Nelson, Navy & Nation: The Royal Navy and the British People, 1688–1815

434 Pages·2013·26.98 MB·English

by  Quintin Colville

B
ritain's rich naval heritage has long been understood through the life of one
man - Lord Admiral Nelson. This book captures the immense interest that
he continues to generate as a leader and a symbol of national identity. However,
it also places him in a wider context that makes sense of his dazzling celebrity.
In doing so, it shows that the story of the Royal Navy is also the story of the
fears and ambitions of the British people.
This publication explores more than a century of bitter conflict, from the
'Glorious Revolution' to the defeat of Napoleon. Against this backdrop the navy
rose to unprecedented prominence. For those serving at sea, it was a world apart;
from the food and drink they consumed to the terrifying realities of battle in the
age of sail. But naval affairs also had immediate relevance for people ashore -
male and female, old and young, rich and poor. At times of crisis they turned to
the navy as their last line of defence against powerful and determined enemies.
In moments of success they marked its victories with celebrations that stretched
from country fairs to the city crowds that greeted Nelson.
This book combines a distinguished cast of contributors with the world-
renowned collections of the National Maritime Museum, part of Royal Museums
Greenwich. Beautifully illustrated throughout, it will captivate anyone
interrested in British history and the navy that has done so much to define it.
Published to accompany a long-term gallery in the National Maritime
Museum, entitled 'Nelson, Navy, Nation', the book highlights many key objects
from the gallery and includes previously unseen material, expertly photographed
especially for this publication.
Edited by Dr Quintin Colville and Dr James Davey, Curators of Naval History at
the National Maritime Museum, with further contributions from the following
authorities on the Georgian navy:
Marianne Czisnik
Roger Knight
Andrew Lambert
Margarette Lincoln
Roland Pietsch
N.A.M. Rodger
Dan Snow
Ted Vallance
Kathleen Wilson
front cover: The Destruction of L'Orient at the Battle of the Nile, 1 August 1798,
by George Arnald, oil on canvas, 1825-27 (BHC0509, Greenwich Hospital
Collection).
NELSON
NAVY & NATION
The Battle of Trafalgar, 21 October 1805, by J.M.W. Turner, oil on canvas, 1822-24 (BHC0565)
NELSON
NAVY & NATION
THE ROYAL NAVY & THE BRITISH PEOPLE 1688-1815
EDITED BY
QUINTIN COLVILLE & JAMES DAVEY
INTRODUCTION BY N.A.M. RODGER
A Sailor fishing off a Gun [on the] Pallas, by Gabriel Bray, watercolour, 1775 (PAJ2016)
CONTENTS
DIRECTOR’S FOREWORD
EDITORS’ PREFACE
INTRODUCTION by N.A.M. Rodger
1. INVASION AND THREAT by Ted Vallance
2. PATRIOTISM, TRADE AND EMPIRE by Kathleen Wilson
3. DOCKYARDS AND INDUSTRY by Brian Lavery
4. LIFE AFLOAT by Quintin Colville
5. EXPANSION AND VICTORY by Dan Snow
6. NAVAL PERSONNEL IN POPULAR CULTURE by Margarette Lincoln
7. MUTINY AND INSECURITY by James Davey
8. NELSON AND NAVAL WARFARE by Andrew Lambert
9. THE EXPERIENCES AND WEAPONS OF WAR by Roland Pietsch
10. NELSON, NAVY AND NATIONAL IDENTITY by Marianne Czisnik
11. BEYOND TRAFALGAR by Roger Knight
AUTHOR BIOGRAPHIES
NOTES
FURTHER READING
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
PICTURE CREDITS
DIRECTOR’S FOREWORD
T
o me, as director of Royal Museums Greenwich, the connections between
Nelson, navy and nation seem obvious. Greenwich has been linked with the
Royal Navy for half a millennium: Henry VIII founded two Royal Dockyards at
Woolwich and Deptford, close to his birthplace and favoured retreat here.
During the period covered by this book, the establishment of the Royal Hospital
for Seamen at Greenwich, and the completion of its magnificent buildings,
strengthened the local connection with the ‘senior service’. In the 1820s, the
Hospital’s Painted Hall – itself a soaring monument to navy and nation, in which
Nelson’s body lay in state before his funeral – became the National Gallery of
Naval Art, launching the modern role of Greenwich in presenting Britain’s
maritime heritage to the public. This display was soon enhanced by other relics
and objects, many associated with Admiral Lord Nelson.
A century after the founding of this ‘Naval Gallery’, a successful campaign
began to create a National Maritime Museum that would tell the story of
Britain’s eventful engagement with the sea from the viewpoint of both the Royal
Navy and the merchant fleet. When the new Museum opened in 1937, it took
over the privilege of caring for and interpreting the rich pre-existing Greenwich-
based collections, as well as new ones added by major benefactors like Sir James
Caird. Throughout all these developments, there was an unshakeable belief in,
and understanding of, the importance of the Royal Navy to Britain’s history,
ongoing prosperity and very survival. The connections between Nelson, navy
and nation were, therefore, still clear and present.
But times and perceptions change. Audiences visiting Greenwich today are
more diverse than before and less imbued with (or impressed by) the certainties
that once informed displays celebrating the age of Britain’s seaborne empire.
Now, Nelson is as likely to be followed by Mandela as preceded by Horatio. The
Museum’s new long-term gallery – ‘Nelson, Navy, Nation’ – reflects these shifts
and presents anew the fascinating story of the Royal Navy and the British people
in the ‘long eighteenth century’. This book, which develops the gallery’s themes,
is illustrated from the Museum’s world-class collections and underpinned by
scholarship based on the unrivalled archival holdings of its Caird Library.
I thank the editors – our curators of naval history, Quintin Colville and James
Davey – for their efforts in putting the volume together. They have assembled a
range of distinguished contributors who represent the breadth of new scholarship
on the subject. It is my belief that both the book and the associated gallery
demonstrate the continued relevance of that enduring nexus of Nelson, navy and
nation for twenty-first-century audiences.
DR KEVIN FEWSTER, AM FRSA