A Life on the ocean waves....

Hi, here's Jo, with a bit about starting a career in the Royal Navy way back when.

The quote above -- "A life on the ocean wave..." is from 1858, too late for me. And it is "wave," not "waves" as I intstinctively thought, which I find odd. One wave? Was that the way it was said back then? More likely it was poetic licence to rhyme with rave.

A life on the ocean wave! A home on the rolling deep!
Where the scattered waters rave, and the winds their revels keep!

The author of the original poem, Epes Sargent, had at least been to sea, with his father, a ships master. Yes, yes, I followed a research byway. Doesn't one always? You can read about Sargent here.

I have to admit to having little interest in the navy. For some reason it doesn't grab my imagination, and I've never been able to get into Patrick O'Brian's novels. I did enjoy the film, Master and Commander, though I've never been much into Russell Crowe. He is a brilliant actor, particularly in physical, manly roles. 

However, we can't always have ex-military heroes be from the army, so I went for the navy for Lord Dracy, the hero of my MIP A Scandalous Countess. (February 2012) The navy fit because he also comes from a poorish family. Gentry, yes, but his father's a clergyman, brother to a Lord Dracy, a small fish in the peerage pond.

As Dracy's left the navy when inheriting the title, I don't have to do too much naval work (I hope -- with a story, one never knows) but I did have to know his likely career path, especially when he would have gone into the navy and his likely rank when leaving.

Thirteen seemed a pretty typical age for being signed up, but I pushed it back to twelve because I wanted him there young. As I wrote the book, I realized I needed to know his rank when he left active service, so I went poking around in real naval careers.

I started with the obvious case, Nelson, 1758-1805. My hero is 26, so what rank did Nelson achieve by that age? Nelson became a midshipman -- the lowest officer rank -- on HMS Raisonnable in 1771 at the typical age of thirteen. At 17 he was an acting lieutenant, by 19 a full lieutenant, and the same year given command of a tender. At 20, he was Master and Commander of the brig HMS Badger. By 1784, at aged 26, he'd had an active and brilliant naval career and was captain of HMS Boreas, sent to enforce the Navigation Acts around Antigua.

Um, well, Dracy's not like Nelson. Whoever was?

The images are from the Natonal Portrait Gallery.

I next looked at the famous Captain Bligh. 1754-1817. (I was surprised to find he was older than  Nelson.) He was signed up for the Royal Navy at seven! The implication of the wikipedia article is that this meant he went to sea over the next ten years, at least part time, to get sea-going experience. However, he didn't become a midshipman until aged 17, interestingly in the same year as Nelson. Nelson had aristocratic connections and joined a ship captained by an uncle. Was Blight delayed for lack of influence?

By 26 (1780) Bligh was sailing master (the officer in charge of navigation, and ranked as a lieutenant) on Cook's ship, the Resolution. That was the expedition in which Cook was killed, and in 1780 he returned to London with the sad news.

These young men were doing remarkable things, as were many of their contemporaries. It's part of why I write about young men in my historicals -- the late teens and twenties was where they were most involved in active, exciting lives.I refer you to an article I wrote called In Praise of Younger Men. It was inspired by the injustice of Wallace, in Braveheart, being acted by a middle-aged man. Perhaps someone had been looking at too many Victorian portrayals of the man, who died at about 30 years of age.

In my view, if a Georgian man's still finding himself by his mid to late twenties I'm asking, what's he been doing since about 13?

Questions. What's your feeling on that? Do young heroes seem wrong to you, even if you know how many great achievements belong to the young?

What's your ideal age for the hero in a historical romance?

Another example is Edward Pellew -- 1757-1833, who was a highly regarded naval officer. He joined  the navy in 1770 -- aged 13 again. In 1775, aged 18, he got into such an argument with his captain he was put ashore at Marseille. You'd think that would get him court-martialled, but apparently not. Perhaps his arguments were justified. He makes his way home and joins another ship, still a midshipman. By 26, he was post captain of a ship engaged in heroic, active service.

