Bicentenary of the 1797 Naval Mutinies
This year marks the bicentenary of a series of momentous naval mutinies that brought temporary paralysis to what was then the world's largest maritime power. In various fleet anchorages, the crews of a hundred or more ships refused to sail. Through careful organization and a well-developed system of communication, more than 40,000 sailors gave their support to the cause. Nothing like it had ever before been witnessed and nothing like it has been seen since.
The county of Kent was very much at the epicenter of events. Ships lying in the River Medway, off Gravesend and in the Downs were among those that mutinied. But it was the important naval anchorage of the Nore that attracted most attention. Here, just over twenty ships hoisted the red flag, these soon to be joined by a squadron of ships from Yarmouth Roads. They were the battleships of the North Sea Fleet. Instead of reinforcing Admiral Duncan's blockade of Texel, the crews of these ships had chosen to join the cause.
For the government of the day, it was an unenviable situation. The war in Europe was going badly, with both the Dutch and French intent upon invasion. In such a situation, the Royal Navy was normally the first line of defense. Should the French sail from Brest, or the Dutch from Texel, enemy troops might soon be on British soil.
The demands of those seamen at the Nore were clear and uncompromising. Consisting of eight neatly written articles, they included the right to shore leave when a ship was in harbor, payment of arrears of wages, an advance of pay for those newly impressed into the service, fairer distribution of prize money, and the introduction of a reformed system of punishment. None of these requests was particularly unreasonable, and each was eventually introduced during the next century. After all, was it right to expect a man to work and not be paid for three years? Was it right that someone unwillingly forced into naval service should be trapped on board a wooden prison for a possible three years or more? Was it right that those who took the greatest risk in battle (the ordinary seaman) should receive a pittance of any prize money (money for captured ships)? Was it right that an Admiral not even present at the scene of conflict should receive an entire one-eighth of the value of any prize? This was half as much as that received by all of the seamen combined!
Despite the reasonableness of these demands, the government proved itself intransigent. Although a few improvements had been introduced, following a similar mutiny at Spithead, Prime Minister William Pitt angrily informed the Admiralty that no further concessions were to be made. Instead, preparations were undertaken to crush the mutiny by force. Off Gravesend, the newly launched and Deptford-built 98-gun Neptune was prepared for battle. On board, she gathered together those few seamen who remained loyal to the government. The combination of rapidly diminishing victuals and the increasing realization that no concessions would be granted led to each and every crew lowering the red flag and replacing it with either a blue or white flag or occasionally that of the Union.
Despite this peaceful surrender, a government witch hunt began. Many of the leaders of the mutiny were court-martialed and hanged. A good number of lesser activists were also punished in a variety of ways. Among those executed was Richard Parker, the elected president of what had been termed 'the Floating Republic'.
To commemorate these unique and important events, a special conference is to be held at the Chatham Historic Dockyard on 5 July 1997. Guest speakers will explore a range of topics associated with the mutiny. My own chosen subject will examine how contemporary county newspapers of Kent informed their readers of the passing events. In addition, Brian Lavery, a much-published writer on maritime affairs, will be looking at lower deck life; Jonathan Neale will explore the topic of naval discipline, and Ann Coats will summarize events that took place at the earlier Spithead mutiny. A number of other papers will also be given. Tickets for the conference are available at £12 (£7 unwaged) from the 1797 Committee (44 Lindley Avenue, Southsea, PO4 9NU).
As a member of the Kent Archaeological Society and one of the organizers of the Nore conference, I would like to indicate my gratitude to the Society for the special research grant that I was given. This has allowed me to photocopy an extensive number of original documents held at both the Public Records Office and British Library. Eventually, this material, both indexed and transcribed, will be deposited in the KAS library at Maidstone.
Members of the KAS may also be interested to know that two publications will be available at the Chatham conference in July. They are a collection of documents relating to the Nore mutiny (price £5) and a reprint of John Gale Jones's Sketch of a Political Tour Through Rochester, Chatham &c., first published in 1795. John Gale Jones was a member of the radical London Corresponding Society, and an introduction to the book draws several links between Jones's visit to North Kent and the subsequent naval mutinies. Both books may be purchased from the 1797 Committee, with the John Gale Jones book also available from the publisher, Baggins Bookshop of Rochester High Street.
Philip MacDougall