Historic%20Yorkshire
Historic%20Yorkshire
Historic%20Yorkshire
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THE PRESS-GANG IN YORKSHIRE.<br />
195<br />
house called the Ship of Glory, situate inChurch Lane.<br />
On several occasions this house was stormed by the<br />
justly-infuriated townspeople, and in the year 1803 the<br />
building was nearly destroyed.<br />
Women were often prominent figures at these riots.<br />
In 1811, a man named Jem White, of Hull, had to<br />
defend himself at his lodgings in West Street with his<br />
cutlass. He stationedhimself at the top of the stairs and<br />
kept at bay all comers until a number of soldiers came<br />
and took him away to the war-ship. White was attacked<br />
chiefly by women on account of giving information that<br />
led to sailorsbeing impressed. We learn thatonanother<br />
occasion a coach was stopped and a sailor draggedfrom<br />
it by the press-gang near the Bull's Head, on the<br />
BeverleyRoad, and that a numberof womenmaking hay<br />
in a field, hearingthe fellow'scries, rushed to the rescue,<br />
and by the aid of their forks made the gangbeata hasty<br />
retreat withouttheir victim.<br />
In I7g8 the man-of-war ships Nonsuch and Redoubt,<br />
which were stationed in the Humber, suffered a defeat<br />
when attackinga Greenlandwhaler called the Blenheim.<br />
The men belonging to the war-ships, noticing the whaler<br />
comingup the river, sent two or three well-armedboats'<br />
crews to impress the sailors, but the Blenheim's crew<br />
provedmore than a match for the men of the navy, and<br />
with large knives and spears prevented them from reachingthe<br />
deck. A sloopof war namedthe Nautilus was in<br />
the roads at the same time, and the officer in charge<br />
seeing the King's men were suffering a defeat, sent a<br />
number of his men to their assistance, and shots were<br />
fired at the Blenheim to bring her to, but withoutavail.<br />
The crew of the whaler moved their ship to the harbour<br />
entrance, and unfortunately went aground,to the advantage<br />
of the men-of-war. A severe struggle ensued, but<br />
the men from the warships suffered the most. We learn<br />
that two of their crew were wounded so severely that they<br />
died. One of the men calledBelllost three of his fingers<br />
in trying to board the whaler. He settled down to live