18 TH CENTURY

An example of the ill-will by which the Press was held even at his early time opened the century as evidenced in the following:

“Affidavit of Abraham Crowder, of the city of York, Yeoman.

As marshal or officer for the vice-admiralty of York and Yorkshire, he received and order or warrant from William Ingram, esquire, commissary and deputy vice-admiral of the said vice-admiralty, with instructions (pursuant to an order of Council) to impress men within the said vice-admiralty for her Majesty’s [Queen Anne] service at sea. In obedience to this order he did, on the 26 th February last, impress one Thomas Newell, a fit man to serve her Majesty. Whereupon John Hardy, an attorney of York and Nowell’s wife with some other persons hindered and opposed the complainant, and told him that he was a rogue and a pitiful fellow, and bade Nowell to knock him on the head, for he was a very villain; and, further, Hardy and Nowell’s wife, and others that assisted knocked [the] deponent down and beat and bruised him after a most barbarous manner and rescued and carried Nowell away. Dated 14 th March, 1705-[6] Certified by Francis Wyvill .”

[Manuscripts of His Grace the Duke of Portland: Preserved at Wellbeck Abbey; page 221]

A proclamation published in the London Gazette during the reign of King George II, again emphasised the need for sailors to be brought into the navy either by voluntary means or by impressment. The relevant passage is quoted thus:

LONDON GAZETTE

Issue 7882

“Tuesday February 5, to Saturday February 9. 1739.

By the King,

A P R O C L A M A T I O N,

For encouraging Seamen to enter themselves

on board His Majesty's Ships of War.

… And we do hereby declare, That all such Seamen, who on or before the said Fifteenth Day of March next, stall voluntarily enter themselves, as aforesaid, and stall within the Time limited and appointed in such their Certificates repair on board and remain in any of our said Ships and Vessels, stall be entitled to the Benefit of our said Royal Promise, as aforesaid, and not otherwise ; and in such Case every such Seaman stall be entitled to his Pay from the Time of his being first entered, as aforesaid. And we do hereby require and command all Persons whatsoever that may be authorized or empowered to impress Mariners for our Service, that they do not impress or molest any such Seamen to whom such Certificate, as aforesaid, shall be given, according to the true Intent and Meaning of this our Royal Proclamation, or any Men now in our Service, who, by Tickets signed by the Captains of our Ships or Vessels to which they belong, have or shall have Leave to be absent from their Duty for any Time…”

[ http://www.gazettesonline.co.uk ]

In the year 1756 a letter contained within Grimston family Records of Grimston Garth, Yorkshire at ref. DDGR/42/6 stresses beyond any doubt the need for seamen to be pressed. It has not been thought necessary here to follow up on this; the part sentence is enough

“… raising sailors for navy ('Here (Hull) the press gangs let nothing escape that that smells the least of Tarr') ”. It is dated Jan-Dec 1756.

The following year, dated: 1757;

“John Clevland. Messrs. Barnard and Turner, under contract for building a 70-gun ship at Harwich, inform us that Daniel Duff, William Hogarth, James Norman, Robert Baker, (mate), Samuel Bishop and Edward Roper, have been impressed at Hull by Lieutenant Runsiman”

[Navy Board Out-letters, ADM 354/156/156; National Archives, Kew]

Exemptions from impressment were obtainable, and one such reads thus:

“To the commanders and officers of His Majesty’s Ships, Pressmasters, and all whom it doth concern…….. You are hereby required and directed not to impress into His majesty’s service 36 shipwrights and 6 apprentices employed by Mr. Nicholas Watson, shipbuilder of Hull, provided they are not seamen.”

