History Of The Development Of Naval Education

Thinking Wisely, Planning Boldly

By the middle of the eighteenth century, there appeared, in theory, to be an infallible organisation for instructing the young gentlemen at sea. But, in practice, the poor pay and the poorer conditions of service did not attract the right breed of men. Many ships were without a schoolmaster, no candidate being forthcoming. The Admiralty realized that more ambitious arrangements were required. In 1704, a Mr. Lewis Maidwell had offered to endow a school for potential officers before they are shipped off to sea. Two centuries later Maidwell's schemes were to bear fruit, but a curriculum which included six modern languages was rather too steep for the seamen of his time. In 1729, however, the Admiralty introduced a modified version of his ambitious project. The system of training young gentlemen at sea was to be abandoned and a Naval Academy to be erected at Portsmouth. Forty sons of noblemen and gentlemen between the ages of 13 and 16 are to be taught writing, arithmetic, drawing, navigation, gunnery, fortification, and other useful parts of the mathematics". French, dancing, fencing and "the exercise of the firelock", were also taught, for an inclusive fee of £25 a year. The masters are all civilians and an entrance examination as conducted by the Head Mathematical Master. The scholars were to "to lodge in separate chambers" and were "to be punished for their faults, during the first year of their being in the Academy, by the rod, by imposition of tasks, or by confinement, at the discretion of the Headmaster; and heinous offences by expulsion by order of the Lord High Admiral, or Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty, for the time being". The candidates passed out when they had completed "their plans of mathematical learning and made a manuscript copy thereof". The later was regarded as most important, some beautiful sets of notes being compiled by the scholars, although it is doubtful whether they were always conversant with the contents.

The Academy was not a success and most Naval Officers who achieved greatness, still entered the service in the casual old way. Rodney, being possessed of influence entered as the last King's Letter Boy in 1732. Had the Academy not taken four years in opening, he might have been one of the first pupils. As it was, he started his seamanship at thirteen, off the Great Banks of Newfoundland, and not in the classroom at Portsmouth. Jervis was rated as an Able Seaman at the same age. The Academy was rarely more than half full and, in 1773, The Admiralty instituted the first scholarships inviting 15 sons of Naval Officers to be educated at the public expense. "The Portsmouth Academy was not well conducted", however, according to Admiral Byam Martin, who passed through it. "Although the masters were excellent each in his particular branch, yet a want of method tended to waste their labour". He was high in his praise of the masters but still considered "there was a screw loose somewhere ". On the whole, he was inclined to think "a well regulated man of war, and a really good schoolmaster, and here the Captain really takes an interest about his boys", was a preferred course of education. His opinion was generally held and the schoolmasters still carried on at sea. But enthusiastic Captains always had difficulty in unearthing suitable candidates. Rodney, then a young rising Captain, found in 1745 that he was saddled with a number of young gentlemen; and requested their Lordships "to warrant a schoolmaster to instruct them in the art of navigation". The Admiralty, however, could only tell him to find one himself and recommend him.

The schoolmaster's was not an enviable one. He ranked with the ship's cook and was probably regarded as far less important. He had no cabin, no prospect of advancement and no pension. There were some brilliant men among them, however. Anson is supposed to have learnt his mathematics from a Mr. William Jones, who is reputed to have been present at the plunder following the capture of Vigo in 1702; where his bibliophile bent led him to ransack a bookshop. His only trophy, however, was a pair of scissors. He is the first known schoolmaster, but it is very doubtful if he ever taught Anson, for he seems to have left the Navy before the latter was in his 'teens. One, Pascoe Thomas, "teacher of mathematics on board the 'Centurion'" accompanied Anson on his famous voyage, however, and had a hand in producing the narrative of the expedition. Again Commander Gardner mentions a schoolmaster in his amusing reminiscences. This man was a brilliant mathematician, but more partial to his drink than to his duty. Another, the celebrated Mr. Mears served under Prince William Henry, latter King William IV, when he commanded the "Pegasus" in 1786.

Image source: Joseph Moretz