The Marine Society
Encyclopedia
The Marine Society was the world's first seafarers’ charity
. In 1756, at the beginning of the Seven Years' War
against France
, Austria
, Russia
, Sweden
and Saxony
(and subsequently Spain
and Portugal
) Britain urgently needed to recruit men for the navy. Jonas Hanway
(1712-1786), who had already made his mark as a traveller, Russia Company merchant, writer and philanthropist
, must take the chief credit for founding the society which both contributed to the solution of that particular problem, and has continued for the next two and a half centuries to assist many thousands of young people in preparing for a career at sea.
Recruitment began immediately. Sponsors were sought and advertisements for volunteers appeared in newspapers and on the street:
Ten men were duly clothed and delivered to ships of the King’s navy. In this small way began the work of The Marine Society. The main object of the charity when founded was sending unemployed or orphaned teenagers to sea as officers' servants. The Royal Navy was estimated to need about 4,500 boys as servants during wartime. Approximately a thousand were 'young gentlemen' intending to be officers, and many of the remainder were supplied by the Society. As the boys were for the most part from non-seafaring families the Society probably provided a real increase of several thousand to the pool of naval recruitment. The Society also provided over ten thousand naval recruits with free clothing, which helped reduce the typhus problem.
. Admiral Nelson became a stalwart supporter and trustee of the charity, such that by the time of the Battle of Trafalgar
(1805) at least 15% of British manpower was being supplied, trained and equipped by The Marine Society. The relative professionalism of these men, the great British naval hero readily acknowledged, played a part in his victories.
Hanway now formulated plans for transferring boys to the merchant service
on their discharge from naval ships and from then on, the Society was equally involved with both Royal
and Merchant navies.
Early reports from commanding officers had indicated that the number of desertions might be reduced if boys equipped by the Society were given a period of training before being sent to sea.
Initially the Society hired a schoolmaster
and bandmaster
to teach some of the boys and in 1786 purchased a merchant ship the Beatty, which was converted to a training ship and renamed Marine Society. The Society thus became the first organisation in the world to pioneer nautical training for boys in its special school ship which was moored in the Thames between Deptford
and Greenwich
.
This example was followed in the nineteenth century by many other organisations in ports round the British Isles
. From 1799 until 1918 The Admiralty provided a succession of training ships, the last two of which were renamed Warspite. In 1922 the Society commissioned HMS Hermione
as the third Warspite. However the outbreak of the second world war forced the Society to evacuate the ship owing to the probability of air attack.
From 1756 to 1940 the Society recruited over 110,000 men and boys for the Royal Navy, the British East India Company
and Merchant service. Records show that from 1756 to 1815 the charity provided some twelve percent of naval manpower, all the more valuable to the nation since each one was a volunteer.
, the Society concluded that there were by then sufficient facilities for sea-training provided by national authorities. It continued to provide sea-kits for many young seafarers and, where necessary, offered grants for their education, but in the 1950s the Society began to insist that cadets
thus helped should have completed a good general education, obtaining a minimum of four GCE
passes at O level. In this way The Marine Society pioneered what was subsequently accepted as standard practice for the entry of officers into the Merchant Navy.
Between 1940 and 1987, as the Society’s reserves increased, was not only able to help individual seafarers but also to make grants to many maritime charities. In 1981 it provided the base funds for the Marine Adventure Sailing Trust, a limited life investment trust fund, which enabled it to make further substantial grants to the Sea Cadet Corps, TS Foudroyant, Ocean Youth Club and other maritime youth charities.
In 1976 the Society amalgamated with various other maritime charities with similar aims, including the Incorporated Thames Nautical Training Trust (HMS Worcester), the Seafarers Education Service The Marine Society College of the Sea, the Sailors' Home and Red Ensign Club, the Merchant Navy Comforts Service Trust and the British Ship Adoption Society. The merger of the Seafarers Education Service with The Marine Society at this time was hugely significant and helped to ensure the continued relevance of both operations. The SES consisted of The Marine Society College of the Sea
and Seafarers Libraries, and had been inaugurated in 1919 by Albert Mansbridge
who had earlier founded the Workers Educational Association. Both the College of the Sea and Seafarers Libraries continue to flourish today.
