The Seven-Watch System

[Daniel]

Most of us are familiar with the traditional watch-standing system of seven periods, namely:

First watch: 8pm-12am

Second or middle watch: 12am-4am

Morning watch: 4am-8am

Forenoon watch: 8am-12pm

Noon watch: 12pm-4pm

1st dog watch: 4pm-6pm

2nd dog watch: 6pm-8pm

But is this the same watch system that would have been used throughout the Golden Age?

The oldest reference I know of to dog watches is from Falconer's Marine dictionary in 1783. He says that the watch "is always kept four hours by our British seamen, if we except the dog-watch between four and eight in the evening, that contains two reliefs, each of which are only two hours on deck." This agrees in every detail with the watch system familiar to us today. But Falconer says this was only the British system. In 1783 France, a seaman's watch could be 6, 7, or 8 hours, and in Turkey and Barbary it was usually 5 or 6 hours.

The concept of the watch as lasting four hours must be at least as old as Dampier. He wrote that during the 1699 portion of his voyage, "we had not a good Glass in the Ship beside the Half-watch or Two-Hour-Glasses." If half a watch were two hours, obviously a full watch must have been four hours. But this would not show that the dog watches were used yet, or that the watches started at the same time of day as in Falconer's time.

The watch constituted some kind of fixed time period on the ship at least as early as 1612. English East India Company captain Thomas Best at that time often recorded his speed as so many leagues per watch, generally 5.5 to 10 leagues. If we assume he is using a three-mile league, and that the watch is 4 hours, that suggests speeds of about 3.6 to 6.5 knots, which would be credible speeds for a ship of the time, so it is possible that a four-hour watch dates back to 1612. Best also writes "This night, in the begineing of the first watch, our men espied a frigott," suggesting that the first watch was at night, and at least could have started at 8pm like the "first watch" that we know.

[Fox]

According to Butler (1620s) the two ship's watches were commanded by the master and his senior mate, and stood duty for four hours (no mention of dog watches). In harbour each watch (division of men) was divided in half, so each man only stood every fourth watch (division of time) rather than every second.

A nautical dictionary of 1708 describes watches doing 'all duties for four hours, and then the other watch relieves them for the same time, which they do throughout the whole day and night'

[Jack Roberts]

Hey Foxe would they be ringing the bells on the hours and halfs yet?

[Quartermaster James]

Lessee...

1) Rolex

2) Omega

3) Cartier

4) Baum & Mercier

5) Movado

6) Vacheron

7) Patek

There!

Seven watches!

[Daniel]

Falconer mentions that on a warship they would strike the bell every half hour and call "All's well" at night; not clear whether this was done in the daytime also. Also, on French ships, the pilot rang the bell every half hour, and the men on watch were supposed to answer by crying out "A l'autre," so he knew they were awake and keeping watch; this same ringing of the bell every half hour was also the signal to man the pumps if necessary. But note that there's nothing about how many times the bell was struck each half hour, so that doesn't prove that Falconer's contemporaries gave one chime for the first half hour and eight for the last half hour, like we're used to. (Especially not on the French ships; if some of them stood 8-hour watches, then they'd have to ring that puppy 16 times to change the watch!)

Ships certainly had bells in the GAoP (the Whydah Gally's was recovered) but were they rung every half hour? Maybe not. The 1704 Sea-Man's Vade Mecum has special instructions to the commander of a prize ship to start ringing the bell every glass (half hour) if a fog came on. That would seem an unnecessary instruction if it were already normal practice to ring the bell every half hour anyway.

I can't find any reference in Dampier, Jameson, or Best to using the ship's bell. Best in 1612 tells time the same way a modern landsman would - "2 afternoone" or "this morning at 7" - not with reference to bells.

[Capt Thighbiter]

Called Dog-watches because they are cur-tailed !

