The manner, in which crime was punished in the Royal Navy, during the Georgian period, has often been the subject to great controversy and debate. When answering this question, it is important to consider contemporary sources so as to develop an accurate analysis. After examining various sources, it seems clear that the use of physical punishment was indeed necessary so as to constitute power over the seamen, particularly with limited alternatives available. It also becomes apparent that the Royal Navy’s reputation for flogging has been exaggerated, as N. Rodger observes, the violence used, ‘by the standards of Eighteenth Century.... were generally acceptable and even enlightened’.
When assessing whether physical punishment was necessary or not, the potential crimes themselves should be assessed. As D. Pope argues, ‘one of the worst crimes in a ship is theft’, this is supported by J.M Powell’s letter to his father, where thievery is frequently mentioned. Other prevalent problems consist of, drunken behaviour, physical attacks and idleness to name a few. In regards to the necessity of physical punishment, as D. Pope continues to say, ‘the spectacle aspect was regarded as most important’ so as to illustrate the repercussions of crime. N. Rodger presents an alternative to why physical punishment was required, stating that the ‘Captain had no instructions as to how else he might deal with them’. Sources such as Captain Corbet’s appeal suggest that the contemporaneous opinion was that fear prevented crime, and thus in regards to punishment, ‘the more severe in appearance the better’.
When questioning the severity of the punishment administered, it becomes apparent that this was unquestionably a subjective process. As N. Rodger state...
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...ogy was not available. However with this said, the legal code that instructed as to how much punishment was to be given out, was in desperate need of an upheaval. This led to great subjectivity, and thus it was down to the individual to decide upon the correct level of discipline. It also seems clear that when compared with the disciplinary methods of land forces that the notoriety of the Navy’s punishment has been greatly embellished. Whilst flogging was indeed a harsh measure, it would have been seen in the long-term better than going to jail or being sanctioned under courts-martial.
Works Cited
British Naval Documents 1204-1960, 548-50; Shipboard Life and Organisation, 1731-1815, ed. B. Lavery (NRS, Vol. 138, 1998), 377-9, 391-409.
Pope, D., Life in Nelson’s Navy, (London, 1989).
Rodger, N.A.M., The wooden World: An Anatomy of the Georgian, (London, 1986).
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"Chapter XVII: Of Sundry Kinds Of Punishment Appointed For Offenders." Historion.net • History Online • Description of Elizabethan England, 1577 •. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Apr. 2014.
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Scheck, Barry, Peter Neufeld, and Jim Dwyer. Actual Innocence: Five Days to Execution and Other Dispatches from the Wrongly Convicted. New York: Random House LLC, 2000. Print.
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