Another is contained in Miles and Richardson’s “History of Withernsea,” and reads:

“These are to certify whom it may concern, that the bearer, Robert Bell, aged 30 years, middle stature, broad, and bright complexion, has a scar nigh his left eye, and a small scar above his right eyebrow, wears a cap or wig, is one of the boatswains, belonging to the ship Berry, of Hull, in the Greenland trade, and hath given security to the satisfaction of the Commissioners of His Majesty’s Customs to proceed in the said ship to Greenland the next season, and is not to be imprest [sic], by virtue of an Act of Parliament, passed in the thirteenth years of His Late Majesty’s Reign Instituled (sic) an Act for encouraging the Greenland fishery trade, etc.

Witness our Hand and Seals of Office, Custom House, Hull, dated the Thirtith (sic) day of July, 1762.

J. Mantle; Robt. Page; D. Comsr. [sic]; Simon Hormer, Ship’s Husband.”

[The transactions of the East Riding Antiquarian Society, vol. XXV, edited by Tom Sheppard, Hull, 1926; pp. 159]

The Navy, in its quest for seamen went to extraordinary lengths to acquire them. Another branch of mercantile endeavour that was rampant in the 18 th century was smuggling, and those men employed in the illicit transportation of cargoes needed to be of exceptional skill, and were therefore highly prized. Extracts from naval ships log books can perhaps best explain:

“"Strong Breezes and Cloudy," records the officer in command of H.M.S. Stag, a twenty-eight gun frigate, in his log. "Having made the Signal for Two Strange Sail in the West, proceeded on under Courses & Double Reef't Topsails. At I sett the Jibb and Driver, at 3 boarded a Smugling Cutter, but having papers proving she was from Guernsey, and being out limits, pressed one Man and let her go."'

"Friday last," says the captain of the Spy sloop of war, "I sail'd out of Yarmouth Roads with a Fleet of Colliers in order to press Men, & in my way fell in with Two Dutch Built Scoots sail'd by Englishmen, bound for Holland, one belonging to Hull, call'd the Mary, the other to Lyn, call'd the Willing Traveller, I search'd 'em and took out of the former £64 14s, and out of the latter £30 0s 6d, all English Money, which I've deliver'd to the Collector of Custome at Yarmouth. I likewise Imprest out of the Two Vessells seven men."

[The Press-gang Afloat and Ashore by J. R. Hutchinson, New York, E. P. Dutton & Co., 1914; (Ad. I. 1438-Capt. Arnold, 29 May 1727. The exporting of coin was illegal.)

Page 135]

So extensive were the naval patrols in search of men that the extended quite literally right round the coastline of the nation. Some places demanded more attention than others as they focused mercantile trade towards the larger ports, and Tenders were stationed at such points for the interception of shipping solely for the acquisition of men:

“We have now three classes of vessels, of varying building, tonnage and armament, engaged in a common endeavour to intercept and take the homing sailor. Let us next see how they were disposed upon the coast. Tenders from Greenwich and Blackwall ransacked the Thames below bridge as far as Blackstakes in the river Medway, the Nore and the Swin channel. Tenders from Margate, Ramsgate, Deal and Dover watched the lower Thames estuary, swept the Downs, and kept a sharp lookout along the coasts of Kent and Sussex, of Essex and of Norfolk. To these tenders from Lynn dipped their colours off Wells-on-Sea or Cromer; whence they bore away for the mouth of Humber, where Hull tenders took up the running till met by those belonging to Sunderland, Newcastle-upon-Tyne and Shields, which in turn joined up the cordon with others hailing from Leith and the Firth of Forth. Northward of the Forth ….”

[Ibid. Page 112]

One of the most succinct descriptions of the structure of the Impress Service is the following modern version, although it is nationally based with no particular reference to Hull, it does serve to explain the number and size of the service as a whole:

“Regulating captains were appointed to control the work of the ship-based gangs, and to inspect recruits. After 1755, they were also responsible for the impress service, which consisted or permanent shore-based gangs. By 1795, the impress service included 85 gangs, with 84 lieutenants, 162 petty officers, and 754 men in Great Britain and Ireland. There were 32 Regulating Captains, each with a district under their control. He set up his headquarters in the main port of his district, and inspected recruits with the aid of a surgeon. He directed the efforts of the gangs in his area, and with the help of his clerk, he sent regular returns to the Admiralty.