( Stephen Maturin/ Patrick O'Brian )

[Daniel]

The British Horological Institute says that the bell was rung to sound the time on board ship as early as the 15th century. It says the bell was rung every half hour, although it doesn't specifically say that that started in the 15th century also.

[Captain McCool]

Called Dog-watches because they are cur-tailed !

( Stephen Maturin/ Patrick O'Brian )

One of my favorite puns from that series.

[Fox]

Just thought to look at the OED for 'dog watch'. It dates the term back to 1700, but from the quotation it appears that it may have been used then as an alternative name for a full watch, rather than a split watch. Here's the quotations, make your own minds up:

1700 S. L. tr. Fryke's Voy. E. Ind. 7 Count Maurice's Quarter hath the second Watch, and is also called the Dog-watch. 1836 E. HOWARD R. Reefer xxxii, About two bells in the first dog-watch the first-lieutenant decided upon furling the main-sail. 1840 R. H. DANA Bef. Mast iii. 5 The watch from four to eight p.m., is divided into two half, or dog-watches, one from four to six, and the other from six to eight. By this means they divide the twenty-four hours into seven watches instead of six, and thus shift the hours every night

[Daniel]

A most excellent lead, Foxe! I went immediately and tracked down the source for the OED quote on Googlebooks, Christoph Frick's A Relation of Two Several Voyages Made into the East Indies. From the whole quote in context, not only is that 1700 dog watch not a short watch, it's not a "time period" watch at all; it's a "division of the crew" watch.

Frick is describing practice on the Dutch East India Company's fleet about 1680 (the account being published 20 years afterward).

Then must all and every Officer, Soldier and Mariner, make his appearance upon Deck, to be divided into their several Quarters, which are two: The one of them is called the Prince's Quarter, the other Count Maurice's.

Each person is assigned into one of these Quarters, in which he is always to be found on any occasion; and there he is to keep the Watch by turns. And that all may know to what part every Man belongs, the names of them all as they are divided is affixed to the Main Mast, on two distinct Tables; where also is set the order and time that every Man is to watch in. The Prince's Quarter hath the first turn, and is therefore called the first Watch. There is a Provost, whose Office it is to call them together, and to set the Watch; each Quarter watches four hours, and then is relieved by the other. Count Maurice's Quarter hath the second Watch, and is also called the Dog-watch.

Thus, it's clear that the Prince's Quarter, aka the first watch, is what we today would call the larboard watch division of the crew, and that Count Maurice's quarter, aka the dog watch, is what we would now call the starboard watch of the crew.

The same passage also has proof that the Dutch East India Company did use the modern system of one through eight bells as early as 1680.

There is a Bell in the Ship, by which notice is given them of the time. It is rung at the setting of the Watch . . . . There are Hour-glasses set up conveniently for him that stands Centinel, and the Helmsman to see; and as soon as the first Glass, which is but of half an hour, is out, they strike one stroke on the Bell; when the second is out, they give two, and so on, adding one for each half hour, until the Bell is rung again. Then another Officer comes and calls his Men together out of his Quarter, and releases the other.

So how come the procedure in the Sea-Man's Vade Mecum for ringing the bell every glass only in fog? Maybe they have a much louder and more prolonged ringing in mind? Or maybe English and Dutch practice were different?

Edited January 9, 2010 by Daniel

[MarkG]

According to Butler (1620s) the two ship's watches were commanded by the master and his senior mate, and stood duty for four hours (no mention of dog watches). In harbour each watch (division of men) was divided in half, so each man only stood every fourth watch (division of time) rather than every second.

A nautical dictionary of 1708 describes watches doing 'all duties for four hours, and then the other watch relieves them for the same time, which they do throughout the whole day and night'

In Columbus's time there were three officers of the watch - the captain, the sailing master, and the navigator. Each had an eight hour watch. The crew may or may not have had a dogwatch. One of my books indicates that the regular sailors stood four hour watch with eight hours between watches but this is (informed) speculation.

Mark