ordnance had expanded greatly. His salary and allowances then were 1535 pounds a year and he was provided with a furnished house while a brand new one was being built for him in Pall Mall. Master-Generals he served under during his term were Charles Cornwallis, 1st Marquess Cornwallis from 1795 to 1801, John Pitt, 2nd Earl of Chatham from 1801 to 1806, Francis Rawdon Hastings, 2nd Earl of Moira from 1806 to 1807, Chatham again from 1807 to 1810, Henry Phipps, 1st Earl of Mulgrave from 1810 to 1819, and finally Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington from 1819 on. He retired in 1823 after 46 years' service and died at the age of 77, his will being proved in London on 4 October 1839. His widow went to live with her daughter Mary and died at the age of 73.
