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A Social History of British Naval Officers, 1775-1815
Language:
English
Published/Copyright:
2017
About this book
Who were the men who officered the Royal Navy in Nelson's day?
This book explores the world of British naval officers at the height of the Royal Navy's power in the age of sail. It describes the full spectrum of officers, from commissioned officers to the unheralded but essential members of every ship's company, the warrant officers. The book focusses on naval officers' social status and its implications for their careers. The demands of life at sea conflicted with the expectations of genteel behaviour and backgroundin eighteenth-century Britain, and the ways officers grappled with this challenge forms a key theme. Drawing on a large database of more than a thousand officers, the book argues that, contrary to the prevailing view, officers were mostly from the middling sort, not the landed elite. It shows how the navy attracted hordes of hopeful commissioned officers, how unemployment was common for the majority even in wartime, and how only a select group managed to gain promotion to post-captain. The book corrects our understanding of the men who lived and served in the wardrooms of the Royal Navy and refocusses our attention away from those who won fame and fortune and onto ordinary naval officers.
EVAN WILSON is Associate Director of International Security Studies and Lecturer in History at Yale University.
This book explores the world of British naval officers at the height of the Royal Navy's power in the age of sail. It describes the full spectrum of officers, from commissioned officers to the unheralded but essential members of every ship's company, the warrant officers. The book focusses on naval officers' social status and its implications for their careers. The demands of life at sea conflicted with the expectations of genteel behaviour and backgroundin eighteenth-century Britain, and the ways officers grappled with this challenge forms a key theme. Drawing on a large database of more than a thousand officers, the book argues that, contrary to the prevailing view, officers were mostly from the middling sort, not the landed elite. It shows how the navy attracted hordes of hopeful commissioned officers, how unemployment was common for the majority even in wartime, and how only a select group managed to gain promotion to post-captain. The book corrects our understanding of the men who lived and served in the wardrooms of the Royal Navy and refocusses our attention away from those who won fame and fortune and onto ordinary naval officers.
EVAN WILSON is Associate Director of International Security Studies and Lecturer in History at Yale University.
Topics
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Frontmatter
i -
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Contents
vii -
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List of Illustrations
ix -
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Acknowledgements
xi -
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Abbreviations and Conventions
xii -
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Introduction
1 -
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1. The Education of Young Gentlemen
9 -
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2. Commissioned Officers’ Careers
33 -
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3. Warrant Officers’ Careers
57 -
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4. The Wardroom as a Social Space
83 -
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5. Patronage and Promotion Prospects
105 -
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6. Pay and Prize Money
131 -
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7. Domestic and International Comparisons
155 -
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8. Naval Officers’ Social Status
185 -
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Conclusion
223 -
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Appendix
227 -
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Bibliography
255 -
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Index
275
Publishing information
Pages and Images/Illustrations in book
eBook published on:
January 23, 2024
eBook ISBN:
9781782049326
Original publisher:
Boydell Press
Pages and Images/Illustrations in book
eBook ISBN:
9781782049326
Keywords for this book
United Kingdom; war; militia; military; eighteenth century; England; Ireland; navy; army; status; nobility; status mobility; nineteenth century; modern history; social hierarchy
Audience(s) for this book
For an expert adult audience, including professional development and academic research
