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THE STORY OF
IMPRESSMENT: A FORM OF SLAVERY
CHAPTER ONE:
ORIGINS OF THE PRACTICE AND ITS
DEVELOPMENT.
ITS INSTRUMENT: THE PRESS GANGS
The film, "Mutiny on the Bounty" portrayed
graphically the cruel treatment meted out to seamen in
previous centuries. That some captains were sadists is beyond
dispute in an age when severe punishment was awarded often for
what to us now seem minor transgressions It was no wonder
that recruitment into the naval service, especially the Royal
Navy, was a problem. Books and films set in this period always
reinforce the impression that a very harsh discipline was the
order of the day on board His (or Her) Majesty`s ships. Even
allowing for some licence, this impression is not far from the
reality. There were just Captains - but they were few.
One who knew what life was like
on ship in the early 19th century was R.H. Dana who wrote the
following poignant lines in his famous book TWO YEARS BEFORE
THE MAST, published in 1840.
"A sailor`s life is at best but
a mixture of a little good with much evil, and a little
pleasure with much pain. The beautiful is mixed with the
revolting, the sublime with the commonplace, and the solemn
with the ludicrous." (p. 40 of the 1911 Macmillan edition)
It follows that any history of
Impressment is bound to be more concerned with evil and pain
than with the good and the pleasant. But where these latter
two are warranted, they are not ignored in this study..
IMPRESSMENT
Our study is
concerned therefore with the practice (over several centuries)
whereby the authority of the state (the Crown) is exercised to
"press" or to forcibly (usually) recruit the services of an
individual into the navy or army ,especially for the defence
of the realm. Put simply, Press Gangs were naval parties who
went round England compelling civilians (or out of work
seamen) to join the navy (or army). These gangs were composed
of tough naval petty officers who were most active in time of
war. True sailors hid or fled from them so that in order to
make up numbers, landsmen were pressed. The sheriffs and
mayors of towns often supplied the gangs with men by clearing
out the prisons. This introduction of bad characters into the
navy was one of the principal causes of the mutiny of 1797.
It is common to
suppose that Impressment is a phenomenon of mainly the 16th,
17th and 18th centuries. This in fact is not so; what is true
is that Impressment was at its height in these times. The
practice in its early days was by and large a peaceful
process, persuading men to enlist by getting them to accept
the "King`s Shilling" as it was known: only in later years was
it to become the very physical encounter we associate with
press ganging.
The power to "press" is in fact
a basic and elemental right of any state where serious threat
to the nation is perceived. National Service ( or
Conscription) is or was a form of it in modern times. Some
countries still have it (Israel); others have recently
dispensed with it (the USA where it is called the "Draft”)
During the American Civil War men were “drafted” for sevice.
America and England were however by no means the only
countries to resort to impressment in times of need. Other
European countries have employed the system from time to time
as circumstances demanded: France, Holland, Spain among them
– (usually when they were at war with England!) The practice
did not give rise to a general revulsion, although some brave
(or foolhardy) individuals voiced dissatisfaction, because it
was accepted by custom and necessity as being a fact of life,
and therefore justified – among the highest in the land…and
among the populace.
IMPRESSMENT: THE EARLY DAYS
The institution and early
development of Impressment is to be seen in the centuries
from Saxon times (after the Romans left Britain), usually
called the “Dark Ages” to about 1700; at least we will use
this time scale for the present narrative. In the 18th
and early 19th centuries, Impressment underwent a
more widespread and violent change, with the growing
depredations of the Press Gangs.
There is evidence to suggest
that even in the time of the Saxon and Danish invasions men
were required to crew the ships in pathetic attempts to repell
the invaders. Volunteers were never enough so the practice of
compelling men to serve on board ship – impressment, began.
Upto about 1100 “pressing” was confined to England; documents
dating from the Plantagenet era tell how forced service had
come to Wales (on the authority of the Lords Marchers) and
Irishmen could be pressed (on the authority of the Lords
Deputy for war against France, destined to become a
traditional enemy.)