For the past 30 years, the principal objectives of The Marine Society have been to facilitate and to provide practical and financial support for the education, training and well-being of all professional seafarers and to encourage young people to embark on maritime careers.
For many years The Marine Society has had strong ties with the Sea Cadet Corps, not only as benefactor and landlord to the SCA, but also by providing sea training opportunities for hundreds of sea cadets each year.
It was because of these ties plus the complementary objectives of the two charities and, more specifically, the mutual desire to introduce an element of Merchant Navy ethos to the Sea Cadet Corps, that the merger of the Sea Cadet Association with The Marine Society came about 30 November 2004. The new charity thereby created became known as The Marine Society & Sea Cadets.
As the UK’s largest non-profit maritime organisation, the Marine Society & Sea Cadets (usually abbreviated to MSSC) is the holding brand for the two distinct organisations: The Marine Society, and the Sea Cadets. It is based in a delightful Victorian building close to the river Thames and adjacent to Lambeth Palace in central London.The Marine Society continues to offer seafarers a range of services to enhance their learning and well-being, and to facilitate professional development. The combination of these two powerful brands also makes for a potent force in the promotion of maritime careers and the task of raising the profile of shipping and its importance.
Charitable organization
A charitable organization is a type of non-profit organization . It differs from other types of NPOs in that it centers on philanthropic goals A charitable organization is a type of non-profit organization (NPO). It differs from other types of NPOs in that it centers on philanthropic goals A...
. In 1756, at the beginning of the Seven Years' War
Seven Years' War
The Seven Years' War was a global military war between 1756 and 1763, involving most of the great powers of the time and affecting Europe, North America, Central America, the West African coast, India, and the Philippines...
against France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
, Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
and Saxony
Saxony
The Free State of Saxony is a landlocked state of Germany, contingent with Brandenburg, Saxony Anhalt, Thuringia, Bavaria, the Czech Republic and Poland. It is the tenth-largest German state in area, with of Germany's sixteen states....
(and subsequently Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
and Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
) Britain urgently needed to recruit men for the navy. Jonas Hanway
Jonas Hanway
Jonas Hanway , English traveller and philanthropist, was born at Portsmouth, on the south coast of England.-Life:...
(1712-1786), who had already made his mark as a traveller, Russia Company merchant, writer and philanthropist
Philanthropist
A philanthropist is someone who engages in philanthropy; that is, someone who donates his or her time, money, and/or reputation to charitable causes...
, must take the chief credit for founding the society which both contributed to the solution of that particular problem, and has continued for the next two and a half centuries to assist many thousands of young people in preparing for a career at sea.
Formation
The Marine Society, the world’s oldest public maritime charity, was the brainchild of a group of London merchants and gentlemen, who first met at the King’s Arms Tavern, Cornhill, London on June 25th 1756 to discuss a plan to supply two or three thousand seafarers for the navy.Recruitment began immediately. Sponsors were sought and advertisements for volunteers appeared in newspapers and on the street:
"Notice is hereby given, that all stout lads and boys, who incline to go on board His Majesty’s Ships, with a view to learn the duty of a seaman, and are, upon examination, approved by The Marine Society, shall be handsomely clothed and provided with bedding, and their charges born down to the ports where His Majesty’s Ships lye, with all other proper encouragement."
Ten men were duly clothed and delivered to ships of the King’s navy. In this small way began the work of The Marine Society. The main object of the charity when founded was sending unemployed or orphaned teenagers to sea as officers' servants. The Royal Navy was estimated to need about 4,500 boys as servants during wartime. Approximately a thousand were 'young gentlemen' intending to be officers, and many of the remainder were supplied by the Society. As the boys were for the most part from non-seafaring families the Society probably provided a real increase of several thousand to the pool of naval recruitment. The Society also provided over ten thousand naval recruits with free clothing, which helped reduce the typhus problem.