Each Regulating Captain had a number of gangs under his control – two in the smallest districts, and up to seven in London. As with the gangs from the ships, each was headed by a lieutenant, who was assisted by two petty officers or midshipmen …. In contrast to the lieutenants, the midshipmen and petty officers of the gang were often quite young, and had no experience of the sea. For his gang, the lieutenant was encouraged to recruit experienced seamen, who could lure young men with tales of the sea; but such men were rare, and there was always the temptation to send them off the fleet as recruits. Probably the majority of the gang members were landsmen. Normally a shore-based gang had 10 men, but pay returns suggest that many were under strength.”

[Nelson’s Navy by Brian Lavery, Conway Marine Press, 1989, p. 120]

This is verified by N.A.M. Rodger’s epic work on naval history, recently published which says of Regulating Officers:

“Parliament’s refusal to confront the manning problem forced the Navy to rely on the old methods. though the civil authorities were still ordered to raise men, impressment was now largely in naval hands, and in 1745 the first Regulating Captains were appointed to impose order on ships’ press gangs ashore, the beginnings of what by the Seven Years’ War had become an organised ‘Impress Service’ covering much of England. Individual ships still provided many of the press gangs ashore, but Regulating Captains imposed common standards, forcing gangs to release men who were not seamen, or had valid ‘protections’ (certificates of exemption), or belonged to other ships, as well as preventing them releasing those who had bribes to offer. This at least smoothed some of the worst injustices and inefficiencies of the system …. “

[The Command of the Ocean, by N.A.M. Rodger, A naval history of Britain 1649-1815, Penguin Books in association with the National Maritime Museum, ISBN-13 978 0 141 02690 9; ISBN-10 0 141 02690 1; 2005, pp 313-4]

A letter dated at Hull, December 8 th 1770 penned by Regulating Officer Captain James O’Hara [of the sloop Peggy, according to National Archives catalogue] to the Admiralty says:

Honourable Gentleman

This is to acquaint you I have drawn on your Honourable board for the sum of One Hundred pounds thirty days date [in] favour of Josiah Corthine or order which money I have paid to Lieut. Dan’l Disney as per receipt to carry on the Impress & Volunteer Service at this port.

I am

Honourable Gentlemen

Your most obedient servant

James O’Hara

[National Archives, Ref: ADM 106/1190]

I am indebted to the National Archives at Kew, Richmond, Surrey, for copying this document and allowing it to be reproduced herein. It clearly indicates that Captain O’Hara was at the time the Regulating Officer for the port of Hull. He was to spend several more years at his post before moving on. Lieutenant Disney may have been O’Hara’s representative at Gainsborough in Lincolnshire, where later evidence shows that place to be part of the Hull catchment area.

Press-gangs were not restricted to taking men at sea, nor even at ports and harbours, they were empowered to take them from where ever they could. Naturally, they were not made welcome when or where ever they appeared. Nationally, the public response to the arrival of a gang in any local area brought about severe disruption:

“What tumults, fear, and confusion arise in every city, town and village, within ten or twelve miles of a press-gang! And what numberless inconveniences to all conditions of persons throughout Great Britain! In 1770, the Lord Mayor of London represented to the Board of the Admiralty, that the city of London was so infested with press-gangs, that tradesmen and servants were prevented from following their lawful business. A Gentleman in Yorkshire of rank and veracity (who was formerly a member of this House), sends me word, that such is at this time the general apprehension in that part of England from a Press-gang at Tadcaster, that the labourers on his estate are dispersed abroad like a covey of partridges; neither could half of them be brought back to their work, till the steward had given them assurance of his master’s protection: … “

[The Parliamentary Register or History … of the House of Commons; Vol. VI, London, 1802, p. 2: Google Books]

Well aware of this, and perhaps the cause of it, seamen were quite likely to be set ashore well before their arrival at their port of destination:

“Of the men who sailed out of Hull not one in ten could be picked up, on their return, by the gangs haunting the Humber. They went ashore at Dimlington on the coast of Holderness, or at the Spurn.”