1337 saw the commencement of
the Hundred Years War in the reign of Edward 111 and as
soldiers and seamen were required now more than ever,
impressment increased greatly. In these early centuries,
conscription was more in evidence in relation to the soldiery
than to the navy; it was not until the 17th and 18th
centuries that the practice was overwhelmingly applied to
naval personnel. As it was, in Edward`s long reign (1327-1377)
parliament had cause so early on to complain about the
frequent use of forcible recruitment or “pressing” as it came
to be called. It may be opportune here to look at the original
term. The 1910 edition of the ENCYCLOPEDIA BRITANNICA
contains a neat and succinct interpretation of the term,
“press”. When first used the term was “prest” denoting “a sum
of money advanced …to a person to enable him to perform some
undertaking, hence used of earnest money given to soldiers on
enlistment…” In time, “prest” (derived from the French, “preter”,
to lend) became “press”. “The methods of compulsion used to
get men for military service naturally connected the word with
“to press” (from the Latin verb pressare, meaning to force.”
(p. 346) “A small sum of money called imprest-money was
given to the pressed men to enable them to reach an appointed
rendezvous.” (346) Subsequent monarchs raised men in this way
and even Oliver Cromwell populated his New Model Army largely
by impressment. However by the end of the 18th
century forcible recruitment into the army had fallen into
disuse (for reasons we will go into later). Pressing into navy
service however gathered momentum.
Not all
able-bodied men were thus recruited. Exceptions were made in
the case of men who in some way derived their livelihood from
the sea or river – a privilege that was of course not extended
to erstwhile seamen who were fair game. This exemption was
reinforced by subsequent Acts of Parliament. In distinction,
the extent to which the power of the press had developed is
illustrated by the passing of an Act in 1597 (in Queen
Elizabeth`s reign) by which disorderly men and criminals could
be pressed for fleet service, irrespective of whether they had
been seamen or not. Not unnaturally complaints were made by
navy officers of the poor quality of the men under their
command. The Press Gangs themselves were often guilty of
extorting money and arresting people illegally .
In
the same year (1597) appeared Shakespeare`s play “Henry IV,
Part 1” in which Falstaff`s famous reflections on his pressing
activities are given to his partner in crime, Bardolph.
Although amusing, his words reflect common practice then. .
They indicate the prevalence of impressment at (or before) the
time of Shakespeare (died 1616).
“If I be not ashamed of my soldiers, I am a soused gurnet. I
have misusd the king`s press damnably. I have got in exchange
of a hundred and fifty soldiers, three hundred and odd pounds.
I press me none but good householders, yeomens`s sons; inquire
me out contracted bachelors, such as had been asked twice on
the bans – such a commodity of warm slaves as had as lieve
hear the devil as a drum, such as fear the report of a caliver
worse than a struck fowl or a hurt wild duck. I pressed me
none but such toasts-and-butter with hearts in their bellies
no bigger than pins`heads and they have bought out their
services; and now my whole charge consists of ancients,
corporals, lieutenants, gentlemen of companies – slaves as
ragged as Lazarus in the painted cloth, where the glutton`s
dogs liked his sores; and such as indeed were never soldiers
but discarded unjust servingmen, younger sons to younger
brothers, revolted tapsters, and ostlers trade-fallen ; the
cankers of a calm world and a long peace; ten times more
dishonourable ragged than an old fazed [faced] ancient; and
such have I to fill up the rooms of them as have bought out
their services that you would think that I had a hundred and
fifty tattered prodigals lately come from swine keeping, from
eating draff and husks. A mad fellow met me on the way and
told me I had unloaded all the gibbets and pressed the dead
bodies. No eye hath seen such scarecrows. I`ll not march
through Coventry with them, that`s flat. Nay, and the villains
march wide betwixt the legs as if they had the gives [irons]
on for indeed I had the most of them out of prison. There`s
not a shirt and a half in all my company and the half shirt
is two napkins tacked together and thrown over the shoulders
like a herald`s coat without sleeves; and the shirt to say the
