The Spithead and Nore mutinies were two major mutinies by sailors of the Royal Navy in 1797. There was also discontent and minor incidents on ships in other locations in the same year. The mutinies were potentially dangerous for Britain, because at the time the country was at war with the Revolutionary government of France. There were also concerns among some members of the British ruling class that the mutinies might be the trigger to a wider uprising similar to the French Revolution. Mutiny is the act of conspiring to disobey an order that a group of similarly-situated individuals (typically members of the military; or the crew of any ship, even if they are civilians) are legally obliged to obey. ... This article is about the navy of the United Kingdom. ... 1797 (MDCCXCVII) was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Wednesday of the 11-day-slower Julian calendar). ... The French Revolution (1789–1815) was a period of political and social upheaval in the political history of France and Europe as a whole, during which the French governmental structure, previously an absolute monarchy with feudal privileges for the aristocracy and Catholic clergy, underwent radical change to forms based on...

Spithead

The mutiny at Spithead (an anchorage near Portsmouth) lasted from 16 April to 15 May, 1797. Sailors on 16 ships in the Channel Fleet, commanded by Admiral Lord Bridport, protested at the living conditions aboard Royal Navy vessels and demanded a pay rise. Categories: UK geography stubs ... A stocked ships anchor. ... For other places with the same name, see Portsmouth (disambiguation). ... is the 106th day of the year (107th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 135th day of the year (136th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... The Channel Fleet is the historical name used for the group of Royal Navy warships that defended the waters of the English Channel. ... For other uses, see Admiral (disambiguation). ... Portrait of Admiral Alexander Hood, 1st Viscount Bridport, by Lemuel Francis Abbott, painted 1795. ... This article is about the navy of the United Kingdom. ...

Seamen's pay rates had been established in 1658, and due to the stability of wages and prices, they had still been reasonably competitive as recently as the Seven Years' War, 40 years earlier; however, high inflation during the last decades of the 18th century severely eroded the real value of the pay. At the same time, the practice of coppering the bottoms of hulls, starting in 1761, meant that British warships no longer had to return to port frequently to have their hulls scraped, and the additional time at sea significantly altered the rhythm and difficulty of seamen's work. The Royal Navy had not yet made adjustments for any of these changes, and was slow to understand their effects on its crews. Finally, the new wartime quota system meant that there were a large number of landsmen from inshore, who did not mix well with the career seamen (volunteers or pressed men) and led to discontented ships' companies. Events January 13 - Edward Sexby, who had plotted against Oliver Cromwell, dies in Tower of London February 6 - Swedish troops of Charles X Gustav of Sweden cross The Great Belt (Storebælt) in Denmark over frozen sea May 1 - Publication of Hydriotaphia, Urn Burial and The Garden of Cyrus by... Combatants Kingdom of Prussia Kingdom of Great Britain and its American Colonies Electorate of Hanover Iroquois Confederacy Kingdom of Portugal Electorate of Brunswick Electorate of Hesse-Kassel Philippines Archduchy of Austria Kingdom of France Empire of Russia Kingdom of Sweden Kingdom of Spain Electorate of Saxony Kingdom of Naples and... (17th century - 18th century - 19th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 18th century refers to the century that lasted from 1701 through 1800. ... For other uses, see Copper (disambiguation). ... A hull is the body or frame of a ship or boat. ... 1761 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... The Quota System (also known as The Quod), introduced by Prime Minister William Pitt the Younger in 1795, required each English county to provide a quota of men for the Royal Navy, based on its population and the number of its seaports — London, for example, had to provide 5,704... Look up Impressment in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

The mutineers were led by elected delegates and tried to negotiate with the Admiralty for two weeks, focusing their demands on better pay, the abolishment of the 14-ounce purser's pound (where the ship's purser was allowed to keep two ounces of every pound of meat as a perquisite), and the removal of a handful of unpopular officers — neither flogging nor impressment was mentioned in the mutineers demands. The mutineers maintained regular naval routine and discipline aboard their ships (mostly with their regular officers), allowed some ships to leave for convoy escort duty or patrols, and promised to suspend the mutiny and go to sea immediately if French ships were spotted heading for English shores. Flag of the Lord High Admiral The Admiralty was formerly the authority in the United Kingdom responsible for the command of the Royal Navy. ...

Due to mistrust, especially over pardons for the mutineers, the negotiations broke down, and minor incidents broke out with several unpopular officers sent to shore and others treated with signs of deliberate disrespect. When the situation calmed, Admiral Lord Howe intervened to negotiate an agreement that saw a Royal pardon for all crews, reassignment of some of the unpopular officers, and a pay rise and abolishment of the purser's pound. Afterwards, the mutiny was to become nicknamed "breeze at Spithead". Richard Howe, 1st Earl Howe (8 March 1726 – 5 August 1799) was a British admiral. ... This article does not adequately cite its references or sources. ...

The leader of the mutiny remained anonymous even after its resolution. Rumours during the time placed Valentine Joyce as the mastermind. Valentine Joyce was a quartermaster's mate aboard Lord Bridport's HMS Royal George (Roberts 2006).

The Nore

Richard Parker about to be hanged for mutiny.