Incorporated by Act of Parliament
The scheme really took off. By 1763, the Society had recruited over 10,000 men and boys; in 1772, such was its perceived importance in the life of the nation, it was incorporated in an Act of ParliamentAct of Parliament
An Act of Parliament is a statute enacted as primary legislation by a national or sub-national parliament. In the Republic of Ireland the term Act of the Oireachtas is used, and in the United States the term Act of Congress is used.In Commonwealth countries, the term is used both in a narrow...
. Admiral Nelson became a stalwart supporter and trustee of the charity, such that by the time of the Battle of Trafalgar
Battle of Trafalgar
The Battle of Trafalgar was a sea battle fought between the British Royal Navy and the combined fleets of the French Navy and Spanish Navy, during the War of the Third Coalition of the Napoleonic Wars ....
(1805) at least 15% of British manpower was being supplied, trained and equipped by The Marine Society. The relative professionalism of these men, the great British naval hero readily acknowledged, played a part in his victories.
Hostilities cease, Education starts
But the end of hostilities meant that naval recruitment was no longer the nation’s first priority, although Admiral Boscawen was later to write: "No scheme for manning the navy, within my knowledge, has ever had the success as the Marine Society’s."Hanway now formulated plans for transferring boys to the merchant service
Merchant Navy
The Merchant Navy is the maritime register of the United Kingdom, and describes the seagoing commercial interests of UK-registered ships and their crews. Merchant Navy vessels fly the Red Ensign and are regulated by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency...
on their discharge from naval ships and from then on, the Society was equally involved with both Royal
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
and Merchant navies.
Early reports from commanding officers had indicated that the number of desertions might be reduced if boys equipped by the Society were given a period of training before being sent to sea.
Initially the Society hired a schoolmaster
Schoolmaster
A schoolmaster, or simply master, once referred to a male school teacher. This usage survives in British public schools, but is generally obsolete elsewhere.The teacher in charge of a school is the headmaster...
and bandmaster
Bandmaster
A bandmaster is the leader and conductor of a band, usually a military band, brass band or a marching band.-British Armed Forces:In the British Armed Forces, a Bandmaster is always a Warrant Officer Class 1 . A commissioned officer who leads a band is known as the Director of Music...
to teach some of the boys and in 1786 purchased a merchant ship the Beatty, which was converted to a training ship and renamed Marine Society. The Society thus became the first organisation in the world to pioneer nautical training for boys in its special school ship which was moored in the Thames between Deptford
Deptford
Deptford is a district of south London, England, located on the south bank of the River Thames. It is named after a ford of the River Ravensbourne, and from the mid 16th century to the late 19th was home to Deptford Dockyard, the first of the Royal Navy Dockyards.Deptford and the docks are...
and Greenwich
Greenwich
Greenwich is a district of south London, England, located in the London Borough of Greenwich.Greenwich is best known for its maritime history and for giving its name to the Greenwich Meridian and Greenwich Mean Time...
.
This example was followed in the nineteenth century by many other organisations in ports round the British Isles
British Isles
The British Isles are a group of islands off the northwest coast of continental Europe that include the islands of Great Britain and Ireland and over six thousand smaller isles. There are two sovereign states located on the islands: the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and...
. From 1799 until 1918 The Admiralty provided a succession of training ships, the last two of which were renamed Warspite. In 1922 the Society commissioned HMS Hermione
HMS Hermione (1893)
HMS Hermione was an Astraea-class protected cruiser launched at Devonport in 1893. She served in World War I and was sold in 1921. She was renamed HMS Warspite in 1922, and broken up in 1940....
as the third Warspite. However the outbreak of the second world war forced the Society to evacuate the ship owing to the probability of air attack.