truth stol`n from my host at Saint Albans…”
IMPRESS SERVICE
Although as we
have said, impressment was almost equally into the army and
into the navy, pre about 1660 (the restoration of the
monarchy), and as Falstaff`s words indicate, forced
conscription however came to be a preserve of the fleet after
this time. A few words have already been said about the
derivation of the word “press” . The press was the arm of the
Impress Service, originally Imprest Service. This “Service”
organised gangs of about a dozen men lead by an officer to
locate people with sea experience , preferably between the
ages of 18 and 55. Their object of course was to try and
persuade them to join the navy, resorting to violence if their
blandishments were not accepted. Often, men would be knocked
unconscious, otherwise threatened or made the worse for wear
by drink. Either way, the victim came to his senses miles out
to sea…
Not all “selected” men were unwilling. Some actually
volunteered – no doubt those down on their luck. An
inducement, (as we have mentioned) was the offering of the
“King`s Shilling” as a sort of signing- on fee. No doubt some
took the bounty, as it was called, contrived to escape and
repeat the manoeuvre. Taking of the King`s Shilling was
regarded as as an earnest of a contract to serve in the
forces. On occasion a shilling would be slipped into a pocket
so that on discovery of the coin it could be claimed (by the
gang) that the unfortunate recipient had agreed to serve. In
this way, the crews of ships were largely composed; impress
men mainly, some volunteers, (often beginning as boys) and
some (generally experienced) men taken from merchant vessels
(by force). As time went on of course ships became larger and
more complex, so more men proportionately were needed,
especially in times of war. (In peace times the men-o-war were
usually laid up – which produced many personnel problems.)
PRESS “GANGING”
There was no
getting away from the basic problem of obtaining more men. A
general perception is that press ganging was mainly a land
based activity – but this is not really so. Much pressing
happened at sea, probably the majority. Merchant men, homeward
bound, were confronted (their ships invaded) and press ganged
“volunteers” were the result. Even those with so-called
“protections” (conferring immunity from impressment) were
taken. (More on protections later) It has to be realised that
press gangs had the law on their side, and that consequently
they had much power. But they themselves had to be careful for
it was a dangerous game. The gangs sought skilled seamen first
and foremost, though they were not averse to landsmen (i.e.
those with no sea experience) if numbers demanded, and as a
consequence although sea ports and towns were the favourite
places to infest, they also roamed the countryside looking for
victims. One of the basic problems facing the crewing of Royal
Navy ships, if not the main problem was the very harsh regime
prevalent on board. As a consequence, there was a very high
number of desertions. And these “vacancies” had to be filled!
It
is opportune now to look at an official document dated 1672,
i.e. in the reign of Charles 11 at the time of the outbreak of
the Second Dutch War in the same year. This is a letter from
Viscount Castleton (1631-1714) a Vice-Admiral, to the “Lord
and Gentlemen” of the Admiralty, concerning the impressment of
men for the King`s ships. The import of this letter was to
pass on the information that he had received orders from the
King “to impress and levy 80 seamen and also to disburse such
moneys as should be requisite “…and consequently of his
appointment of “Prestmasters”. The imprest men were conveyed
to the Port of Hull, to await redeployment. These “imprest”
men were in all probability convicts and n`er-do-wells who
were expressly targeted by the Vagrancy Act of 1597. Authority
to press came down from on high, as we can see!
In
fact, impressment was used by many nations, including England,
to rid society of undesirables, petty criminals and the like,
while “respectable” people, men of property, and so on, were
generally exempted – by law. As can be imagined, abuse of the
system was rife (see Falstaff above) and personal vendettas
took place in the “pressing” process. It can be readily seen
that such a practice would fill ships with people who hated
the sea , the navy and the discipline that went with it, so
that the army in the early days, and the royal navy were
populated by dissident groups, ready for mutiny and desertion.