[The Press-gang Afloat and Ashore by J. R. Hutchinson, New York, E. P. Dutton & Co., 1914; Page 152 ]

When such an escape had been achieved however, the poor unimaginative sailors were left little option but to try and blend in with local surroundings to maintain their freedom:

“Believing, in the simplicity of his heart, that others were as gullible as himself, the fugitive sailor sought habitually to hide his identity beneath some temporary disguise of greater or less transparency. That of farm labourer was perhaps his favourite choice. The number of seamen so disguised, and employed on farms within ten miles of the coast between Hull and Whitby prior to the sailing of the Greenland and Baltic ships in 1803, was estimated at more than a thousand able-bodied men.”

[Ibid. (Ad. I. 580-Admiral Phillip, Report on Rendezvous, 25 April 1804.) Page171.]

One other means of evading the impress was by supplying substitutes. For those young men with sufficient influence and money, there was the possibility of quite literally purchasing someone to take their place. Such a practice is well known, and is yet prevalent in some societies even today. Hull was no different, and but a single report of this activity survives:

“At Hull, on the other hand, substitutes were sought in open market. The bell-man there cried a reward for men to go in that capacity.”

[Ibid. (Ad. I, 1439-George Crowle, Esq., M.P. for Hull, 28 Dec. 1739) Page 307]

One section of the merchant trade was however considered out of bounds for the Press, yet, as will be told, they were not daunted. However, earlier in the 19 th century such exemptions were in place:

“The only exceptions to this stringent rule were certain classes of men engaged in the Greenland and South Seas whale fisheries. Skilled harpooners, linesmen and boat-steerers, on their return from a whaling cruise, could obtain from any Collector of Customs, for sufficient bond put in, a protection from the impress which no Admiralty regulation, however sweeping, could invalidate or override. Safeguarded by this document, they were at liberty to live and work ashore, or to sail in the coal trade, until such time as they should be required to proceed on another whaling voyage. If, however, they took service on board any vessel other than a collier, they forfeited their protections and could be “ legally detained”.

[Ibid. (13 George 11. cap. 28. Ad. I. 2732 - Capt. Young, 14 March 1756. Ad 7 300-Law Officers’ Opinions, 1778-83, No. 42) Page 90.]

In the year 1777, a silver box to the value of, but not exceeding twenty pounds, was voted to Captain [James] O’Hara, that he should be admitted to the freedom of this [Kingston upon Hull] Corporation, if he thought proper, and a copy of his Burgess Oath, should be delivered with the said box, for his humane conduct and attention to the peace of this town in his station of Regulating Officer. This same officer was still present at Hull two years later, when in 1779, a bounty was authorised of two guineas for every able seaman and one guinea for every ordinary seaman not impressed, to serve upon His Majesty’s Ship, the Bellona, to be paid by the Treasurer of the Corporation upon such seamen being approved by Captain O’Hara. The good captain was assisted by Lieutenant Burstall stationed at Gainsborough. This does not mean however that impressment was not required for an application was made to the Lords of the Admiralty for the volunteers and impressed men then on board the Tender, then lying at the port, to be turned over to the Bellona, then under the command of Captain Tindale.

[History of Kingston upon Hull, George Hadley, 1788, pp. 348, 351, & 353]

H.M.S. Bellona was one of the most famous 74-gun ships of the British Navy, launched on 19 February 1760; she sailed to join the battle-fleet which was then blockading Brest. On 30 December 1780 the Bellona took part in the capture of the 44-gun Dutch ship Princess Caroline; then she cruised off Gibraltar, in the North Sea and the West Indies. She was employed in the blockade of Cadiz; then the Bellona was at Jamaica, at Portsmouth and at Barbados. Although more than 50 years from her launch were passed, the Bellona served in the Navy until February 1814.

