16 April 1797: Royal Navy sailors stage the Spithead mutiny

On this day in 1797, sailors on 16 ships anchored at Spithead refused to put to sea and staged a mutiny in pursuit of better pay and conditions.

In 1797, as was so often the case, Britain was at war with France. The French were still in the throes of revolution, and any hint that it could spread across the Channel sent terror through the very bones of the British ruling class.

Key to keeping the Gallic hordes and their radical ideas at bay was the Royal Navy. But it was getting taken for granted and its men weren't happy about it. Sailors' pay hadn't increased for some 140 years, it was rarely handed over when it was due, and was often deliberately withheld to discourage desertion. The sick and wounded weren't paid at all.

Crews weren't allowed shore leave when they put in to port, provisions were appalling, officers were often cruel, and the impressment of unsuitable men – many of them criminals – was damaging to the Navy’s morale and ability to fight. And so on this day in 1797, 16 ships of the line refused to put to sea, and the men elected delegates to negotiate with the Admiralty.

Subscribe to MoneyWeek

Subscribe to MoneyWeek today and get your first six magazine issues absolutely FREE

Get 6 issues free
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/mw70aro6gl1676370748.jpg

Sign up to Money Morning

Don't miss the latest investment and personal finances news, market analysis, plus money-saving tips with our free twice-daily newsletter

Don't miss the latest investment and personal finances news, market analysis, plus money-saving tips with our free twice-daily newsletter

Sign up

It was dangerous stuff – mutiny was punishable by hanging, after all. But all the while, strict discipline was maintained, the men's loyalty to the king was repeatedly emphasised, and promises were made to put to sea if there was any hint of a threat from the French.

Negotiations continued for several days. Finally, on 23 April, their demands were met, and a royal pardon was issued.

The same fate didn't befall the mutineers of the Nore anchorage in the Thames estuary a month later, however. There, the authorities took a much sterner line: 30 men were hanged, and many more flogged, imprisoned or sentenced to transportation.

Ben Judge

Ben studied modern languages at London University's Queen Mary College. After dabbling unhappily in local government finance for a while, he went to work for The Scotsman newspaper in Edinburgh. The launch of the paper's website, scotsman.com, in the early years of the dotcom craze, saw Ben move online to manage the Business and Motors channels before becoming deputy editor with responsibility for all aspects of online production for The Scotsman, Scotland on Sunday and the Edinburgh Evening News websites, along with the papers' Edinburgh Festivals website.

Ben joined MoneyWeek as website editor in 2008, just as the Great Financial Crisis was brewing. He has written extensively for the website and magazine, with a particular emphasis on alternative finance and fintech, including blockchain and bitcoin. 

As an early adopter of bitcoin, Ben bought when the price was under $200, but went on to spend it all on foolish fripperies.