Press Gang History

[capnwilliam]

Here's some info about Press Gangs from Philip Haythornewaite's NELSON'S NAVY, in the Osprey Elite Series:

"The 'press gang' originated in the 13th century, and involved the forcible abduction of men and their conscription into the navy irrespective of circumstances, providing that they were aged between 18 and 55 and were not apprentices, though these exceptions were not always observed. Merchant seamen were the preferred targets...but gangs also roved ashore (although the pressing of 'landsmen' was prohibited officially).

"The Impress Service was naturally unpopular...the service remained so unpopular that in December 1811 a near-riot freed a suspected murderer from police custody, the mob mistakenly believing that he was being pressed!"

The book is written by a Britisher, and says that Americans were officially exempt from impressment if they could produce a certificate of American citizenship, but that such vertificates were often issued to British subjects, which infuriated John Bull.

I get the "impression" (groan!) that it was a bad system in theory and worse in practice, because the controls that existed designed to curb its abuses were routinely ignored. Which is usually thecase with any system.

Capt. William

[Blind Rhoid Pyle]

In Disney's "Dr. Syn: The Scarecrow of Romney Marsh" the notorious Scarecrow (Patrick McGoohan) rescues a young man from a Press Gang, and has to deal with the Navy men hunting him down. You can find this "lost" Disney epic on VHS or DVD on eBay.

Also, Laurel & Hardy were promised a bounty for each "sailor" they could shanghai in "The Live Ghost" (1934). Of course, they end up pressed into service themselves.

[capnwilliam]

Was it Dr. Samuel Johnson who made the comment "A man with enough sense to end up in jail will never end up at sea; for at sea you have all the comforts of jail, plus the risk of drowning."(?)

Shipboard life in the good old days was mighty bad, mates; this is one reason why they had to resort to impressment of crews. Also one reason why seamen became pirates!

Capt. William

[JoshuaRed]

Aye, didn't he also say that "in jail you find commonly better company than at sea"?