It must be appreciated however that Captains were held
responsible for recruiting on board their own vessels and
could be dismissed (from captaincy) if they did not find
enough men to work their ship. Recruiting posters were
used but their inducements tended to be ignored by the
majority. We have mentioned that criminals often ended up on
board ship and one of the ways this was done was by
magistrates passing sentences giving those convicted of petty
crimes the option of a jail term or joining the Royal Navy. Of
course his “term” was usually much longer on becoming a
seaman! Having convicts as crew however was not regarded as a
happy situation by Captains. The Impress Service therefore
provided most of the seamen. Men with some experience of the
sea were most desired.
Accordingly, Captains used to stop and board ships on port or
even on the high seas and press any British subject they
found, leaving only just enough men to handle the pirated
ship. In fact, pressing foreigners into the British service
was accepted, but not so pressing American sailors. This
latter practice was justified by the British, but was hated by
the Americans. This factor was one of the main causes of the
American-British war which broke out I 1812. (More on this in
later sections) Land based impressment however remained the
province of the Impress Service – but not exclusively so as
sometimes Captains sent recruiting parties ashore. The
“Service” held men until they were needed by a ship, and with
an office, or HQ (known as a rendezvous or rondy for short)
the Service was efficiently organised. (See later chapter for
more on “rondies”) Despite all strategems the supply of men
was never enough and most ships sailed without their full
complement.
PEACE TIME AND WAR TIME
The point was
that in times of peace seamen were not wanted, but in times of
war they were. In peace time everything was run down;
in war everything had quickly to be geared up. Hence,
impressment appeared to be the answer. It was also the
cheapest solution – or so it seemed. First of all, a general
Press Warrant was issued by the Government, press gang
operations increased hectically until ships could put to sea.
Of course, Bounties were offered to volunteers, but it never
produced enough men; impressment really took off and a “hot
press” ,as it was called, ensued. The government of the day
can therefore be blamed for the practice; it emanated from
them. Treatment of the pressed men was execrable, before they
experienced the punishments on deck. Moreover the forced
seamen never knew how long they would have to serve, ill-fed,
ill-clothed, and ill-paid. In fact there had been no rise in
Royal Navy seamen`s wages since the time of Cromwell
(1649-1660) until 1797. Merchant seamen did much better –
another cause of great dissatisfaction.
We
have mentioned the “receiving” ships (a sort of transit camp
for pressed personnel) and the “tenders” in which the
unfortunates were first imprisoned. It might be instructive
here to read an account of the conditions aboard one of these
tenders – given by one who was pressed into service: by name
of C.R.Pemberton in his reminiscences (about 1750); he was one
of the few who could read and write. He speaks of “A hole,
called the Steerage, …I looked down and as I did so a hot and
pestilential effluvia rose and enveloped me. I looked
through a heavy wooden grating across which was a strong iron
bar with a huge padlock attached to it; and I saw that which
threw me back almost fainting with horror. In that short
glance, I had seen a crowded mass of disgusting and fearful
heads, with eyes all glaring upwards from that terrible den;
and heaps of filthy limbs, trunks and heads, bundled and
scattered, scrambling, laughing, cursing, screaming and
fighting at one moment.”
PRESS WARRANTS
Such was the
treatment wreaked upon pressed men by the system. As we said,
the wheels were set in motion by the official issue of Press
Warrants by the Admiralty. A typical Press Warrant was one
issued in 1742, stating it was by the Commissioners for the
office of the Lord High Admiral of Great Britain and Ireland.
“In pursuance of his Majesty`s order in council dated the 19th
day of January 1742, we do hereby impower and direct you
[officers of the navy] to impress or cause to be impressed so
many seamen and seafaring men and persons whose occupations
and callings are to work in vessels and boats upon rivers as
shall be necessary not only to compleat the number of men
allowed to his Majesty`s ships under your command but also to
mann such others of his Majesty`s ships as may be in want of
men; giving unto each man so impressed one shilling for press
money; …and in due execution of the same thereof, all mayors,
sheriffs, justices of the peace, bailiffs, constables, …and
all other of his Majesty`s officers and subjects whom it may
concern are hereby required to to be aiding and assisting you
.…”
The legality of the practice was clearly taken for granted,
although it had never actually been legalized by Parliament.