[ http://www.shipmodel.biz/index.php?stilus=lap&hiv=14&forr=3 ]

While the good captain was being lauded in Hull, at Scarborough other matters were unfolding, which demonstrate the lengths to which men were prepared to go in order to escape impressment:

“The boldness of its inception and the anticlimaxical [sic] nature of its finish invest another exploit of this description with an interest all its own. This was the cutting out of the Union tender from the river Tyne on the 12th April 1777. The commander, Lieut. Colville, having that day gone on shore for the "benefit of the air," and young Barker, the midshipman who was left in charge in his absence, having surreptitiously followed suit, the pressed men and volunteers, to the number of about forty, taking advantage of the opportunity thus presented, rose and seized the vessel, loaded the great guns, and by dint of threatening to sink any boat that should attempt to board them kept all comers, including the commander himself, at bay till nine o'clock in the evening. By that time night had fallen, so, with the wind blowing strong off-shore and an ebb-tide running, they cut the cables and stood out to sea. For three days nothing was heard of them, and North Shields, the scene of the exploit and the home of most of the runaways, was just on the point of giving the vessel up for lost when news came that she was safe. Influenced by one Benjamin Lamb, a pressed man of more than ordinary character, the rest had relinquished their original purpose of either crossing over to Holland or running the vessel ashore on some unfrequented part of the coast, and had instead carried her into Scarborough Bay, doubtless hoping to land there without interference and so make their way to Whitby or Hull. In this design, however, they were partly frustrated, for, a force having been hastily organised for their apprehension, they were waylaid as they came ashore and retaken to the number of twenty-two, the rest escaping. Lamb, discharged for his good offices in saving the tender, was offered a boatswain's place if he would re-enter; but for poor Colville the affair proved disastrous. Becoming demented, he attempted to shoot himself and had to be superseded.”

[The Press-gang Afloat and Ashore by J. R. Hutchinson, New York, E. P. Dutton & Co., 1914 (Ad. I. 1497-Capt. Dover, 13 April 1777, and enclosures) Page 301-2]

Between the reigns of Charles II and George III there are in literature, many mentions of the deplorable actions of press-gangs whereby as a plot aid, they served to remove both heroes and villains. But by far the most well known era of the Impressment Service was during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic wars which culminated at the battle of Waterloo in June 1815. These conflicts began in the early 1790’s, and by 1794.

“… an Act was passed for procuring a supply of men from several seaports in the kingdom, for the service of the navy. The quota of men to be raised from the port of Hull was 731. on 7 th April the Mayor, Aldermen, principal members of Trinity House, with most of the merchants, ship-owners, twenty-one commissioners for executing the Act, the boys of Trinity House school, with a band of music, and sailors carrying flags, paraded the principal streets of Hull in procession, for the purpose of ‘beating up for navy volunteers.’ An immense crowd followed; and indeed the effect of the spectacle altogether was the most striking and novel of anything that had been exhibited here since the anniversary of the Revolution, in 1788 [centenary of the Glorious Revolution which saw the enthronement of William and Mary in place of James II in 1688]. One of the chief features of the procession was a boat handsomely painted and adorned with flags &c., and fixed on a carriage adapted for the purpose. In this boat were six sailors, who distributed ale and biscuits to the populace. The carriage and boat were drawn by a number of sailors. The volunteers do not appear to have presented themselves very quickly, for up to the middle of November, 1795, the Hull newspapers contained advertisements for ‘a number of brave fellows’ to serve in the navy, ‘in defence of the British Constitution against French perfidy.”

[History of the Town and Port of Kingston upon Hull, by James Joseph Sheahan, 2 nd Edition, John Green, Beverley, 1866; pp. 192.]

Governmental pressure upon the port of Hull to supply men for the navy is evidenced by the following letter sent to the Mayor and Chief Magistrate:

HCRO L1320 1782 Concerning the pressing of seamen for H. M. Fleet

On His Majesty’s Service

To the Mayor or Chief Magistrate of the Town of Kingston upon Hull

Letter from Privy Council

……..

