The Press Gang.

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The Press Gang.

Notes:

25 Jul 1801 at the Mansion House application was made to the Lord Mayor, with a view to recovering a number of sailors who had deserted and were understood to have taken refuge in the City. Press Warrants were issued allowing the press gang, accompanied by city officers to search the public houses, where 20 seamen were found and brought before the Lord Mayor in the morning, when 16 of them were found to be pressable and were sent on board the tender opposite the Tower, to be sent down River. The accompanying officers raised complaints against one of the landladies of a public house, who had resisted their authority, and obtained a summons against her.

25 Jul 1801 in the City of London : on Thursday a press gang of 14 persons having received information that a number of sailors who lately belonged to the Company's ships, had been secreted in some public houses in Leadenhall St, and went off with the appropriate papers with the intention of impressing them and taking them on board the tender opposite the Tower. However, having received notice of the visitation by the press gang the sailors gathered together and resisted the gang, and after a difficult scuffle, proved victorious. A number on both sides were injured and windows were broken during the affray.

27 Aug 1801 the impress gangs at N. Yarmouth have been discharged.

5 Sep 1801 the impress gangs at Harwich have been discharged, along with their tender. The officer in charge of the Impress gangs at Harwich, Lt Silver, has been appointed to a prison ship at Portsmouth.

11 Sep 1801 newspapers published today report that the Admiralty has discharged all the officers from the Impress Service, except those based on the Port of London, [but see below also].

17 Sep 1801 on Tuesday last the press gang under Lt Atkins, at Deal, was discharged, but the gang under Lt Dowers remains at this place.

12 Oct 1801 the remaining press gang for the Downs, based at Deal, under the command of Lt Dowers, has been discharged.

10 Mar 1803 press gangs made up mostly of Royal Marines, under the command of an RM and an RN officers, which went on board all the merchant vessels in port at Plymouth and stripped every vessel in Mutton Cove, North Corner, and Morris Town, &c., of manpower. This resulting from secret instructions being received by the Port Admiral from the Admiralty, in order that word didn't leak out. The press was also said to have been very hot last night up the River Tamar, and in the country, where several hands were picked up. The Acasta, arrived Plymouth, having been blown out of Guernsey Roads, and was ordered back out by signal, presumably to proceed along the coast visiting the various ports with a view to pressing men in other towns and village who haven't got wind of the latest news. The newspapers carry reports that several thousand seamen have been raised from the ports of London, Liverpool, Bristol, Hull, Portsmouth, Deal and Yarmouth, &c.

13 Mar 1803 Capt Barker apptd Regulating Captain at Bristol.

29 Mar 1803 five revenue cruisers departed N. Yarmouth, each with an RN Lieutenant with a press warrant, which would entitle these vessels to impress suitable men for the Service.

29 Mar 1803 it has been interesting to note that up to about five revenue cruisers, including the Stag, Tartar, Lively, Swallow and Ranger, have recently been based in the Downs, and I wondered what they may have been doing, but suspect that they may also have been used for pressing seamen out of merchant vessels passing through the Downs from the River and from the North.....a long standing curse for the shipping industry in wartime, since they then have to either sail short-handed, which one can only do for so long, or make up the loss. But, unfortunately at this date, the RN was in the process, following the breakdown in the Treaty of the Peace of Amiens and the start of the second part of the Napoleonic Wars, which was to last another 11-12 years, of recruiting thousands of men, which didn't leave many for the merchant service, especially with those seamen who were wise to the tactics of the press gangs, and had hidden away until things quietened down, or should that be quieted down ? ;-).

17 Jun 1803 the Westmoreland privateer, of London, Champion, Master, ran on shore on the Goodwin Sand, and is entirely lost, the captain and crew of upward of 30 men were rescued with the assistance of the Deal boats ; it is understood that the hands have since been impressed, and put on HM ships in the Downs.

17 Sep 1803 Lieut Robins, apptd to the impress service at Southampton.

14 Nov 1803 a hot press took place at Bristol on Wednesday and several useful hands were found.

Circa 3 Dec 1803 Lieut Riboleau apptd to the Impress Service at Dover.

Circa 12 Dec 1803 Capt Birchall apptd to the Impress Service at Chester.

Circa 7 Jan 1804 Lieut Ross, apptd to the Impress Service at London.

Circa 24 Mar 1804 Lieut T Spearing Osmer, of the Impress Service, for obstructing the Sergeant at Mace in the execution of a writ directed to him from the Court of Record, against an impressed seaman confined in the rendez-vous, was found guilty.

Circa 14 Jul 1804 the allowance for subsistence money for the officers of the Impress Service in London, has been increased from 3s. 6d. per diem to 5s.

Circa 28 Jul 1804 Lieut Young apptd to the Impress Service at Swansea.

Circa 25 Aug 1804 Lieut J Lucas apptd to the Impress Service at Pool / Poole.

Circa 19 Nov 1804 on the Sussex coast, an armed cutter fired 2 shots at a large coasting sloop to bring her to, for the purpose, it was suspected, of impressing some of her hands. However, when the cutter came alongside the crew of the sloop took to their boat and despite a shot being fired in the direction of their boat they effected their escape.