These rations changed little in the one hundred and fifty years after Pepys established them in the late seventeenth century. The most significant alteration came in 1731, when the Navy published a reformed and better-written set of Regulations and Instructions, and replaced the fish ration with three pints of oatmeal a week. When victuallers could not provide these specific foods, Pepys also established substitutes (see table 1 for a complete list of the Navy’s rations from 1677 to the 1740s). This document established predetermined rations for each sailor, which included one pound of biscuits and a gallon of beer each day and four pounds of beef, two pounds of salted pork, three eights of a twenty-four-inch cod, two pints of peas, six ounces of butter, and between eight and twelve ounces of cheese each week. In 1677, Samuel Pepys, the Secretary to the Admiralty, copied into his Naval Precedents a contract he established with victuallers to the Navy. Of all the accounts of sailors and provisions, those of the British Royal Navy are the most plentiful and provide a convenient starting point for examining the food mariners received while at sea. Table 1 – British Navy Food Rations, 1677-1740s

How did the sailors’ diet compare to that of the lower class ashore?Īttempting to answer these questions, specifically for sailors who sailed between 16, offers a glimpse into a somewhat neglected period of maritime history and provides context to future food choices for mariners in the Revolutionary and Napoleonic eras.

What did sailors eat or drink onshore after a voyage?.What tableware and utensils did they use at mealtimes?.How did French, Spanish, or Dutch provisions differ from those on British vessels?.Did Navy provisions differ from those of pirates, merchant sailors, or other maritime services?.How did the food issued in European waters differ from those in other places such as the Caribbean?.What foods did sailors receive in their rations?.Since food played a significant role in the lives of sailors, exploring the specifics of their diets can provide more insights into their experiences at sea.Įxamining food for common-rank Anglo-America sailors in the various maritime services requires answering a variety of questions: Many people at sea in that era ate or drank all the items in this cliché menu, but also consumed many other foods and drinks. The stereotype for the diet of sailors during the Age of Sail included ship’s biscuit, salt pork, and rum. Pepys recognized this when he work for the English Royal Navy, and that, “any abatement from them in the quantity or agreeableness of the victuals,” could turn sailors against serving the Navy. Mariners could endure hard work and ragged clothing, but had little patience for short rations or rotten provisions.

“Englishmen, and more especially seamen, love their bellies above anything else.” This classic quote from Samuel Pepys summarized well the significance of food to sailors during the Age of Sail. This is also why I removed “Part 1” from the post title. In addition, after doing work on this post, I realized that the subject is extremely large, and that if I wanted to pursue it further, I would probably want to publish it in some other format beyond a post on my website. As of now, my main priority is to complete my maritime clothing book, so any work on maritime food will have to wait until that is completed.

Since this is one of my most popular posts, I will respond. UPDATE, 9-8-2018: Many people have asked if I will complete part 2 of this article. Special thanks to Jeff Pavlik for his consultations regarding period ship’s biscuits. The second part will be published several weeks from now. Prologue: Due to the amount of content on this subject, this article is broken into two parts. Image printed in Brian Lavery’s “The Arming and Fitting of English Ships of War, 1600-1815” on page 196. Note the ship’s cook with a knife in his right hand wearing an apron and possessing a wooden leg. Ship’s Galley in a Thomas Phillip print of a first rate ship of the line from the 1690s.

Modern warships fight pirates