Richard Pearson was born in 1731,so closer to a contemporary of Dracy's. He's not so prominent, so I couldn't find a great deal, but he did well during the Seven Years War, in which Dracy also serves, but when it ends in 1763, he's still a lieutenant at aged 32. In peacetime he suffered from lack of patronage and only became a post captain in 1773.

Implications for my story.

Dracy went into the navy at aged 12 in 1751, and from 1756 to 1763 was part of the Seven Years War. He does his duty well and rises to first lieutenant by the end of the war, but peacetime presents few opportunities. When he inherits, he leaves the navy with few regrets. He's never fallen in love with ships and the sea, and like Nelson and others, he's always suffered from sea-sickness.

But perhaps 14 years in the navy is good preparation for dealing with Georgia, Lady Maybury, widow, not yet twenty-one, but accustomed to being in command of her life.

Question.

Why do you think there are so many more ex-army men in historical romance? Is the army more romantic than the navy? Is leading a charge more heroic than directing a naval battle?

Oh, by the way, that other famous naval song, Hearts of Oak, the official march of the Royal Navy, dates to the late 1750s, at the beginning of the Seven Years War, so Dracy can refer to it. I remembered to check!  

Interesting that it refers to invasion, always able to stir a Briton's heart.

Come, cheer up, my lads, 'tis to glory we steer,
To add something more to this wonderful year;
To honour we call you, as freemen not slaves,
For who are so free as the sons of the waves?
Heart of oak are our ships, jolly tars are our men,
we always are ready; Steady, boys, steady!
We'll fight and we'll conquer again and again.

They swear they'll invade us, these terrible foes,
They frighten our women, our children and beaus,

But should their flat bottoms in darkness get o'er,
Still Britons they'll find to receive them on shore.

Heart of oak are our ships, jolly tars are our men,
we always are ready; Steady, boys, steady!
We'll fight and we'll conquer again and again.

The picture is The Fighting Temeraire, by Turner, showing a famous battleship, the last one that had fought at Trafalgar, being towed into harbour to be broken up for scrap.

""And she's fading down the river, But in England's song for ever, She's the Fighting Téméraire." Sir Henry Newbolt. Of course, Naomi Novik took the name Temeraire for her dragon in the series by that name. Brilliant choice.

I can only remember writing one other significant naval character, the hero's brother in Lady Beware. I'll give a copy of that book to a randomly selected commenter on this blog.

An Unlikely Countess has spent four weeks on the New York Times bestsellers list, and done simil

arly well on the other major lists. Thank you!

Jo

 

 

 

 

 

Comments

[Jane O]

Well, I can think of a couple of reasons for the army rather than the navy for a Romance hero.

The army is the place for a young man from a wealthy family because Daddy can buy him a commission. And he can be with his friends whose daddies did likewise.

When not engaged in actual combat, (ie, most of the time), he can spend his time in London or stationed someplace pleasant in England, like all those officers in Jane Austen novels. If he were in the navy, he might be spending his leave in the Indies and not even see England for years and years. Hard to conduct a romance (or a Romance) that way.

The heroine can't possibly find him on the battlefield and nurse him back to health if the battle took place in the middle of the ocean. (Some books may stretch credulity, but there are limits.)

Still, there will always be a lass who loves a sailor.

[Jo Beverley]

LOL, Jane. Good reasons.

I think -- could be wrong -- that a lot of Austen's military are militia regiments, who were home-based most of the time. Regular army didn't get much time back in England during the Napoleonic Wars.

I'm sure someone knows more about that than I do.

A lot of military heroes in romance have left the services, haven't they? So navy and army wouldn't make such a big difference there.
Jo

[Joan Wilson]

Most of the sailors back then I would think either went there through choice or were sent by families who had such big families just wanted them out of the way. Or Sailing on the ocean was a family tradition. I know Frank Cave was in the Navy but why was he there?? I shall have to read the book again to find out. Joan W

[Martha Andrews]

I would think it was also that some men were drawn to the ocean while others only thought of the obvious--the Army.

