Hi friends! I am so thrilled to welcome back author Jack Caldwell to Austenesque Reviews! I have read and loved so many books by Jack Caldwell, and ever since I learned of his newest release, Persuaded to Sail, I have been full of anticipation! There are so few sequels for Persuasion, and I love hearing that Jack’s sequel includes adventures aboard a navy ship! Jack is here today to share an informative post about women living aboard a navy ship at this time! We hope you enjoy! ⚓️📖

Greetings, everybody. Jack Caldwell here. Meredith was kind enough to invite me to talk a bit about my tenth published novel, PERSUADED TO SAIL: a sequel to Persuasion and Book Three of Jane Austen’s Fighting Men.

The plot of this book picks up at the end of Persuasion. Captain Frederick Wentworth marries Anne Elliot and they are off on a honeymoon cruise aboard the Laconia to Wentworth’s next posting. However, due to Napoleon’s escape from Elba, the Admiralty places aboard a mysterious passenger on a secret mission, one that could endanger everyone on the ship. PERSUADED TO SAIL is also a companion novel to the other books in the series: THE THREE COLONELS and THE LAST ADVENTURE OF THE SCARLET PIMPERNEL.

Today, I’m going to talk to you about the whole idea of women aboard navy ships in the early nineteenth century. I am not an expert on this subject. In fact, there is very little written about it, but I will share what I know.

It was not unusual for the captain or a warrant officer (purser, master, chaplain, surgeon) to bring their wives along on a long voyage. After all, the separation could last years. The captain’s wife would share his large cabin, but the other ladies would have far more cramped accommodations. The cabins in the wardroom were only a bit larger than a modern closet. In all cases, wives shared their husbands’ beds or hammocks. While the captain’s wife might have a female servant, other wives would not. Their husbands could not afford it.

If a man brought his wife aboard, he had to pay for her. Food was the issue. The captain and the warrant officers purchased food to supplement the ship’s rations, which was a good thing. Fresh food ran out very early in a voyage and the ship’s rations often was nearly rotten boiled meat and weevil-infested hardtack. The only drink for the crew was water or grog—rum mixed with water and a little lemon juice. The warrant officers’ mess-subscription bought cheese, meat, soft bread, as well as wine and other spirits. The better-paid captain could buy more and better provisions.

Baths were usually with seawater, as fresh water was dear. There was little room for possessions, so one might wear a dress for days at a time. It could be weeks between clothes washing. At least they had quarter-galleries for a toilet. That was far superior in protection from the elements and privacy than the seats of comfort at the heads on the bow.

It was no small thing to bring one’s wife aboard. Woman on ships could be considered prostitutes. (In fact, while in port, whores openly plied their trade below decks. The Royal Navy unofficially condoned this practice to keep the crew from deserting, for the hands could not leave the ship while docked.) One can imagine the temptation wives presented by their very presence. Sailors had not been with women—be it wife, girlfriend, or doxy—in months. Only iron discipline kept these women safe, discipline that included flogging. No wonder the superstition arose that a woman on board a would bring bad luck. It was bad luck indeed if one was caught accosting the captain’s wife!

A common sailor’s wife had nothing, should she come along. As she was not entered into the log books as part of the crew she did not receive provisions, nor was she accorded her own hammock. These women were reliant on their husband sharing his rations and hammock, and had no privacy. The hammocks were hung only twenty-eight inches apart from their neighbors! The women were not assigned any specific tasks, though some did laundry for money. Additionally, a number of wives participated in many of the Royal Navy’s battles by helping at the guns or assisting the surgeon.

A warship was no place for children. If the couple wanted a family, the wife and children lived in the port to which their husband was assigned—Gibraltar, Bermuda, Funchal, etc. They would follow, traveling from port to port on the “packet” (supply ship).

There were cases of woman serving alongside the common sailors. More often than not, they passed as men and attempted to keep their sex secret. It was not impossible. The Royal Navy never inspected the recruits. Most sailors never bathed or even changed their clothes. As long as a hand performed whatever duty assigned and did not cause trouble, no one cared and all was well.

