Skip to main content Accessibility help
×
Hostname: page-component-7479d7b7d-68ccn Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-07-14T05:27:08.776Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Appendix 2 - Pressgang Instructions

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 May 2017

Get access

Summary

A copy of instructions to officers employed in the impress service; no date, but eighteenth century hand (source: WLP):

By the Commissioners for Executing the Office of Lord High Admiral of Great Britain and Ireland, &c, &c, &c, -Instructions to Lieutenants of His Majesty's ships appointed to impress &c for the service of His Majesty's Fleet

Ist Whereas you will receive herewith a warrant empowering you to impress seamen for the service of His Majesty's Fleet, you are hereby strictly required and directed, carefully and diligently to attend the said service, and in the execution thereof to observe the following instructions, &c, &c.

You are to keep the said warrant in your own Custody & execute the same personally and never entrust it in the charge of any other.

II You are not to impress any Landmen, but only seamen and seafaring men, or such as are directed in the Impress warrants, and of these only such as are able and fit for his Majesty's Service, and not to take up boys or infirm persons, in order to magnify the number upon your accounts & bring on unnecessary charge upon his Majesty.

III You are not to impress any Boatswains, Carpenters, or First Mates, belonging to Merchant ships of Fifty Tons and upwards, or any Masters of small vessels.

IIII You are not to impress any whose names are entered in a Protection signed by us, though not exactly described provided they are actually in the ship or on the service for which they are protected, but if there are more seamen in the ship than the Protection is granted for, you are to impress those who are supernumerary, but not those who are duly protected in the said number.

V You are not to impress any men who are protected under the Hands of Three or more of the Commissioners of the Navy, or Victualling, or of the principal Officers of the Ordnance & the Seal of these respective offices, provided they are actually employed in the service of these offices.

Type
Chapter
Information
The Rise of an Early Modern Shipping Industry
Whitby's Golden Fleet, 1600-1750
, pp. 165 - 167
Publisher: Boydell & Brewer
Print publication year: 2011

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Save book to Kindle

To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure coreplatform@cambridge.org is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.

Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.

Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.

Available formats
×

Save book to Dropbox

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

Available formats
×