Blood, Bilge
&
Iron Balls
Press Gangs ~ Punishment
Victuals & Scurvy
Life at Sea
in
Nelsons Navy
Crime & Punishment
The ‘Articles of War’ were the rules that governed life at sea. Discipline and Punishment in the Age of
Sail has been portrayed as harsh and cruel. The code of Justice that prevailed in Nelsons day was
equally severe on land as it was at sea.
There are countless records of long jail sentences and transportation for life for offences such as
stealing a Handkerchief or a Loaf of Bread, that are trivial by today’s standards.
The Articles of War set the punishment of hanging for; Mutiny, Treason, Desertion, but in fact
hangings in the Royal Navy were no greater proportionally than hangings carried out. In the English
Courts between 1770 to1830 some 120 hangings were carried out each year.
Floggings at Sea were widely used by Ships Captains to maintain discipline. A study of Ships Log
Books between 1767 to 1793, has revealed that up to a quarter of all Seaman were flogged, but here
again rather than the often used terms of …. a hundred lashes … for an offence the average number of
lashes given per man was ….. Five !!
Captain Bligh, much maligned for the Mutiny on the Bounty in 1789, flogged only 19 per cent of his
Seamen, each receiving an average of 1.5 lashes. Of the 42 crew on HMS BOUNTY, only 11 of the
crew actually mutinied.
Flogging was as much a part of life in the Army as it was in the Royal Navy. It is difficult for many to
understand practices in the ‘Age of Sail’ ….. and judge if …. flogging was right or wrong.
It is interesting to note the remarks of an eminent historian; Andrew Lambert,
Professor of Naval History at Kings College, University of London…..
…. In the modern age, discipline has become conflated with punishment, but in the 18th century it
meant organisation; good discipline meant that the ship was well ordered, not that the men were
soundly flogged. Men were punished, however, if they failed to do their duty, and put the ship and the
rest of the crew in danger.
Alleged punishments in the ….Age of Sail …have become legendary, and strike us as inhuman;
flogging with the cat-o'-nine-tails and hanging … were the major punishments, while the men were
occasionally 'started', or encouraged to work, with a blow from the end of a rope. There was no system
of imprisonment, or financial penalty, although the rum ration could be stopped. However, we must
remember that 18th-century society on shore relied on similar corporal and capital punishment. If
anything, naval punishment was less severe, for sailors were a scarce and valuable resource that no
captain would waste; also, flogging meant that the punishment was quickly completed, and the man
could return to duty. There was no alternative, because the navy was, in all things, a reflection of the
society it served.
The Press Gang
In finding enough recruits the Navy of Nelson was little different from the Navy of today, However in
the days of Nelson if there were not enough volunteers, there was …. ‘Impressment’.
Press Gang in the Days of Nelson
If you volunteered to join the Navy, you received …. ‘good conduct money’ ….. ’ two months pay in
advance’….. and ….protection from the ….. ‘debtors court’ ….. for sums of less than twenty pounds.
The 2 months pay allowed the volunteer to purchase clothes and a hammock from the Ships Purser, this
became known as ….‘Slops’
‘Impressment’ …applied to not only Naval Service but also to Military Service. The ‘Press Gang’ as
it was commonly called, dates back to Elizabethan times when men of disrepute, more commonly
known as …. ‘Vagrants’ were drafted into the Elizabethan Navy under the Vagrancy Act of 1597. The
practice continued in various forms, much dependant on the critical need of the time. However there
were strict rules as to who could be pressed, exemptions were granted to those who were; ‘indentured
as apprentices’., others such as Trinity House issued ‘Protection Slips’ for those in its employment But
in times of crisis ‘Protection Slips’ were ignored, by the order …’Press from all Protections’ which
became known as the ….. ‘Hot Press’.
Strict Rules.
The Rules by which Impressment was governed ……
1. A pressed man had 8 days in which to Appeal his Impressment to a Magistrate
2. Force was only allowed when the pressed man tried to run.
3. Only men who had a Sea Faring background could be pressed
4. Being married and having dependant children were grounds for appeal.
5. The Age limits for Impressment was 18years to 50 years.
6. Sailors from Merchant Ships could be pressed, however enough of the ships crew must be left to
man-the-ship. Factually Sailors from Merchant Ships were more likely to volunteer for Impressment as
Navy ships had better food and conditions
In 1853 the Royal Navy introduced…. ‘Continuous Service’ …. after a fixed number of years, a
Pension could be gained and the process of ‘Impressment’ finally died out.