NAVAL LIFE
It is
important to know something of the nature and conditions of
life aboard ship in these times to enable us to put
impressment, press gangs and press warrants properly into
context. Generally speaking it was a cruel age, harsh
conditions on land as well as on ship were taken for granted ,
piracy flourished (in the 16th, 17th
centuries especially, the slave trade was in full swing,
destitute people were inhumanely treated, the insane
witchcraft hunts persisted, retribution for minor crimes
entailed imprisonment, and/or often barbaric corporal
punishment. Add to these the exigencies of wars, (the First
Dutch war ocurred in 1653-4), straightened economic
circumstances, and it can readily be seen life then was very
hard. Nevertheless from all accounts life on board was
anything but irreligious (except when in dock and “visitors”
came aboard! (More on this later) And despite the compulsion
and barbarity of it all, the seamen of the time never seemed
to lose their strong sense of loyalty to the Crown and to
their ship.
Victualling was always a problem; not so much in quantity
(though this obtained as well) as in quality. Keeping food
fresh was an impossiblity: salting was the lone remedy for all
types of meat. Fish, meat, biscuit and cheese were the staples
of the sailors` diet. Beer was the main drink. Even in this
respect, the seaman was cheated, as the contractors who
supplied the foodstuffs practised “fiddles” whereby short
measure came aboard ship while profit was maximised for the
suppliers. Medical knowledge was rudimentary and there were no
anaesthetics (apart from strong liquor); illness and disease
were rife, especially scurvy, as the value of fruits and green
vegetables was not realised. Suitable clothing was not a
priority. Pay was very poor. (In 1558 sailors` wages were
raised from 6s 8d to 10s per month - still a miserable
pittance.) The social status of seamen was very low. (It was
not until fourteen years after the Armada of 1588 that
pensions for wounded men came in.} It has to be said that
rogues and vagabonds made up a large portion of ships` crews –
a direct consequence of the depredations of the gangs. Some of
those who did sign on, did so because of the thought of loot,
and “prize money” they would get on capturing an enemy vessel.
Having said this, it is only fair to point out that these
early seamen lived in an heroic age when Britain became master
of the seas. Their heroism and strong sense of nationalism
appeared never to be in doubt, despite all. Sailors manned
ships that made voyages of discovery, although these were not
generally press-ganged men. There were occasionally mutinies
(few and far between), minor rebellions and individual
transgressions – but infrequent in the several centuries we
are considering in this chapter. Some of the men must indeed
have been hard to control, press-ganged and deprived as they
were. There is an interesting comment made by Sir Richard
Hawkins about the seamen of his time:
“Mariners are
like to a stiffe necked horse which taking the bridle between
his teeth forceth his rider to what him list, mauger his will:
so they having once concluded, and resolved, are with great
difficultie brought to yeald to the raynes of reason.”
(OBSERVATIONS; 1622)
However, it was not the nature of the men that alone made
conditions on board ship wellnigh intolerable. Many of the
Captains had much to answer for. Some of them were simply
inept, owing their position to social status. Dishonesty and
venality were not uncommon among the administrative officers
also, especially during the reign of the Stuarts, when the
navy was neglected. In addition, victualling ships and paying
seamen had not improved to any extent. During the rule of
Parliament, in Cromwell`s time, matters did improve a little
with regard to pay and the removal of some of the worst
abuses. Also, a type of promotion ladder was instituted
whereby seamen could be promoted to midshipmen. Punishments
however remained severe and in fact the cat-o`-nine-tails had
yet to make an appearance which it did about 1630. An insight
into punishment is given us by a Capt. Nathaniel Boteler,
writing in 1634. He tells of….