Navy 1782

21 st June 1782

AFTER our commendations, WHEREAS His Majesty’s Service doth at this time require a speedy supply of seaman and seafaring men to man His Majesty’s Fleet which is now fitting out; WE do therefore, by His Majesty’s command, hereby require and enjoin you to cause the proper officers to give all possible assistance to those belonging to His Majesty’s ships, and the Constables to take up by virtue of such warrants as will be sent to them by the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty, such seafaring men as shall lurk about the town, port and liberties of Kingston upon Hull, the Constables who shall take up such men and deliver them to the Regulating Captain or the Officer appointed to procure men, they shall be paid Forty Shillings for each Able Seaman and Thirty Shillings for each Ordinary Seaman fit for His Majesty’s Service by the Naval Officer, if such officer doth reside near the said town, or otherwise, by the Collector or Proper Officer of the Customs, out of the money to be furnished them for that purpose by the Lords Commissioners of His Majesty’s Treasury as heretofore, AND upon certificate from the Captain or Commander of the ship or vessel where-into they shall be put, the same to be reimbursed to the said Officers of the Customs by the Principal Officers and Commissioners of His Majesty’s Navy upon their transmitting to the said Principal Officers and Commissioners authentic accounts of what money they shall expend, AND so not doubting of your zeal and vigour in the performance of this service, we do bid you farewell from the Council Chamber at St. James, the 21 st day of June 1782

Your loving Friends

Camden, –, Gower, Cavendish, Conway.

[Hull City Archives]

It seems plain enough that while the people of Hull were not averse to any kind of spectacle, they were not duped by the reasons for the same exhibition. Merchant seamen and their families were well aware that if the Navy were in need of men, then their freedom was in serious jeopardy, not just by the French, but by the press-gangs, and that they would from henceforth need to be ever vigilant. However, sailors being sailors, the draw of a tavern or the call of a pretty strumpet were ever causes for their downfall. While the gangs only had warrant to take professional seamen, when they were pushed to provide a quota, they would and did take anyone unlucky enough to fall into their clutches.

A London Gazette of 1793 contained two items by royal proclamation appertaining to the navy and its seamen, the first is a dire warning for any British seamen discovered to be signed on any French vessel:

LONDON GAZETTE

Issue 13504

From Tuesday February 19, to Saturday February 23, 1793

“By the KING,

A PROCLAMATION.

GEORGE R.

WHEREAS Attempts may be made to seduce some of Our Subjects, contrary to their Allegiance and Duty to Us, to enter on board French Ships or Vessels of War, or other Ships or Vessels bf France, with Intent to commit Hostilities against Us or Our Subjects, or otherwise to adhere or give Aid or Comfort to Our Enemies upon the Sea: Now We, in order that none of Our Subjects may ignorantly incur the Guilt and Penalties of such Breaches of their Allegiance and Duty, have thought it necessary, by and with the Advice of Our Privy Council, to publish this Our Royal Proclamation, hereby notifying and declaring, that all Person's being Our Subjects, who (hall enter or serve on board Any French Ships or Vessels of War, or other Ships or Vessels of France; with Intent to commit Hostilities against Us or Our Subjects, or who shall otherwise adhere or give Aid or Comfort to Our Enemies upon the Sea will thereby become liable to suffer the Pains of Death, and all other Pains and Penalties of High Treason and Piracy. And We do hereby declare Our Royal Intention and firm Resolution to proceed against all such Offenders according to Law.

Given at Our Court at St. James's, the

Twentieth Day of February, 1793, in the Thirty-third

Year of Our Reign.

GOD Save the KING.”

The second is more detailed and tells of the requirement for any and all British seamen serving under ANY foreign power to forsake their employment and report for duty with the Royal Navy, it is here quoted in full:

“By the KING,

A PROCLAMATION,

For recalling and prohibiting Seamen from serving

Foreign Princes and States, and for granting Rewards

for discovering such Seamen as shall conceal themselves.