On the following page is a copy of a Impressment Warrant issued by their Lordships at the Admiralty
to Post Captains in the year1809. It refers to ‘Rules’ regarding Impressment …..
……. an Impressed Man was to be given One Shilling ……
then, …a there is a caution …… no Officer or Subordinate may accept any Money, Gratuity,
Reward or other Consideration whatsoever ….. further….
…… Only a Commissioned Officer may execute this Warrant …….
So Strict Rules were set for Press Gangs ………
Impressment Warrant
In 1853, the Royal Navy introduced ‘Continuous Service’ allowing Seaman to serve for fixed terms
and gain a Pension, so Impressment finally died out ….. or did it ??
World War 1 & World War 2 …….however as can be well remembered, ‘Impressment’ renamed
‘National Service’ was used as a compulsory conscription during both World Wars ….. so a Present
Day Press Gang may look much like these hardy fellows looking to Impress at a local Tavern !
Present Day Press Gang
Women at Sea
The Glorious 1st June 1794
The British Fleet commanded by Admiral Lord Howe fought an epic battle with the French Fleet
under Rear Admiral Villaret-Joyeuse some 400 miles into the Atlantic, west of Ushant.
Admiral Howe had the weather gauge; Howe’s plan was for each ship of his Fleet to turn
independently into the French line. The battle developed into some confusion, resulting in three main
engagements. Villaret in his flagship Montagne which had led the French line suffered heavily from
Howe’s flagship Queen Charlotte. Montagne was next mauled by the Royal Sovereign and Valiant.
Villaret finally escaped towards France with 11 Ships of the Line, whilst the British Fleet capturing 6
ships of the line as prizes did not persue.
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Baby Onboard !!
Naval General Service Medal (NGSM: 1793-1840)
This NGSM was struck in 1849. It was issued to commemorate the battles and engagements that had
taken place many years earlier. Only survivors who submitted claims were awarded. The total number
of ‘Bars’ authorized was 231, the earliest of the Fleet actions being the Glorious 1st of June. The
maximum number of ‘Bars’ awarded to any recipient was 7.
During the Glorious 1st of June battle, on board HMS TREMENDOUS, a baby was born to one of the
women; a Mrs Daniel Mackenzie gave birth to a boy. On completion of the great victory the boy was
named; Daniel ‘TREMENDOUS’ Mackenzie. Records found at the Admiralty, prove this to be correct
as the child was awarded the; Naval General Service Medal (1793-1840 – Bar: 1st June 1794), for
being present at the battle. His Official Rating was recognised as ‘Baby’ .... and stands as the
youngest ever to receive a ...... Campaign Medal.
The NGSM (1793-1840) for Daniel Mackenzie is held in a collection by the National Maritime
Museum at Greenwich.
The Mess Deck
Records at the National Maritime Museum show that some twenty women served on Royal Navy Ships
between 1650 and 1815, many, many years before the Women’s Royal Naval Service (WRNS) was
formed in 1917.
In ‘Heroines and Hartlots’ by David Cordingly, women in the ‘Age in the of Sail’ has frequently been
misrepresented all too frequently, as prostitutes smuggled aboard by sailors from the waterfront.
A Mary Patten at the age of 19 years and pregnant, took command of a Clipper Ship around Cape Horn
after her husband fell ill.
Many historians now claim it was a myth that women at sea were considered bad luck. Equally a myth
that women were not allowed on merchant ships.
A number of ‘ Magistrate Court Records’ show that women had in fact served on Royal Navy ships; In
1807, a woman called Tom Bowling appeared by before the Magistrate, she told that she had served
onboard a Man-of-War for over 20 years, and dressed as a Seaman.
In another case, 16 year old Ann Jane Thornton, appeared before the Lord Mayor of Bristol, to claim
pay owed to her aboard the Sarah, her third ship as she had run away to sea at the age of 13.
In 1759, Mary Lacy donned Seaman’s clothes and went to sea calling herself William Chandler, she
signed on as an Apprentice Carpenter. She served on the ‘Royal William’ during the 7 years War
between Great Britain and France. In 1763 she applied to become a Shipwright Apprentice in
Portsmouth Dockyard and gained her Tradesman Certificate in 1770. She was known to be a woman
amongst her colleagues, whop kept her secret. Later suffering from arthritis and no longer able to
maintain her trade she revealed herself as Mary Lacy, not the assumed William Chandler. She applied
for a Pension and won her case and retired on a Pension of a Superannuated Shipwright at £20 per
year. She wrote her story and it was published in 1773 as; The History of the Female Shipwright.