“the ducking
at the main yard-arm when a malefactor by having a rope
fastened under his arms and about his middle and under his
breech is thus hoised up to the end of the yard and from
thence is violently let fall into the sea sometimes three
several times one after another; and if the offence be very
foul, he is also drawn under the keel of the ship which is
termed keel-raking. Whilst he is thus under water a great gun
is fired right over his head,the which is done as well to
astonish him so much the more with the thunder of the shot as
to give warning unto all others of the fleet to look out and
to be wary by his harms.”
THE SECOND DUTCH WAR occurred in 1665-1667 which was far more
demanding on the British nation than the First one had been.
In reality the Dutch had been gaining the ascendancy in world
trade for some time, due largely to Government inaction in
matters naval.A “hot” press was begun in all seaports to
recruit men for the rapidly expanding navy. Many ships were
commissioned again. When the war began in earnest, a severe
defeat was inflicted on the British and many Englishmen were
prisoners in Holland. Allied to the fact that no pay was being
issued, and poor (if any) treatment for the wounded was
experienced, some of the sailors deserted the navy and joined
the Dutch fleet where conditions were much better. In 1667,
the Dutch actually sailed up the Medway and destroyed some
British chips. This ignominy ironically resulted in the
amelioration of the seamen`s condition, largely under the
direction of Samuel Pepys of diary fame. He was responsible
for restoring a sense of pride to the navy – although he was
not succesful in all he tried to do. Pepys tried to reform the
dual captaincy situation which had obtained since Elizabeth`s
days. There were two types of captain a float: the “gentlemen”
and the “tarpaulin”. The former held their position by
favourtism; the latter by working their way up the ladder, and
were therefore men of experience, liked by the seaman. On the
other hand the “gentlemen” Captains brought the navy into
disrepute. Pepys did bring some measure of reform into
captaincy however, and was instrumental in opposing the
appointment of “gentlemen” Captains. Thus a spirit of
professionalism was created among the naval hierarchy, since
all officers eventually benefited, as lieutenants and
midshipment discovered a new sense of honour. The reforms of
Pepys did much to improve the lot of the seamen. Pay,
victualling and clothing were all improved. Sanitary
arrangements were though as bad as ever, as was surgery and
medical treatment generally. Drink (or over-indulgence) was
still a great evil as was the practice of allowing women
(so-called “wives” on board, with attendant scenes of
debauchery, and incidences of venereal disease. These
“liberties” were countenanced however as it seemed to be
recognised that the seaman`s greatest hardship was the loss
of liberty on board ship, for an indeterminate period; a
seaman who in many cases had been forced to serve.
Towards the end of the seventeenth century, the naval service
had regained some lost pride: the Dutch had been beaten as had
the Spanish, and the seaman was conscious of his great
pedigree. He was able to appreciate the professionalism of his
officers and his own skill in fighting. This time saw the
rudimentary beginnings of the modern service. After Pepys fell
fom office in 1688, it was inevitable that some return to the
old conditions would follow. But permanent reforms had
been made.
Fraud of various kinds still went on, from Captains taking
more than their fair share of “prizes” on capturing a ship, to
brewers with the connivance of officers undersupplying and
adulterating the beer.Fraud too there was in the payment (or
non-payment) of seamen, especially the system of transferring
men from ship to ship, thus depriving them of pay which they
were owed. An anonymous author writing in 1702, set out some
complaints of seamen:
“the unkind
and cruel treatment; the turning them [seamen] over from ship
to ship; keeping them out of their wages; querying them;
making them Run…” [what came to be known as running the
gauntlet]
which was all
the more remarkable as protestations putting the case of the
ordinary sailor were by no means common! As we can readily
see, the issue of wages was a crucial factor in
dissaffection..The fact that there was such a big discrepancy
between the pay of merchant seamen and royal navy personnel
exacerbated the situation. In the time of Queen Anne the
seaman got 23s a month if he served in the navy; if he served
in the merchant service he received 55s a month, - more than
double.