And in some cases--families put sons who had real responsibility problems or other social problems on a ship thinking it was "enforced" military discipline with nowhere to "get off" to get away from the life.

I think in one novel I've read the head of a family had his youngest brother "put onto a ship" (after being drugged) and he was away for several years. He came back much more disciplined and mature but that was another story ;) .

[MJ]

I'm in agreement with Jane O - no convenient shore leave for our heroes if they're in the Navy. Most voyages took months, if not years and officers couldn't just conveniently pop back to England.

That still was the case when my husband joined the US Coast Guard back in the late 70s. His voyages from San Francisco to Alaska typically lasted at least two months with about 6 weeks at home before the next voyage.

Still, I had it better than many US Navy wives whose husbands were on WestPacs (Western Pacific tours). Those were 9 months long - in 1977!

[Janga]

I have a hard time moving past the idea of thirteen-year-old boys in the navy. Additionally, I associate conscription with the navy. Neither of these encourages a romantic image.

But while naval heroes may be uncommon in romance fiction, I can think of some wonderful examples, starting with Frederick Wentworth. Persuasion is my favorite of Jane Austen’s novels, and the comparatively egalitarian naval society Austen presents is an appealing contrast to Anne Elliot’s world. Plus, the marriage of Admiral and Mrs. Croft is certainly one of Austen’s happiest portrayals of that institution. I’m also a huge Carla Kelly fan, and she’s created quite a number of naval heroes in her novels and short fiction.

Jo, I loved An Unlikely Countess, and I’m eagerly awaiting A Scandalous Countess.

[Jane O]

BTW, when can we expect A Scandalous Countess? I loved the Unlikely one, and I find myself far to eager for the next one.

[Anne Hoile]

Ditto to huge Carla Kelly fan and her naval/marine heroes! And I seem to remember naval heroes coming from the families on the coasts of Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, etc. The boys lived and worked on the shores of the sea. A lot of them probably loved the sea. In times of need, smugglers and pirates (letter of marque) aided the government and at the end of hostilities some might have been rewarded. Having read thousands of HR I remember quite a few plots of that typ.e

[Anne Hoile]

Just remembered--Elizabeth Mansfield's The Counterfeit Husband which includes a case of attempted impressment; the plot includes some dialog between naval office personnel and navy men as to the necessity of same and horrors of the policy.

[Susan/DC]

To add to Janga's comment -- Captain Wentworth was 31, a bit older than the hero of "A Scandalous Countess" but in the right range. I don't remember his rank when he and Anne first met.

As for my preferred age for heroes, it depends on the age of the heroine. I don't like large age differences, so one is dependent on the other. If men get dewy-skinned heroines with pert breasts, it's only fair that heroines get heroes with taut abdomens and youthful vigor.

Agree totally with Jo's article "In Praise of Younger Men". I like older heroes/heroines and think it's totally unfair that women over 35 disappear in Hollywood -- or, to paraphrase Goldie Hawn (since I don't remember the exact quote), as an actress first you play the love interest, then the DA, then the mother. However, something is wrong when Russell Crowe at age 46 plays Robin in a supposed prequel to the Robin Hood story. Michael Praed is older than Russell Crowe, but he was only 24 when he played Robin in the TV series, much more age appropriate.

[Jane O]

Speaking of younger men, I always loved that Angela Lansbury played Laurence Harvey's mother in "The Manchurian Candidate." She was only two or three year older than he was.

