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Children at Sea: Lives Shaped by the Waves
Children at sea faced even more drastic separations from loved ones than those sent 'home' from India or those packed off to English boarding schools at the age of seven, the subjects of Vyvyen Brendon’s previous books. Captured slaves, child migrants and transported convicts faced an ocean passage leading nearly always to lifelong exile in distant lands. Boys apprenticed as merchant seamen, or enlisted as powder monkeys, or signed on as midshipmen, usually progressed to a nautical career fraught with danger and broken only by fleeting periods of home leave. “Solitary among numbers”, as Admiral Collingwood described himself, they could be not just physically at risk but psychologically adrift – at sea in more ways than one.
Rather than abandoning sea borne children as they approached adulthood, therefore, Vyvyen follows whole lives shaped by the waves. She focusses on eight central a slave captured in Africa, a convict girl transported to Australia, a Barnardo’s lass sent as a migrant to Canada, a foundling brought up in Coram’s Hospital who ran away to sea, and four youths from contrasting backgrounds dispatched to serve as midshipmen. Their social origins as well as their maritime ventures are revealed through a rich variety of original source material discovered in scattered archives.
These brine-encrusted lives are resurrected both for their intrinsic interest and because they speak for thousands of children, cast off alone to face storms and calms, excitement and monotony, fellowship and loneliness, kindness and abuse, seasickness and ozone breezes, loss and hope. This book recounts stories never before told, stories that might otherwise have sunk without trace like so much juvenile flotsam. They are sometimes inspiring, sometimes heart-rending and always compelling. Children at Sea embarks on a fresh voyage and explores a world of new experience.
Rather than abandoning sea borne children as they approached adulthood, therefore, Vyvyen follows whole lives shaped by the waves. She focusses on eight central a slave captured in Africa, a convict girl transported to Australia, a Barnardo’s lass sent as a migrant to Canada, a foundling brought up in Coram’s Hospital who ran away to sea, and four youths from contrasting backgrounds dispatched to serve as midshipmen. Their social origins as well as their maritime ventures are revealed through a rich variety of original source material discovered in scattered archives.
These brine-encrusted lives are resurrected both for their intrinsic interest and because they speak for thousands of children, cast off alone to face storms and calms, excitement and monotony, fellowship and loneliness, kindness and abuse, seasickness and ozone breezes, loss and hope. This book recounts stories never before told, stories that might otherwise have sunk without trace like so much juvenile flotsam. They are sometimes inspiring, sometimes heart-rending and always compelling. Children at Sea embarks on a fresh voyage and explores a world of new experience.
256 pages, Paperback
Published October 5, 2020
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
June 25, 2020
"...an ocean...both feared and loved; endlessly interesting in its unchanging changeability; always, inevitably there"
"Apart from the photograph and family legends passed down through the generations...I found myself a historian at sea...I was inspired to investigate tales[especially] those who embarked as children on voyages which would shape the rest of their lives".
-Vyvyen Brendon
In Georgian and Victorian times, the sea was "a key element of Britain's national existence, vital to defense, commerce, culture and empire." Mary Branham, 14 years old, was "summarily convicted [of stealing clothes] and sentenced to seven years' transportation". The year was 1784. "Until the Declaration of Independence..., it was Britain's American colonies...that had received such convicts banished...[now] Australia's unexplored hinterland and treacherous coastline would make New South Wales 'a great outdoor prison'." A long sea journey...changing climate conditions...the choppy English Channel...violent squalls...'sexual piracy'...".
Joseph Emidy, born in a small village near the Guinea Coast, heard the musical rhythms and sounds of Africa. At 8 years old, he was captured by panyaring, kidnappers of villagers to supply European slave ships...a forty day voyage to Brazil. Sailors on board played drum, fiddle or bagpipes...purchased as a house slave...taught to play the violin. "Musical aptitude was especially prized and some plantation owners even boasted slave orchestras...pressed into service by the Royal Navy as a fiddler during the Napoleonic Wars...". "The greatest threat to his well being would come from the sea".