All this time the press-gang was still the chief means by
which the navy was manned. Along with the men thus “pressed”
there were those who were sentenced by JPs to serve in the
armed forces. These were mostly petty criminals who were not
really serviceable. From a letter to the Fleet Admiral, a
certain Captain John Evans writing in about 1700 remarks as
follows regarding some of the men sent him: “Most are new men
without bedding, and their clothes are …very poor quality. I
am of opinion that they were never inspected into by any flag
or other officer. These men are either too old, too young or
too infirm. I presume to ease ye parish they were taken up. I
am sure they will be but lumber in a ship and never answer ye
intent of marines.”
THE PLUS SIDE!
However it
must be said that during the reign of Queen Anne (1702-1714)
conditions did improve. Leave, pay and pensions improved. The
establishment of the Seamen`s Hospital in 1694 in Greenwich
was a major advance. In addition, pocket money was given to
the patients. Money though did not remain long in the pockets
of the able bodied. If they could be cheated by all and
sundry, they were. Seamen of the time were ill educated and
were often outwitted (fleeced) by the unscrupulous. On board,
diet improved considerably in the 18th century, as
did his clothing with the issue of something approaching a
uniform. Sexual needs continued to be catered for by the
continued practice of allowing women on board ship when in
harbour. This was not discontinued till much later.
At
least, the seaman had a well-nigh permanent job, contrasting
with the heavy unemployment ashore. He knew of course that
wages were much better in the merchant service or on a
privateer (privately owned vessel whose object was to capture
enemy ships and loot them) but his chances of getting taken on
by the two were slim. He had some medical treatment aboard and
a hospital ashore. He had cheap liquor and even cheaper women
in harbour. Then again he had the dream of “prize” money if
and when an enemy ship were captured. All in all, his lot
could have been worse. In fact, many men signed on again; no
doubt the bounty money helped, and probably it was better than
not being employed at all. A fitting conclusion to this
outline of the early days of impressment and the seafarer is
given by Peter Kemp in his book, THE BRITISH SAILOR, when he
writes about the attraction of the life at sea:
“But far more probably it was …the free and easy life which
was the real attraction, coupled wuth the eternal hope that
the wheel of fortune would turn and display a fat prize
wallowing at sea and ripe for capture. With a little luck over
his choice of Captain (and by and large seamen did have the
choice under whom to serve unless they were pressed), the
sailor`s life was, relative to the standards ashore, not a bad
one, and he knew it” (p. 71)
In
this chapter, devoted in the main to the origin and spread of
the practice of impressment, we have looked at the modus
operandi of the press gangs, and the symbolic act of offering
the “King`s Shilling”. We saw that the legal power to “press”
was in fact quite considerable, emanating from the King and
the Admiralty. The initial days of forced recruitment date
back probably to Saxon times. At first only able-bodied men
were taken and those with some experience of the sea; as time
went on, almost anybody was pressed, as we saw in Falstaff`s
words. We saw how Impressment was in fact governed by the
Impress Service whose job it was to “select” potential
recruits, initially among able-bodied seamen. During this
early period, the two Dutch wars of the second half of the
seventeenth century, galvanised Britain into (naval) action,
in which a period of comparative inaction (peace) was
transformed into one of feverish activity (for the wars),
initiating the “hot press”. The King and Admiralty issued
“Press Warrants” in order to authorise forced recruitment. We
had a look at life at sea generally in those times, which
enabled us to put in context the Impressment system. Then some
of the reforms of Pepys were mentioned among which was the
near abolition of the “Gentlemen” captains while the
“Tarpaulin” captains were encouraged. Next we recollected how
the sailor then was easily duped and swindled ashore and on
board and how severe punishment was still meted out. We ended
though on a more optimistic note, pointing out that there
were some advantages to a seaman`s life!
In Chapter 2
we shall be looking in more detail at the life of the seaman
“below decks” and generally at life at that time on land. What
were the prevailing social conditions in whose light we must
consider the need for Impressment. What was the nature of
Impressment and Press Gangs in the following centuries, i.e.
17th, 18th and early 19th . |