[Helen]

Jo

This was such an interesting post I have no idea why Men went into the army more so than the navy although a lot of the navy men were kidnapped into the navy but I guess most of them never made it up the ranks.
I think that my ideal age for a hero is around 30 so if they were in the navy from age 12 they had time to become great hero material
Thanks Jo
Have Fun
Helen

[Iva Steele]

I think people are generally aware of what goes on in the army because we (Americans) begin school learning about George Washington, Paul Revere, and Daniel Boone. Infantry, hand to hand combat, strategic battle planning, are all romanticized in history books and movies. Naval battles are more technical and complicated. Their movements more classified so civilians don't usually have a clear idea of what goes on onboard a ship. Also when we do study naval battles it's shocking to learn submarines and ships went down in wars with hundreds or thousands of crewmen onboard and no one knew until radio silence was lifted. I also think we need to know about things like seven year olds going to sea and how they built their careers. When you think about lifespan and the work required of sailors and soldiers back then, entry level military duty was a young boy's or young man's game. The older men had gained the wisdom for the necessary strategic planning. Historical heros are usually 25 to 35 years old. I think that's fine as it is true to life.

[Sharon]

It seems it might have something to do with timing. Since so many romances are set in the Regency, Waterloo is an obvious major event of the time period as well as the Peninsular campaigns -- which means Army. I know there were naval battles in the wars with Napoleon, but they aren't nearly as well known, especially in the US.

[Barbara Elness]

My ideal age for a hero is 30, old enough to have done some living and made some mistakes, but still young enough to find love and have a lovely future. I think there are more ex-army men in historical romance because there may have been more written about the army battles when authors were researching the time period. Leading the charge seems more heroic because it's perceived as more hands on, than directing a ship. But I love the ex-navy hero, and I'm looking forward to reading An Unlikely Countess.

[LouisaCornell]

Great post, Jo! Sent into the navy at 7? Yikes!

My preferred age for heroes is 25 to about 32. By that point they at least know who they are!

As to the preference for Army over Navy? Has to be the horses. Something about a man in uniform on a horse harkens back to the days of knights in armor on their trusty steeds coming to fair maiden's rescue.

[Louis]

Way back when I joined the Military, I chose the U. S. Navy. At 19 I didn't think I would like the ground troops and the Navy was a good deal since I was living in a Navy town...San Diego, CA.

Have never regretted it.

Heroes age...probably in the mid 20s to mid 30s.

[HV]

Actually, some of the assumptions here are inaccurate - in fact, far, far, more British men went into the navy than into the army - what you are reflecting on is that more romance heroes are army men, and I think that the reasons discussed are probably accurate enough.

As an island nation, Britain has not had a large standing army - that was considered a dangerous continental invention. Yes, there were a lot of men in the army during the long Napoleonic wars (1791-1815), which is when Regency romances are set, but that is an anomaly. As many writers do mention, after 1815 the army is reduced significantly in size, throwing a lot of men into poverty.

Notice that the one author mentioned who was actually writing in the period, Jane Austen, had naval brothers and naval characters in her novels.

A fascinating book on the navy at the end of the 18th and beginning of the 19th century (before the development of steam ships in the 1830's) is "The Wooden World: An Anatomy of the Georgian Navy" by N. Rodger, which reads like a novel.

[Jo Beverley]

Louisa, that's a good point about horses, but then, Richard Sharp wasn't cavalry! In the Napoleonic Wars, the cavalry were notoriously undisciplined.

Re the navy, though many seamen were "pressed" into service, that wouldn't be true of officers. It was a highly desirable profession when there was little money in a gentry family because there was no purchase price. Though as we see, having the right connections helped, as always.

HV, exactly. Many ex-army in romance novels, but many naval officers in reality. Of course by the true Regency -- 1811 on -- the navy had control of the sea in the European war and mostly had a supporting role for the armies.

Jo

[Hellion]

I typically think older men are too wise to engage in such risk that will win the heroics. Young men are much more willing to run over a hill in battle. *LOL*

I would say the ideal hero in a book is going to depend on the heroine. I get a little squicked out after a while when all those 18-22 year old heroines are all marrying 35+ heroes. I think we should spread the wealth around. I think the ideal "young" hero is about 24 or 25. That's a good settling down age, get most of that running over the hill mentality out of his system.

