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Ratings of would be officers
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PMarione
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Joined: 26 Mar 2007
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Post Posted: Thu May 17, 2007 7:06 pm    Post subject: Ratings of would be officers Reply with quote

Charles asked me off-list an interesting question that I find worth to reply here.
Quote:
I notice that Joe began as a vol 1st class and was then made 'able', then midshipman. I suppose 'able' in that sense means that he started to be paid. Interestingly on moving to the next ship he was 'able' for a while before achieving midshipman again. Is this the normal
course of events?


Trace the early careers of RN officers is not an easy task specially if their name is Smith, Brown or Campbell. And you have to include Smythes and Brownes in your search as the spelling of names continually varies.

If you are lucky you'll find a "passing certificate" at the TNA (exPRO) which summarize is career previous to their examination.
Alas about only half the certificates have survived (mainly the ones of those who passed in GB).
To make the things worse, about 20% of the candidates who "passed" have never been promoted (and I believe that about 50% of the young gentlemen did quit or die even before taking their examination or didn't pass).

In fact the "passing certificate" is the first official recognition by the Admiralty of the existence of a would be officer.
Before that he is lost in the muster books of the various ships he is serving on, and depends completely of his commanding officer (captain or flag officer).
And in those muster books he can be found at any station (even as acting-lieutenant.

Before 1794, many of the young gentlemen entered as captain's servants (or other officers servants from admiral to surgeon) and not to be mixed with the genuine "servants".
If they were older (or not) they could have entered as midshipmen.
In 1794, a new regulation made them enter as volunteer first class. The volunteers second class were (in theory) destined to the navigating branch (would be masters), and the volunteers third class were genuine "boys".

Every ship according her class was allowed a fixed quota of volunteers, of midshipmen, master's mates, etc. all with a definite pay rate.
When the quota was filled, there was plenty of candidates left (never missing not like sailors) and the captain started to fill any place left as landsman or OS (if the chap was less than 18 - or not) or as AB.
Furthermore, some ratings were genuine sailors who got a commission for some act of bravery or the captain goodwill.
But if you find somebody who had entered as AB that doesn't mean that he was a genuine sailor because would be officers could enter as AB to fetch the bounty (10 p) for volunteers. The captain probably pocketed the money as he often pocketed the wages. In some cases when the examination board discovered that the boy was less than 18 and had received the bounty, he had to reimburse it.

In summary (of this summary as the things were in fact even more complicated than that), we can say that you can find a would be officer mustered in the books with any possible rating from Landsman to Corporal, from AB to Master's Mate or Gunner, or even as midshipman.
But on board, even if a boy was rated as OS, his status as young gentleman was well known.

If you don't have a "passing certificate" the task to trace him starts to be herculean: you have to go down from the first ship you know muster books by muster books till you find at what date he was entered in the books. In general there is a note giving the ship he is coming from, and so on and on.

If you check in biographies like the DNB, O'Byrne or Marshall, don't believe what they say when you find "he entered as midshipman on board the...". Officers didn't like to be shown as having entered as AB.
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chasbaz



Joined: 02 May 2007
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Location: Athabasca, Alberta, Canada

Post Posted: Fri May 18, 2007 6:35 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Patrick,
I'm very grateful for this explanation, given even before I had got round to officially asking the question!

As far as I can see, getting accepted as a volunteer or whatever was on a grace and favour basis, like being 'in' with the captain.
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PMarione
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Post Posted: Fri May 18, 2007 8:55 pm    Post subject: Ratings of would be officers Reply with quote

Today a CinC in Irak has to ask permission from his minister to use the toilets, due to instant communication.

At the time, a Captain could be without any contact with his CinC or the Admiralty for months.
It could take up to 2 years for a letter from the East Indies to be answered.
Peace treaties took that in view: the peace date was fixed according to the distance. The famous battles of Monsieur de Suffren in India were fought months after the Treaty of Paris.

So the Captain was Jupiter on board.
He had his say in everything including the manning of his ship.
The officers were appointed (commissioned) by the Admiralty but even there a well connected captain could get the officers he wanted.

Naturally, as always, this has to be taken with a pinch of salt.
He had to manage the biggest and most sophisticated machine of the age only powered by wind and human sweat.
So he had to find the best possible crew, and try to keep it.
Desertion, mutiny, court martial were always a possibility.

For the young gentlemen he could accept or refuse anybody at his will (at least up to 1816, when he had to have the Admiralty permission to embark a would be officer).
Again this has to be weighted: how could he refuse somebody who had the backup of a flag officer or a politician.
How could he refuse to take the son of the tailor to whom he was in debt of some hundreds p or the son of the hatter of his wife.
And probably even more, how could he refuse to take the son or nephew of his purser or master. The means of retorsion were innumerable.
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chasbaz



Joined: 02 May 2007
Posts: 38
Location: Athabasca, Alberta, Canada

Post Posted: Fri May 18, 2007 9:30 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

When you mentioned 'tailor' you hit the nail on the head as far as my ggggfr Joseph was concerned. His father was tailor to the Prince of Wales, who was heavily in debt to him. Joseph's first captain was John Willett (Jack) Payne, who was also Prinny's private secretary. Even if he didn't actually owe the tailor money, he would certainly have been known to Payne, as he was a frequent visitor to Carlton House. One way or another, this is an illustration of how one 12-year-old boy got to go to sea.
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PMarione
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Post Posted: Fri May 18, 2007 9:59 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Captain John Willett (Jack) Payne was said to have taken the maidenhead of Emma Hamilton in exchange for the release of one of her cousin who had been impressed.

Most certainly apocryphal.
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