Place and county where born

[anteros_lmc]

Last week's St David's Day appreciation of Welsh navyboys led esmerelda_t to wonder if there were actually any Welsh midshipmen on the historical Indefatigable. There may have been at some stage, but there are none listed on the January 1797 muster that nodbear and I have been looking at. Of the 19 young gentlemen aboard the frigate at that time 14 were English, 3

Comments

[esmerelda_t]

Very surprising to see 2 French! Royalists I presume?

[anteros_lmc]

I presume so! There are actually a lot more French men listed on the muster than these two crew members (one of whom was from Marseilles and the other from Rochefort) as the ship also victualled the crew of two French chasse-marées who are listed as supernumeraries.

[vespican]

If anyone has visited HMS Victory's web-site, there is a complete muster list of the crew, complete with nationalities or places of origin. Interestingly, common names such as "Smith" may show as being from several different nations.
Dave

[anteros_lmc]

It's fascinating to see how multinational these crews were isn't it?

Interestingly, common names such as "Smith" may show as being from several different nations.
Smith is a very convenient name isn't it? :) It was quite common for Highland Scots to Anglicise their names on entering the navy, either for ease of use or to disguise their origin, particularly in the middle part of the 18th century when the '45 was still a recent memory and many Highlanders were regarded with distrust.

[eglantine_br]

The Navy, then as ever, fostered the putting away of faith, race, and ethnic predjudice. Men were made to live with other men different from them, and learned to rely on, and trust them.

I love the way that is shown in the POB books. Less visible in Hornblower world, but we know it was there.

[anteros_lmc]

Have you seen the programme about the diversity of the Bellerephon's crew? It's very good. I took a transcript of it when it was on a few years ago but never got round to typing it up. Maybe I should do that sometime.

POB is excellent at representing the ethnic mix of his crews. I really like that aspect of his writing.

[nodbear]

Not quite counted right - Jeremiah excuses your ommission becaise he knows you have a cold :)

he came from Crookhaven in West Cork in Ireland

and of the English mids just under half were Cornish and of the rest two were London born , and there was one from each of Staffordshire, Hereford, Norfolk and WIltshire

[anteros_lmc]

Gracious! How could I have forgotten about Jeremiah?! It's not exactly as if he's the shy retiring type ;) I'd better watch in case he runs me through with his fancy commemorative sword for committing such a faux pas!

[mylodon]

Can't wait to read this here book...

[eglantine_br]

My mind is singing 'Hartford, Hereford and Hampshire...'

[anteros_lmc]

I confess I have absolutely no idea where any of those counties are :}