But being I'm in my 30s, I do tend to like heroes and heroines closer to my age, even in historicals. *shrugs* The fantasy I guess.

[kate]

I enjoyed reading "An Unlikely Countess". I just picked up an interesting book about all the "queens" who ruled England or tried to rule England before Elizabeth I. It was interesting to look at the provided family trees.

[Dee Feagin]

In answer to your question: one, I think the Army is more familiar to many people because their actions are reported more in the media-then and now, I suspect. Two, a naval hero would be at sea more than he would be at home in a story so that the interaction with the heroine would be sporadic and perhaps limited to letters? Just some thoughts. On your other question about ages of heroes: historically, I like to read about the late 20s to early 40s in heroes. I agree that those years would be true adulthood for men in the past. As a side, I like to read about older women (in the same range) because they are more mature, more likely to have experienced more of life's ups and downs, and much more interesting to get to know. Guess how old I am?:)

[Anne Gracie]

I'm with Louisa on liking the idea of a man in uniform on a horse. And speaking of uniforms, army uniforms are generally more dashing-looking than naval ones -- maybe it's the scarlet vs the navy blue, I don't know.

But also there's something quite claustrophobic about a ship, and in battle they seem so vulnerable, sitting there to be shot at and with only slow and ponderous maneuverability. Add that to the fact that many sailors could not swim and, well...

[Carrie (from Wisconsin) Hinkel-Gill]

Okay, I've read through many of the comments, and skimmed through the rest. What I haven't seen mentioned is Pirates!

I think that an author might find a swashbuckling pirate or a man who earns his money in trade to be a more romantic background for a hero, rather than the navy.

Just think of Pirates of the Caribbean. Who did you like more: Captain Jack (Pirate), Will (Weaponsmith turned Pirate) or Norrington (stuffy naval officer)? Of the three competing for Miss Swan's heart, I found Jack Sparrow to be the most interesting!

As for age of my heroes? It doesn't matter to me, as long as the characters are well-defined and their actions make sense. I too prefer a closer age range, however, I do understand how the "marriage mart" worked back then. I just prefer my hero and heroine to be closer in age because it will be easier for them to find common ground :)

[Ranurgis]

Whenever I read a book about sailing out on the ocean, I think first of my maternal grandfather who served in the merchant marine in both Word Wars. I've also crossed the Atlantic twice, both times from Europe to North America, landing the first time in Quebec City and the second in New York City. I was 7 the first time and 20 the second. I didn't learn much about the structure of the officers and crew, and don't know which rank my grandfather held. His specialty was refrigeration, though I don't know how it would have figured into his naval career. I know my grandfather felt fortunate to have been sailing rather than being in any land battles, though they were attacked a few time. But these were certainly no place for any romantic adventures.

As for my own crossings: I learned that it's better to do without acidic juices like citruses if you don't want to be seasick--though in a sense, these were the healthiest for long voyages. On the other hand, you can feel seasick while you're still firmly in harbor if you let your imagination run away with you. That happened to several woman on our first trip.

I guess one reason teenagers go into the navy is that in general an education of 10-12 years was unheard of for most young men at that time, certainly not for the poorer ones and probably not for those of the minor ton.

And wouldn't there just be more need for soldiers and cavalry than sailors? They would have been transported and provisioned by navy ships wherever they were needed.

As for the ages of heroes, I agree with Bee, though perhaps I'd start with mid-20s.

[Peg from DC]

Jo,
I was so happy to see that you have read the Naomi Novik Temeraire series. Altho Victory of Eagles is pretty grim, I enjoyed the depiction of the Duke of Wellington - his "get it done" attitude seemed very like the historical character. Will Laurence has always seemed to me to be lifted directly from the character of Mr. Knightly in Emma -- stuffy, always needing to do the right thing. Of course, the bizarre circumstances that he finds himself in prevent that. Novik's depiction of the contrast between the naval officers and the lax and informal aviators is a hoot.