St Vincent 1797 - main index
William Rivers - Warrant Officer, Gunner in Victory
William Rivers was the Gunner in Victory. He joined the ship in 1793 and served aboard throughout the period from St Vincent (1797) to Trafalgar (1805). The Gunner was an appointment to a ship and he would have been a standing officer, in the ship both in and out of commission.
Nancy Perriam - Servant, Orion
Nancy Perriam was one of a number of women present at St. Vincent. She served in Orion with her husband whose action station was in the ship's magazine. Nancy normally performed domestic tasks for the Captain and officers - laundry, mending clothes etc. In battle she worked in the ship's hospital, tending to the wounded and helping the surgeon to amputate limbs and remove splinters. As Orion tacked in succession, she recalled that she 'had just begun mending a shirt for our dear Captain'.
Sir William Elliott - Viceroy of Corsica
Sir William Elliott was one of a number of civilian (diplomatic) passengers in the fleet at the time of St. Vincent. Evacuated from Corsica and Elba he was returning to England. Sir William reached England in March 1797 aboard Lively, Captain Lord Garlies, with Captain Robert Calder carrying despatches from Admiral Sir John Jervis for the Admiralty.
Ships Crews
Ships were crewed with men from a wide variety of backgrounds. Large numbers were required to provide the manpower to service the guns and trim the sails - 821 men were aboard Victory at Trafalgar in 1805. Some crew were volunteers, others came from prisons - taking an opportunity to serve in HM ships instead of taking a walk to the gallows! Men running from debts and what were known as 'Lord Mayor's Men', youths who had been found in brothels, drunk in the street or in other difficult circumstances and who feared the publicity of court cases.
These provided only part of the large numbers. Numbers were made up by use of the much feared 'Press Gangs'. A Lieutenant and six seamen would be sent ashore at night to find men and press them into the King's service. However, even this measure failed to produce the required numbers and in 1795, a county quota system was introduced. Each country was required by law to provide a stated number of men each year. At first, county sheriff's used this as an opportunity to rid themselves of 'undesirables' (poachers, vagrants, gipsies etc.). When this was unable to meet the quota, inducements were offered.
It was estimated that about one third of each ship's company were landsmen (inexperienced sailors) and about one eighth were of other than UK origin. Commander Edward Thompson wrote, 'In a man-of-war you have the collected filth of gaols: there is not a vice committed on shore that is not practiced here'.
Ten years after St. Vincent, Captain Bryan Martin of Implaccable conducted a census of his crew:
Implaccable - 1807
| National Origin | Number | National Origin | Number | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| English | 285 | Ireland | 130 | |
| Wales | 25 | Isle of Man | 6 | |
| Scotland | 29 | Shetlands | 5 | |
| Orkneys | 2 | Guernsey | 2 | |
| Canada | 1 | Jamaica | 1 | |
| Trinidad | 1 | St. Domingo | 2 | |
| St. Kitts | 1 | Martinique | 1 | |
| Santa Cruz | 1 | Bermuda | 1 | |
| Sweden | 8 | Denmark | 7 | |
| Prussia | 8 | Netherlands | 1 | |
| Germany | 3 | Corsica | 1 | |
| Portugal | 5 | Sicily | 1 | |
| Minorca | 1 | Ragusa | 1 | |
| Brazil | 1 | Spanish | 2 | |
| Madeira | 1 | America | 28 | |
| West Indies | 2 | Bengal | 2 | |
It is likely that a broadly similar pattern existed amongst the crews of ships at St. Vincent.
Living conditions were appalling and shore leave was almost unheard of. Seamen were paid at the rate of 25 shillings a month (20 shillings to the Pound) and landsmen 22 shillings. Payments were only likely to be made when a man transferred from one ship to another or the ship paid off at the end of a commission.
Discipline was rigorously enforced. Beatings were commonplace ('starting') and floggings were ordered for serious offences such as drunkeness or stealing. For more serious offences such as sodomy, desertion or mutiny, executions were commonplace. Victims were convicted and then hanged from the foremast yard arm the next morning in front of the ship's company.
Despite such conditions, it is clear that the majority of seamen adapted to the harsh conditions. They exhibited conspicuous bravery and were able to remain spirited and thoughtful.
The great mutinies of 1797, at Spithead and the Nore, were an attempt to improve the appalling conditions. The ringleaders made it clear that they would refuse orders, but would sail at once if the French fleet were reported to be at sea.
Admiral Sir John Jervis and Commodore Horatio Nelson were reformers and worked to improve the conditions of their crews. They introduced training and were known to be firm but fair disciplinarians. The effect was that they had crews led by officers who respected their seamen and seamen that were well trained and who respected and followed the lead of their officers and Admirals. This was the basis of the superiority of the British fleet.
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Page creation: Peter Milford - St Vincent College, February 1997