Landsman Hay

by Robert Hay, Vincent McInerney (Editor)

In 1803, at the age of fourteen, Robert Hay joined the Royal Navy and spent the next eight years at sea. His colorful memoir describes a sailor s hard life during the period and includes actions off the French coast and in the East Indies, where he was badly wounded. When his ship ran aground off Plymouth, he deserted but was quickly taken by a press gang, escaped, and eventually reached home in Scotland. A talented writer, Hay offers not only an entertaining yarn, but thoughtful observations of early nineteenth-century naval life and the human condition.

Genres: History

224 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1953

Reviews

[Reni · Rating 3 out of 5]

Whenever you read Age of Sail related nonfiction mentions of this book will crop up. And no wonder, considering the prevalence of illiteracy in early nineteenth century Great Britain written first hand accounts of life on the lower decks on a ship of war are pretty rare. The memoirs of "Landsman Hay" are unique in that matter. Not only did the parents of Robert Hay save every penny to allow some of their children some schooling before Hay eventually ran away to go to sea, Hay also had the good fortune to come accross some officers who supported their boy servant's interest in reading and writing. One notable example being Edward Hawke Locker whom Hay was attached to during his tenure as Admiral Pellew's secretary in the East Indies. This allows Hay's prose not only to be adequate but actually readable, thoughtfully constructed, and peppered with literary references and stylistic means typical of the early 19th century.

In his memoirs Hay recollects the eight years from leaving home spending time in British naval and merchant vessels around the globe before returning to Sctoland again. While he does not put as much detail into his descriptions of the daily life of a seaman as most hobby naval scholars might have liked, his accounts of encounters with press gangs in the later years once he had enough of his sea-faring life in duty to king and country are most vivid. As Hay never served anyway near the major actions of the French wars battle descriptions are rare as well, apart from Pellew's action against the Dutch based at Batavia.

Still, its unique qualities ensure that no Age of Sail enthusiast should miss the Memoirs of Robert Hay. It's a first-hand account from first a volunteer and later a pressed man, and also a pleasantly quick read. And while all the information about life on the lower deck in the Age of Sail has again and again been used in more modern works of nonfiction about the period there is simply a special charm about being able to browse centuries old primary sources by yourself.

[Irwin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was basically a published manuscript by a sailor in the Royal Navy. Not that many people were literate during the Napoleonic Wars so this is a gem in that sense
Hay served on different types of ships, each of which had different types of missions, providing a wide range of anecdotal experiences.
If you are interested in the Royal Navy or the lower-deck this is worth the read!