William Barlow age 8, along with two of his siblings, boarded a ship for a six month journey from Calcutta to London. Children of East India Company employees were generally sent on their own to be educated in England. Potential dangers on this journey in 1800 included the peril of French warships and privateers in the Indian Ocean. Risks aboard the sailing vessel itself included the advances of 'lascivious seamen' ...the 'corruption by hard-drinking fellow passengers' and from infection which often plagued the ship. Barlow received nautical training at the Royal Naval Academy which also trained Jane Austen's two brothers.
Sydney Dickens was the fifth son of Charles Dickens. Sydney was born while Dickens was writing monthly installments of "Dombey and Son", a book filled with images of the "dark and unknown sea that rolls around the world...". Sydney's pet name was Ocean Spectre. "Ocean Spectre, having spent much of his life by the shore...[had] plenty of opportunity to observe 'great ships standing out to sea or coming home richly laden'...". Midshipman Sydney faced the usual seafaring perils: "war, weather, and all manner of threats to his physical and moral well being". [He] would carry the burden of growing up with a surname 'widely and uniquely loved'."
"Sea Fever...a yearning for the lonely sea and the sky...he had left the sea but it had not left him". Children at sea experienced "absolute loneliness" which arguably made it difficult for them to form future relationships...I dare not love people...in case I lose them".
"Children at Sea: Lives Shaped By the Waves" by Vyvyen Brendon is a highly detailed and thoroughly researched tome documenting and following the lives of eight children shaped by their sea journeys. A history lovers delight!
Thank you Pen & Sword History and Net Galley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
"Apart from the photograph and family legends passed down through the generations...I found myself a historian at sea...I was inspired to investigate tales[especially] those who embarked as children on voyages which would shape the rest of their lives".
-Vyvyen Brendon
In Georgian and Victorian times, the sea was "a key element of Britain's national existence, vital to defense, commerce, culture and empire." Mary Branham, 14 years old, was "summarily convicted [of stealing clothes] and sentenced to seven years' transportation". The year was 1784. "Until the Declaration of Independence..., it was Britain's American colonies...that had received such convicts banished...[now] Australia's unexplored hinterland and treacherous coastline would make New South Wales 'a great outdoor prison'." A long sea journey...changing climate conditions...the choppy English Channel...violent squalls...'sexual piracy'...".
Joseph Emidy, born in a small village near the Guinea Coast, heard the musical rhythms and sounds of Africa. At 8 years old, he was captured by panyaring, kidnappers of villagers to supply European slave ships...a forty day voyage to Brazil. Sailors on board played drum, fiddle or bagpipes...purchased as a house slave...taught to play the violin. "Musical aptitude was especially prized and some plantation owners even boasted slave orchestras...pressed into service by the Royal Navy as a fiddler during the Napoleonic Wars...". "The greatest threat to his well being would come from the sea".
William Barlow age 8, along with two of his siblings, boarded a ship for a six month journey from Calcutta to London. Children of East India Company employees were generally sent on their own to be educated in England. Potential dangers on this journey in 1800 included the peril of French warships and privateers in the Indian Ocean. Risks aboard the sailing vessel itself included the advances of 'lascivious seamen' ...the 'corruption by hard-drinking fellow passengers' and from infection which often plagued the ship. Barlow received nautical training at the Royal Naval Academy which also trained Jane Austen's two brothers.
Sydney Dickens was the fifth son of Charles Dickens. Sydney was born while Dickens was writing monthly installments of "Dombey and Son", a book filled with images of the "dark and unknown sea that rolls around the world...". Sydney's pet name was Ocean Spectre. "Ocean Spectre, having spent much of his life by the shore...[had] plenty of opportunity to observe 'great ships standing out to sea or coming home richly laden'...". Midshipman Sydney faced the usual seafaring perils: "war, weather, and all manner of threats to his physical and moral well being". [He] would carry the burden of growing up with a surname 'widely and uniquely loved'."
"Sea Fever...a yearning for the lonely sea and the sky...he had left the sea but it had not left him". Children at sea experienced "absolute loneliness" which arguably made it difficult for them to form future relationships...I dare not love people...in case I lose them".
"Children at Sea: Lives Shaped By the Waves" by Vyvyen Brendon is a highly detailed and thoroughly researched tome documenting and following the lives of eight children shaped by their sea journeys. A history lovers delight!