From 1756 to 1940 the Society recruited over 110,000 men and boys for the Royal Navy, the British East India Company
British East India Company
The East India Company was an early English joint-stock company that was formed initially for pursuing trade with the East Indies, but that ended up trading mainly with the Indian subcontinent and China...
and Merchant service. Records show that from 1756 to 1815 the charity provided some twelve percent of naval manpower, all the more valuable to the nation since each one was a volunteer.
After the Second World War
After the Second World WarWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, the Society concluded that there were by then sufficient facilities for sea-training provided by national authorities. It continued to provide sea-kits for many young seafarers and, where necessary, offered grants for their education, but in the 1950s the Society began to insist that cadets
Sea Cadet Corps (United Kingdom)
The Sea Cadet Corps is a UK national youth organisation sponsored by the Royal Navy and open to young people between the ages of 10-18 years old. The SCC is the UK's largest Naval Cadet Force with over 30,000 cadets and adult volunteers...
thus helped should have completed a good general education, obtaining a minimum of four GCE
General Certificate of Education
The General Certificate of Education or GCE is an academic qualification that examination boards in the United Kingdom and a few of the Commonwealth countries, notably Sri Lanka, confer to students. The GCE traditionally comprised two levels: the Ordinary Level and the Advanced Level...
passes at O level. In this way The Marine Society pioneered what was subsequently accepted as standard practice for the entry of officers into the Merchant Navy.
Between 1940 and 1987, as the Society’s reserves increased, was not only able to help individual seafarers but also to make grants to many maritime charities. In 1981 it provided the base funds for the Marine Adventure Sailing Trust, a limited life investment trust fund, which enabled it to make further substantial grants to the Sea Cadet Corps, TS Foudroyant, Ocean Youth Club and other maritime youth charities.
In 1976 the Society amalgamated with various other maritime charities with similar aims, including the Incorporated Thames Nautical Training Trust (HMS Worcester), the Seafarers Education Service The Marine Society College of the Sea, the Sailors' Home and Red Ensign Club, the Merchant Navy Comforts Service Trust and the British Ship Adoption Society. The merger of the Seafarers Education Service with The Marine Society at this time was hugely significant and helped to ensure the continued relevance of both operations. The SES consisted of The Marine Society College of the Sea
The Marine Society College of the Sea
The Marine Society College of the Sea is a distance learning further education college for those who make their living at sea. The college is owned and operated by The Marine Society, and is located at 202 Lambeth Road, in the London Borough of Lambeth....
and Seafarers Libraries, and had been inaugurated in 1919 by Albert Mansbridge
Albert Mansbridge
Albert Mansbridge was a British educator who organized the adult education movement in Britain. He is best known for founding the Workers' Educational Association in England in 1903...
who had earlier founded the Workers Educational Association. Both the College of the Sea and Seafarers Libraries continue to flourish today.
For the past 30 years, the principal objectives of The Marine Society have been to facilitate and to provide practical and financial support for the education, training and well-being of all professional seafarers and to encourage young people to embark on maritime careers.
For many years The Marine Society has had strong ties with the Sea Cadet Corps, not only as benefactor and landlord to the SCA, but also by providing sea training opportunities for hundreds of sea cadets each year.
It was because of these ties plus the complementary objectives of the two charities and, more specifically, the mutual desire to introduce an element of Merchant Navy ethos to the Sea Cadet Corps, that the merger of the Sea Cadet Association with The Marine Society came about 30 November 2004. The new charity thereby created became known as The Marine Society & Sea Cadets.
As the UK’s largest non-profit maritime organisation, the Marine Society & Sea Cadets (usually abbreviated to MSSC) is the holding brand for the two distinct organisations: The Marine Society, and the Sea Cadets. It is based in a delightful Victorian building close to the river Thames and adjacent to Lambeth Palace in central London.The Marine Society continues to offer seafarers a range of services to enhance their learning and well-being, and to facilitate professional development. The combination of these two powerful brands also makes for a potent force in the promotion of maritime careers and the task of raising the profile of shipping and its importance.