If the women were found out, they were not necessarily thrown off ship at the first opportunity. If they performed as good as the men, they might stay on. The Royal Navy was always short of hands. However, they received no recognition for their service, even in battle. It was as if they never existed.

I hope you find this brief recounting of women at sea during the Age of Sail informative. To learn more about it, you might want to consider one of the few books on the subject, Female Tars: Women Aboard Ship in the Age of Sail, by Suzanne J. Stark . She received an endorsement from one of the masters of the sea-going genre, Patrick O’Brian:

“For a very long time now I have delighted in histories, letters, records, and memoirs to do with the Royal Navy in the eighteenth and early nineteenth century; but Suzanne Stark’s book has told me many, many things I did not know, and I shall keep it on an honored shelf.”

I also recommend to you the works of Patrick O’Brian and his Aubrey / Maturin series, as well as Horatio Hornblower’s creator, C. S. Forester. His Beat to Quarters speaks about this subject very well.

Wow, Jack! This is a fascinating topic for me, because one of my favorite Jane Austen’s characters is Sophia Croft. I loved the life she lived traveling with her husband and living aboard the ship. It is interesting to learn the realities of what that life might’ve looked like though….it isn’t all adventure and fun! I’m greatly moved to learn about the sacrifices and discomforts both husbands and wives would have to make to live on board together. ⚓️🌊

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PERSUADED TO SAIL is my newest book. I hope you’ll give it a try. It is the third novel of my Jane Austen’s Fighting Men series:

• THE THREE COLONELS – a sequel to Pride and Prejudice and Sense and Sensibility
• THE LAST ADVENTURE OF THE SCARLET PIMPERNEL – a sequel to Northanger Abbey
• PERSUADED TO SAIL – a sequel to Persuasion

Just remember, it takes a real man to write historical romance, so let me tell you a story…

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~ Book Description ~

The long-awaited sequel to Jane Austen’s final novel, Persuasion—

After an eight-year separation and a tumultuous reunion, Anne Elliot marries the dashing Captain Frederick Wentworth. The pair looks forward to an uneventful honeymoon cruise aboard the HMS Laconia.

But the bride and groom find the seas of matrimony rough. Napoleon has escaped from Elba, the country is at war with France again, and the Admiralty imposes on Wentworth a mysterious passenger on a dangerous secret mission. The good captain is caught between duty to his country and love for his wife.

All eyes are trained for enemies without, but the greatest menace may already be on board…

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~ Connect with Jack ~

Website   ❧   Twitter   ❧   Facebook   ❧ Austen Variations   ❧   Goodreads

~ About Jack ~

Jack Caldwell, born and raised in the Bayou County of Louisiana, is an author, amateur historian, professional economic development consultant, playwright, and like many Cajuns, a darn good cook.

Jack is the author of ten novels, including PEMBERLEY RANCH, MR. DARCY CAME TO DINNER, and THE COMPANION OF HIS FUTURE LIFE.

His Jane Austen’s Fighting Men Series, set during the Hundred Days Crisis and Waterloo, include THE THREE COLONELS, THE LAST ADVENTURE OF THE SCARLET PIMPERNEL, and PERSUADED TO SAIL.

His Crescent City Series include THE PLAINS OF CHALMETTE, BOURBON STREET NIGHTS, ELYSIAN DREAMS, and RUIN AND RENEWAL.

When not writing or traveling with Barbara, Jack attempts to play golf. A devout convert to Roman Catholicism, Jack is married with three grown sons.

Jack’s blog postings – The Cajun Cheesehead Chronicles – appear regularly at Austen Variations.

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GIVEAWAY TIME!!!

Today Jack is generously giving away one paperback copy (US addresses only) and one ebook copy (open internationally) of Persuaded to Sail to two lucky readers of this blog!! 

To enter this giveaway, leave a comment, a question, or some love for Jack!!

• This giveaway is open worldwide (ebook prize only).  Thank you, Jack!
• This giveaway ends June 1st!
• Please enter this contest with just one name and one entry, multiple entries will be disqualified.