Pirates & Privateers: Matthew Richardson's Books

Located in the Irish Sea off England’s northwest coast, the Isle of Man has a long history between its people and the sea. This book examines the period in which those engaged in fishing, smuggling, and slave trading find themselves shifting into the Royal Navy, initially as pressed men and later, making it a viable career. Unlike in other seafaring communities, most Manx can read and write, which provides researchers with a wealth of firsthand accounts of their experiences during the Georgian era. These testimonies bring to life not only what they experience but also their thoughts and opinions about their encounters, providing readers with an immediacy that doesn’t always reflect modern mores.

The book is divided into five chapters, each of which focuses on a particular period: the Seven Years’ War, the American Revolution, voyages to the Far East and Pacific, and the wars with France, first those involving that country’s revolution and then those during the reign of Napoleon. Notes, a bibliography, and an index are also provided, as is a center section of black-&-white illustrations of ships, daily life at sea, portraits, advertisements, newspaper snippets, and gravesites.

These shared stories are heartrending and inspirational. John and Thomas Bridson crew aboard Duke of Argyll, a slave ship commanded by John Newton, who later becomes a minister and staunch abolitionist. During the Seven Years’ War, William Curphy is pressed into the navy and writes to his siblings and parents about the battles he participates in off the coast of Africa, while William Lace of Peel’s wife describes what she and their child experience after he is forced to join the navy. Another account tells of Fame, a privateer captained by Thomas Moore, who dares to take on five vessels off Cap de Gat. Later, an enemy frigate drives Fame ashore and many of her crew, as well as the ship, are lost. Richardson’s telling of the story of Fletcher Christian and William Bligh unfolds from a fresh perspective because of their ties to the Isle of Man. Another mutiny story involves Robert Parry Young, captain of a convict ship bound for Australia in 1791.

In contrast, the later accounts are of Manxmen who choose to volunteer and stay in the Royal Navy, advancing through the ranks as they age. One of these is Lieutenant John Quilliam, who shares his account of the battle in which Vice Admiral Lord Nelson turns a blind eye to his commander’s orders to engage the Danish fleet. Quilliam is one of sixty-nine Manxmen who take part in the Battle of Trafalgar. He serves on HMS Victory and Richardson contrasts snippets from Quilliam’s log about the battle with Midshipman George Westphal’s thoughts on him and what transpires at the beginning of the conflict.

This is a highly informative and fascinating investigation into a group that is not often called out separately in volumes on the Royal Navy, even when some Manxmen leave indelible marks on naval history. Richardson deftly demonstrates the impact conflict has on Manx seamen and their families. Internally, these stem from the original rulers of the island, the Dukes of Atholl, and the intrusion by the British government for control of the isle. Externally, the conflict comes from the various wars and the effects on the Manx.