Protection from the press gang

This story appeared in a series of articles by Forrest Frank in 1920 in the Scarborough Daily Post - This story came from Captain John Wilson

My father taken by the press gang

"I was born in Porrett-Lane, Sandside, Scarborough on September 13th, 1840, the second son of John Wilson, Master Mariner. My grandfather was a farmer at Cloughton, who wanted my father to follow his calling, and offered him a watch - a great thing in those days - if he would give up the idea of being a sailor; But the call of the sea was too strong. Consenting at last, my grandfather had him bound apprentice in the barque General Phillips, of Scarborough, a fine vessel of 301 tons, owned by Mr R.S. Robson. England at the time was at war with France, and to guard my father from naval impressment, my grandfather bought him a 'protection' which came in handy when General Phillips was at Archangel. My father was a big lad for his age, and was taken by a man-o'-war's press gang as his ship was lying in port. His Captain had considerable difficulty in reclaiming him as an apprentice, owing to his size, but the protection was acknowledged in the end, and he was duly released.



OTHER ARTICLES
• The press gang and the Royal Navy at Scarborough
• The national RNLI and the Scarborough lifeboat of 1861.
• Harwood Brierleys description of Scarborough harbour at the opening of the 20th century
• The early years of the Scarborough Lifeboat
• Funny stories from the age of sailing ships in Scarborough
• The port of Scarborough in the late 15th Century
• Coastal erosion in the 19th Century around the North Bay and Scarborough Castle area
• Strange customs amongst the Scarborough shipbuilders
• Stories of human interest from the sea port of Scarborough
• The 200 year history of scarboroughs RNLI
• Women working in the Scarborough fishing industry
• Thomas Crimlisk - First of the Crimlisks
• The Borough of Scarborough formed in the 12th Century
• Tunny fishing in Scarborough in the 1930's
• A sea shanty about a storm on the Scarborough coast
• The U-Boat campaign in the First World War
• Discovery of the Silver pit in 1835
• Seabathing in scarborough - an article by John Rushton
• Three Scarborough trawlers sunk by mines in 1920

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