Hard Tack – Soft Tack and a Gallon of Beer
There has been much portrayed in both books and movies of the substandard and inadequate rations for
Sailors in Nelsons Navy. In recent years however there has been some compelling evidence that
Nelsons Seamen were as well fed as their contemporary Landsmen ashore.
Samuel Pepys (1633-1703), Secretary to the Admiralty brought about far reaching Reforms, effectively
making the Admiralty an efficient and well run Department of State. It was Pepys in the early 1660’s,
who introduced a Purser on each Ship who was responsible for supplies and distribution. He made each
Purser lodge a ‘Cash Surety’ and had them keep ‘Accounts’ of all items issued. This was the start of a
Victualling System to stamp out the commonplace corruption that existed. The Victualling Office was
to build Breweries, Slaughterhouses, Bakeries and Warehouses to supply the Fleet,.
Pepys, who was famous for his diaries wrote…….
“Englishmen, and more especially seamen, love their bellies above anything else, and
therefore it must always be remembered in the management of the victualling of the navy that
to make any abatement in the quantity or agreeableness of the victuals is to discourage and
provoke them in the tenderest point, and will sooner render them disgusted with the King’s
service than any other hardship that can be put upon them.”
Weekly Rations
Sunday ………. 1 pound pork, ½ pint peas
Monday ……….1 pint oatmeal, 2 ounces butter
Tuesday ………. 2 pounds beef
Wednesday ……½ pint peas, 1 pint oatmeal, 2 ounces butter, 4 ounces cheese
Thursday ……..Same as Sunday
Friday………… Same as Monday
Saturday ……...Same as Tuesday
Substitutions
As Ships were frequently in foreign waters substitutions were recorded in the Pursers Instructions ….
~ Gallon of Beer holds proportion to; Pint of Wine, or Half a Pint of Brandy, Rum, or Arrack.
~ 4lbs. Flour, (or 3lbs. thereof) plus 1lb. Pound of Raisins, ½ lb. Currants and ½ lb. Beef Suet pickled)
……are equal to; a 4lb. Piece of Beef, or a 2lb. Piece of Pork with Pease;
~ Half a Pound of Rice, is equal to a Pint of Oatmeal;
~ Pint of Olive Oil, is equal to a Pound of Butter, or Two Pounds of Suffolk Cheese,
~ 2/3rd lb.of Cheshire, Gloucestershire, Warwickshire, or Derbyshire Cheese, is equal to 1. lb. Suffolk.
Victuals and Bones
Much has been adversely written about the poor quality of food in the age of sail, rotting meat, a gruel
of oatmeal and water, weevil infested biscuits.
There is now solid evidence emerging that Sailors in the Royal Navy were much better fed that much
of this was a myth.
Recent excavations of the Skeletons of Sailors buried at Naval Hospitals in both Plymouth and Gosport
have been scientifically examined to determine the diet of Royal Navy Seamen.
Isotope samples from bones of Adult burials of Sailors and Marines have shown that rations and diet
throughout the 16th to 19th centuries were highly consistent regardless of ship one served on.
The findings are consistent with Ration Documented;
Wheaten Loves, Hard Biscuit, Oatmeal, Pease, Cheese, Raisins, Vinegar, Oils, Butter, Beer, Fish
and Meats.
The Seaman’s Mess
The Victualling Board had an immense task during the Napoleonic Wars the British Navy had grown
to over 100,000 men. The various Fleets spent months on end at sea all of this at a time before the
preserving of food through ‘meat canning’ being introduced in the mid 1800’s.
The Log of HMS VICTORY shows that, ‘Onions’ were obtained from the captured Islands of Minorca
and Majorca. Some 50,000 gallons of lemon juice was obtained from Sicily for the Fleet, to ensure that
each man got 1 pint per day.
On the Middle Gun Deck, the huge Galley Stove could roast a whole Pig on its 6 foot spit, and could
turn out 80 lbs of Ships Biscuit in one batch.
Above the Stove Hood was a Copper Condenser that produce about 6 quarts of fresh water a day, the
Ships Surgeon having first call on this water. The Ships Manger housed the livestock, were mainly Pigs
and Cows were kept.