Thank you Pen & Sword History and Net Galley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
June 18, 2020
Well written, well cited, fascinating and heart-breaking book. I confess I had a favorite subject -- given my affection for teenage boys and sailors, I admit to a real soft spot for Chapter 3's George King. But all the stories were wonderful. This book is highly recommended!
Thanks to NetGalley for providing an ARC copy for my review.
Thanks to NetGalley for providing an ARC copy for my review.
February 24, 2021
This book tells the stories of boys and girls who did something surprisingly commonplace in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. They boarded ships and crossed oceans without a parent or guardian present. Some were sent by British parents, working for the East India Company, back to England for a proper schooling. Other children, whose parents were either dead or unable to raise them, were sent to Canada’s boarding schools or the youngest to foster families. During the wars against France and America, many boys also shipped out as midshipmen at an early age.
Our first young traveler was fourteen-year-old Mary Branham. She had the distinction of being found guilty of theft and sent to Botany Bay with the first fleet transporting convicts in 1787.
As mentioned in the Introduction, most of the subjects in this book did not leave a record of their experiences. Some of the particulars of these children’s voyages are provided through other passengers who wrote about their own journeys or corresponded regularly.
Many people in that first fleet described their experiences along the way. The overcrowding, the sickening stench, coarse foods, and the perception that returning to England would be almost impossible all served to increase their sorrows.
Next is the story of Joseph Emidy, a young lad captured in Africa and sent to Brazil. He was bought by a man looking to add house slaves. These individuals may have had better lives than field slaves, but living in the owner’s home meant they also lacked the camaraderie of other slaves and their community.
Incredibly, Joseph was musically talented and became a skilled violinist. At a time when many people could not read and teaching slaves to read was generally outlawed, Joseph learned to read books and music. He was able to work as a musician and music teacher outside of his master’s home and retained some of the money he earned to eventually buy his freedom.
He crossed the Atlantic a second time when he accompanied his master back to Portugal. Of course, this voyage held none of the fears he had felt as a captive on a slaver. In Lisbon, he became a sought-after musician and performed around the city and during church services.
For each child voyager the author claims their journeys left an impact that affected them in later life. So, each child’s life after the voyage and until they died is presented. If they had other siblings, the lives each led is compared to the subject child.
In most cases, I saw other factors that had more meaningful impacts on these young lives than the hardships of the voyages. Mary Branham knew the chances of returning to England were so slim that she suffered from intense homesickness more than anything else. Joseph’s life was happy and included his freedom and an interesting career, a far cry from the young African’s fears aboard the slaver.
Several boys went to sea as new midshipmen in the navy. One was small and frail, which had the most impact on his life, another was sullen and lacked drive or ambition. Overall, these sailors’ lives were not really impacted much by the voyages they undertook. They had volunteered for naval service, were taught sailing skills, as well as sword fighting and cannon-firing, and enjoyed the alcohol-fueled antics of the midshipmen’s berth. Most of these boys died from accidents, illness, or war. Only two served long enough to be commissioned as lieutenants; other survivors’ service ended when wars ended.
One of the more interesting chapters describes the naval life of Charles Dickens’ son, Sydney. This is told through the correspondences of the writer and sometimes compares Sydney’s life to the children Dickens wrote about in his novels.
The children sent from India to boarding schools and the children of destitute mothers sent to live in Canada experienced a sense of loss and separation. The severed connection to family was the worst memory of their journeys. I had no idea that (mostly single) mothers could simply give up their children or that the children who fostered with Canadian families were really indentured servants required to “work” when they got older. This practice continued well in to the twentieth century.
Children at Sea has many endnotes and includes a detailed bibliography and index. Black and white illustrations and photographs feature the people and places mentioned in the text.
Anyone with an interest in family life during the Georgian and Victorian eras will be happy they chose this book. Others may enjoy learning about the ways a child’s life in the past differs from what is normal now. All the different voyages make this a remarkably interesting sea story that will entertain and enlighten all readers.
Reviewed on Pirates & Privateers website/newsletter.
Our first young traveler was fourteen-year-old Mary Branham. She had the distinction of being found guilty of theft and sent to Botany Bay with the first fleet transporting convicts in 1787.