Inspired by the example of their comrades at Spithead, the mutiny at the Nore (an anchorage in the Thames Estuary) began on 12 May when the crew of the Sandwich seized control of the ship. Several other ships in the same location followed this example, though others slipped away and continued to slip away during the mutiny, despite gunfire from the ships remaining (who attempted to use force to hold the mutiny together). The mutineers had been unable to organise easily due to the ships being scattered along the Nore (and not all part of a unified fleet, as at Spithead), but they quickly elected delegates for each ship. Richard Parker, a former naval officer and French sympathizer, was elected "President of the Delegates of the Fleet". Demands were formulated and on 20 May, a list of 8 demands was presented to Admiral Buckner, which mainly involved pardons, increased pay and modification of the Articles of War, eventually expanding to a demand that the King dissolve Parliament, and make immediate peace with France. These demands infuriated the Admiralty, which offered nothing except a pardon (and the concessions already made at Spithead) in return for an immediate return to duty. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... N.O.R.E. formerly known as rapper Noreaga, is a member of the rap group C-N-N. N.O.R.E. stands for Niggaz on (the) run eatin. He is currently signed to Def Jam Records and Roc-A-Fella Records. ... The Thames Estuary is a large estuary where the River Thames flows into the North Sea. ... is the 132nd day of the year (133rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Richard Parker (1767-1797) was an English sailor executed for his role as President of the so-called “Floating Republic”, a huge naval mutiny in the Royal Navy which took place at Nore from 12 May until the 16 June 1797. ... is the 140th day of the year (141st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... The Royal Navys Articles of War were used to govern British ships at sea in the Napoleonic Wars and have been used as models for later marshal and maritime law. ...

The mutineers expanded their initial grievances into the beginnings of a social revolution and blockaded London, preventing merchant vessels from entering the port, and the principals made plans to carry their ships to France, alienating the regular English sailors and losing more and more ships as the mutiny progressed. After the successful resolution of the Spithead mutiny, the government and the Admiralty were not minded to make further concessions, particularly as the key leaders of the Nore mutiny had overt political aims beyond pay and living conditions of the crews on board ship. A blockade is any effort to prevent supplies, troops, information or aid from reaching an opposing force. ... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ...

The mutineers were denied food, and when Parker hoisted the signal for the ships to sail to France, all of the remaining ships refused to follow — eventually, most other ships had slipped their anchors and deserted (some under fire from the mutineers), and the mutiny failed. Parker was quickly convicted of treason and piracy and hanged from the yardarm of HMS Sandwich, the vessel where the mutiny had started. In the reprisals which followed, a total of 29 leaders were hanged, others sentenced to be flogged, imprisoned or transported to Australia. The vast majority of the crews on the ships involved in the mutiny suffered no punishment at all. This article does not cite any references or sources. ... This article is about maritime piracy. ... Hanging is the suspension of a person by a ligature, usually a cord wrapped around the neck, causing death. ... The fore royal yard on the Prince William. ... For other ships of the same name, see HMS Sandwich. ... Whipping on a post Flagellation is the act of whipping (Latin flagellum, whip) the human body. ... A prison is a place in which people are confined and deprived of a range of liberties. ...

Other mutinies and discontent in 1797

In September 1797, the crew of the Hermione mutinied in the West Indies, killing almost all the officers in revenge for the flinging into the sea of two men who had broken their limbs falling from the rigging in a desperate scramble to avoid flogging for being last man down on deck. Other mutinies took place on the coast of Ireland and at the Cape of Good Hope and spread to the fleet under Admiral Jervis off the coast of Spain. HMS Hermione was a 32-gun fifth-rate frigate of the Royal Navy, launched in 1782. ... The Caribbean or the West Indies is a group of islands in the Caribbean Sea. ... Whipping on a post Flagellation is the act of whipping (Latin flagellum, whip) the human body. ... The Cape of Good Hope; looking towards the west, from the coastal cliffs above Cape Point. ... John Jervis, 1st Earl of St Vincent (9 January 1735-14 March 1823) was an admiral in the British Royal Navy. ...

In the arts

• Herman Melville's novel Billy Budd (and the opera based on it by Benjamin Britten) are set immediately after the main mutinies.
• The Men They Couldn't Hang, an English folk-punk group, commemorated the executed leaders of the mutiny in the ballad "The Colours" (1988).
• Mutiny by Julian Stockwin is a fictional account of the Nore mutiny.
• The movie H.M.S. Defiant is a fictional account of a similar mutiny at sea at this time.
• The father of the protagonist of Frederick Marryat's The King's Own was hung for his part in the Nore mutiny.

Herman Melville (August 1, 1819 – September 28, 1891) was an American novelist, short story writer, essayist, and poet. ... This article is about the literary concept. ... Billy Budd is a short novel finished around 1891 by Herman Melville. ... Billy Budd is an English language opera by Benjamin Britten, first performed at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, London on December 1, 1951. ... Edward Benjamin Britten, Baron Britten, OM CH (November 22, 1913 Lowestoft, Suffolk - December 4, 1976 Aldeburgh, Suffolk) was a British composer, conductor, and pianist. ... The Men They Couldnt Hang (TMTCH) are a British rock band whose mixture of folk and punk is not dissimilar to that of The Pogues (in fact founder member Shanne Bradley was an original female punk artist and founder of Shane MacGowans first band, The Nipple Erectors). ... HMS Defiant is a British movie released in 1962 about a mutiny aboard the fictitious ship of the title at around the time of the Spithead Mutiny, starring Alec Guinness and Dirk Bogarde. ... Captain Frederick Marryat (July 10, 1792 – August 9, 1848) was an English novelist, a contemporary and acquaintance of Charles Dickens, noted today as an early pioneer of the sea story. ...

References

• A Brief History of Mutiny — Richard Woodman (2005) ISBN 0786715677
• "The Floating Republic" - Dobree and Manwaring (1935) ISBN 0-09-173154-2
• The Great Mutiny - James Dugan (1965)
• "A Sense of the World: How a Blind Man Became History's Greatest Traveler" - Roberts (2006) ISBN 0-00-716106-9

External links

• Research guide B8: The Spithead and Nore mutinies of 1797 (from the National Maritime Museum)