GEORGE R

WHEREAS we are informed, that great Numbers of Mariners and Seafaring Men, Our natural-born Subjects, are in the Service of divers Foreign Princes and States, to the Prejudice of Our Kingdom ; We have therefore thought it necessary; by and with the Advice of Our Privy Council, to publish this Our Royal Proclamation; and do hereby strictly charge and command all Masters of Ships, Pilots, Mariners, Seamen, Shipwrights, and other Seafaring Men whatsoever and wheresoever; (being our natural-born Subjects) who are in the Pay or Service of any Foreign Prince or State, or do serve in any Foreign Ship or Vessel, that forthwith they; and every of them, do (according to their known and bounden Duty and Allegiance) withdraw themselves; depart from and quit such Foreign Services, and return Home to their Native Countries : And further, We do hereby strictly prohibit and forbid all Masters of Ships, Pilots, Mariners, Seamen, Shipwrights and other Seafaring Men whatsoever (being Our natural-born Subjects) from entering, and do charge and command them, and every of them, from henceforth to. forbear to enter themselves into the Pay or Service of any Foreign Prince or State, or to serve in any Foreign Ship or Vessel whatsoever, without Our special Licence first had and obtained in that Behalf; to all which We expect due Obedience and exact Conformity. And We do hereby publish and declare, that the Offenders to the contrary shall not only incur Our just Displeasure, but be proceeded against for their Contempt according to the utmost Severities of the Law. And We do hereby declare, that if any such Masters of Ships, Pilots, Mariners, Seamen, Shipwrights or other Seafaring Men, (being Our Subjects) shall be taken in any Foreign Service by the Turks, Algerines, or any others, they snail not be reclaimed by Us as Subjects of Great Britain. And We do hereby further promise and declare, that a Reward of Twenty Shillings for every Able and Ordinary Seaman, fit to serve on Board Our Ships, shall be paid any Person who shall discover any Seaman or Seamen who may conceal him or themselves, so that such Seaman or Seamen shall be taken for Our said Service, on or before the Thirtieth Day of April next, by any of Our Sea Officers appointed to raise Men on Shore, or by the Captains and Commanders of any of Our Ships or Vessels in the Ports or on the Coasts of this Kingdom; the said Rewards to be paid for any Seaman or Seamen so discovered and taken in and about London, by the Principal Officers and Commissioners of Our Navy; and at the Oat [sic] Ports by the Clerks of the Cheque at Deptford, Woolwich, Chatham, Sheerness, Portsmouth or Plymouth, or the Naval Officers at Harwich or Deal respectively ; and (where there are no Clerks of the Cheque or Naval Officers) by the Collector or proper Officer of Our Customs at the Port which may be nearest to the Place where such Seaman or Seamen shall be taken, out of the Money in his Hands, or to be furnished to him for that Purpose by the Lords Commissioners of Our Treasury, upon a Certificate being produced to the said Principal Officers and Commissioners of Our Navy, Clerks of the Cheque, Naval Officers, Collectors or proper Officers of the Customs; respectively, by the Person who may make Discovery of any Seaman or Seamen as aforesaid, certifying his Name, and the Name or Names and Number of Seamen procured in consequence of his Discovery; the said Certificate to be given by such Officer who may take such Seaman or Seamen for Our Service, and the Amount of all Payments so to be made by the Collectors or proper Officers of Our Customs-to be reimbursed to them by the Principal Officers and Commissioners of Our Navy, as heretofore, upon authentic Accounts thereof being transmitted to the said Principal Officers and Commissioners of Our Navy by such Collectors or proper Officers of Our Customs.

Given at Our Court at St. James's, the Sixteenth

Day of February One thousand seven hundred

and ninety-three, and. in the Thirty-third Year

of Our Reign.

GOD Save the KING. ”

Designed by Richard Hayton 2008
email richard@yorkshirehistory.com