Naval pay in Nelson's time

[ndofu]

I am enjoying the Kydd series of books by Julian Stockwin about life in the navy late C18 early C19 but I was wondering how and when the sailors got paid; and how everyone manged without banks? Also how and when prize money was allotted? Would be interested to have some info on this. Many thanks.

[Ethel]

http://www.hms.org.uk/nelsonsnavypay.htm

[ndofu]

Thanks, Ethel, that helps but still can't work out exactly how they got the money. Did they all carry it with them on the ship or was there some sort of banking system for them to draw on wherever they were?

[Ethel]

Hmmm.,

Here's the division of the Prize Money:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A23965590

And a little information here:

there was no secure method of transmitting a seaman�s pay to his family at home, and in any case sailors� pay was often in arrears
http://www.history.uk.com/articles/index.php?a rchive=6


And hurrah! I found this:

The crew were paid at the same rate as in the time of Charles the second. They had to wait until the completion of a voyage to receive money or a voucher to be handed in at a Royal Naval Office for cash. This was of course open to misuse and profiteering.

http://www.timegun.org/trafalgar.html

[ndofu]

Thanks again, Ethel. I will go onto all those sites and see what I can find. I think the poor old sailors probably had a rather tough time then - or at least their families back home did.

[ndofu]

Well I have to admit to remembering the days when the weekly pay packet was just that - a brown envelope. and the last time I worked in UK, 1982, my salary was put straight into the bank at the end of the month...but given the fact that I don't think there was much, if any , paper money about in Nelson's time, the wages for the crew must have been all in coin and therefore heavy and cumbersome to ship around the world. So no wonder that they got paid when they got home, in arrears. I understand the Navy had a simple form of 'welfare' service that saw that the men were clothed, shod and fed whilst away from the home port. I imagine some Captain's looked after their men better than others.,but I was wondering what the officers did when they found theselves at, say Malta, for 6 months and had to pay for logdgings ashore and perhaps entertain on behalf of the navy etc.

[Ethel]

And don't forget that wages paid on the fly would have been useless on shore in foreign countries - unless it was gold or silver.

[merlin1485]

As you have been enjoying the Kydd books look to Alexander Kents Bolitho books, start with Midshipman Bolitho and go through the full 27 books and there are another two to add one a prqual and one that follows on from No 27 I think you will be hooked as I was I have just reread the whol lot over the last few weeks, there is also theRamage series of books by Dudly Pope all Napolionic Nelson Navy

[ndofu]

Thanks , Merlin, I have read some of the Ramage and Bolito books ages ago. I must try them again now my interest has been sparked by the Kydd series.