This article details some information about the naval press gangs which were a real and feared feature of coastal communities for many generations in our part of the world and elsewhere. I may well return to this subject in the future, subject of course to what I unearth. Previous blog posts on similar naval themes are listed at the bottom of the article.
The impress officers who roamed the coastal communities of Britain periodically in the 18th and early 19th centuries, better known as the Press Gang, spread panic and fear among young men and their relatives as they sought to bolster the depleted ranks of the Royal Navy. There are actually relatively few references to the Press Gang operating in Angus, at least in popular printed literature that I have come across, but they undoubtedly operated here. For some time, the navy force on the look out for men was based at Arbroath. A Captain James Greig of the 'Southesk' narrowly escaped capture by them. He was learning navigation in Christison's school in Crawford Close when he heard navy men nearby. He and another man removed the lower sash of the window and made their escape. They headed north and did not stop until they reached Laurencekirk in the Mearns. Even then, Greig lived rough in the woods at Kinnaird in case the Press Gang still pursued him.
Some young men employed in various trades were still targeted by the impress officers even though they had been equipped with certificates advising of their exemption from forced naval service. Some of the local men employed in the construction of the Bell Rock lighthouse were affected. The Northern Lighthouse Board issued medals of exemption to the 35 seamen who were employed on its 5 vessels. But at least one employed man was caught out. Arbroath man George Dall was detained in 1810 during a visit to friends in Dundee. He had been employed in the construction of the lighthouse, but had been laid off in the winter months of 1810 and was apprehended in Dundee in February. The Magistrates of Dundee declared that the regulating officer had no right to take him, but the latter insisted that he had, declaring that seamen only stood protected when they were onboard their own ships. The case went to the Court of Session and Dall was eventually released after languishing in prison for a period. Although the Press Gangs were less active after the second decade of the 19th century, there were sporadic instances of them operating later. There is a tradition of the Arbroath shipbuilder Alexander Stephen allowing his employees to hide in his yard's steam box while the impress men were out looking for prey, perhaps around the year 1830.
Some young men employed in various trades were still targeted by the impress officers even though they had been equipped with certificates advising of their exemption from forced naval service. Some of the local men employed in the construction of the Bell Rock lighthouse were affected. The Northern Lighthouse Board issued medals of exemption to the 35 seamen who were employed on its 5 vessels. But at least one employed man was caught out. Arbroath man George Dall was detained in 1810 during a visit to friends in Dundee. He had been employed in the construction of the lighthouse, but had been laid off in the winter months of 1810 and was apprehended in Dundee in February. The Magistrates of Dundee declared that the regulating officer had no right to take him, but the latter insisted that he had, declaring that seamen only stood protected when they were onboard their own ships. The case went to the Court of Session and Dall was eventually released after languishing in prison for a period. Although the Press Gangs were less active after the second decade of the 19th century, there were sporadic instances of them operating later. There is a tradition of the Arbroath shipbuilder Alexander Stephen allowing his employees to hide in his yard's steam box while the impress men were out looking for prey, perhaps around the year 1830.
During the wars against the French in the early 19th century the Press Gang seem to have been based mainly at Arbroath, though another favourite hunting ground for them was Montrose. On occasions a tender would sit off Montrose at the water mouth or in the actual harbour. Even officers were in danger of impressment. There is a tale of Captain James Greig of the 'Southesk' who was notified of the presence of the Press Gang when he was studying navigation at Christison's school in Crawford's Close, Montrose. In order to escape he and another man had to remove the sash window and abscond. They fled north into the Mearns and did not stop until they reached Laurencekirk. Greig was forced to spend three weeks hiding in the woods of Kinnaird until the danger was passed.
A happy ending of sorts was not guaranteed for all of those unhappy men who were forced into naval service. But one such was John Crawford, a native of Broughty Ferry, who was impressed into the Royal Navy early in the nineteenth century. Six months later he lost an arm and was dismissed with a small pension. Local sympathy ensured he entered gainful employment as stationmaster at Easthaven. It seemed that he thrived in his role and lived so long that the suspicious Admiralty sent an inspector to Angus years later to check that he was still alive. Ten years later, a further two inspectors came to check on him, then - years later again - three more inspectors came to Easthaven to check that John Crawford was still alive enough to claim his (well deserved pension)!
Some Sources
J. M. Mc Bain, Arbroath Past and Present (Arbroath, 1887).
Robert Chambers, The Domestic Annals of Scotland (Edinburgh & London, 1858).
David Mitchell, The History of Montrose (Montrose, 1866).
The Montrose Review, Friday 5th August 1927.