As mentioned in the Introduction, most of the subjects in this book did not leave a record of their experiences. Some of the particulars of these children’s voyages are provided through other passengers who wrote about their own journeys or corresponded regularly.
Many people in that first fleet described their experiences along the way. The overcrowding, the sickening stench, coarse foods, and the perception that returning to England would be almost impossible all served to increase their sorrows.
Next is the story of Joseph Emidy, a young lad captured in Africa and sent to Brazil. He was bought by a man looking to add house slaves. These individuals may have had better lives than field slaves, but living in the owner’s home meant they also lacked the camaraderie of other slaves and their community.
Incredibly, Joseph was musically talented and became a skilled violinist. At a time when many people could not read and teaching slaves to read was generally outlawed, Joseph learned to read books and music. He was able to work as a musician and music teacher outside of his master’s home and retained some of the money he earned to eventually buy his freedom.
He crossed the Atlantic a second time when he accompanied his master back to Portugal. Of course, this voyage held none of the fears he had felt as a captive on a slaver. In Lisbon, he became a sought-after musician and performed around the city and during church services.
For each child voyager the author claims their journeys left an impact that affected them in later life. So, each child’s life after the voyage and until they died is presented. If they had other siblings, the lives each led is compared to the subject child.
In most cases, I saw other factors that had more meaningful impacts on these young lives than the hardships of the voyages. Mary Branham knew the chances of returning to England were so slim that she suffered from intense homesickness more than anything else. Joseph’s life was happy and included his freedom and an interesting career, a far cry from the young African’s fears aboard the slaver.
Several boys went to sea as new midshipmen in the navy. One was small and frail, which had the most impact on his life, another was sullen and lacked drive or ambition. Overall, these sailors’ lives were not really impacted much by the voyages they undertook. They had volunteered for naval service, were taught sailing skills, as well as sword fighting and cannon-firing, and enjoyed the alcohol-fueled antics of the midshipmen’s berth. Most of these boys died from accidents, illness, or war. Only two served long enough to be commissioned as lieutenants; other survivors’ service ended when wars ended.
One of the more interesting chapters describes the naval life of Charles Dickens’ son, Sydney. This is told through the correspondences of the writer and sometimes compares Sydney’s life to the children Dickens wrote about in his novels.
The children sent from India to boarding schools and the children of destitute mothers sent to live in Canada experienced a sense of loss and separation. The severed connection to family was the worst memory of their journeys. I had no idea that (mostly single) mothers could simply give up their children or that the children who fostered with Canadian families were really indentured servants required to “work” when they got older. This practice continued well in to the twentieth century.
Children at Sea has many endnotes and includes a detailed bibliography and index. Black and white illustrations and photographs feature the people and places mentioned in the text.
Anyone with an interest in family life during the Georgian and Victorian eras will be happy they chose this book. Others may enjoy learning about the ways a child’s life in the past differs from what is normal now. All the different voyages make this a remarkably interesting sea story that will entertain and enlighten all readers.
Reviewed on Pirates & Privateers website/newsletter.
August 29, 2020
As a child I used to envy the young boys I read about who were sent to sea. I had thought it was an option they pursued as it led to a fine career. Older and wiser, I have long thought how heartless a family could be to shove their sons out the door like that. Then came articles on children sent to boarding schools at young ages, even sent alone on ships to attend from India! Of course there were the Home Children stolen from their [parents and shipped off to Canada and Australia, and the young African children during slave days, and now refugees. It's a sad planet. Ms. Brendon has written a fine book of accounts of several children and their experiences. It should be used in history classes. So much suffering....
I received a Kindle arc from Netgalley in exchange for a fair review.
I received a Kindle arc from Netgalley in exchange for a fair review.
August 5, 2020
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Inspiring stories of children either deported, separated from their parents, or otherwise sent to the far corners of the earth. Resilient and strong, many of these stories end on a positive note. Detailed historical examination, readable and recommended.
Inspiring stories of children either deported, separated from their parents, or otherwise sent to the far corners of the earth. Resilient and strong, many of these stories end on a positive note. Detailed historical examination, readable and recommended.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews