Page 17 - All About History - Issue 16-14

Transport
How do we know this?
The research for this article came from a variety
of sources each examining different aspects of
the captain’s role. Perhaps the most important
however was HV Bowen’s The Business Of Empire:
The East India Company And Imperial Britain 1756-
1833. Specifically designed for the period that the
article covered, the book gave a valuable insight
into a captain’s life aboard a trading ship for the
East India Company. This book also described the
hierarchy in the organisation well.
A typical East Indiaman
out on the high seas, 1759
and the captain’s method of navigating was to
use a Mariner’s compass, which used a precise
magnetised steel needle.
COLLECT AND
DELIVER GOODS
The lion’s share of the day would be spent
gathering spices and goods to swell the company
and Empire’s economic might. Out on the high
seas, the captain’s ship would often come into
contact with rival Dutch, French and Spanish
fleets, as unscrupulous rivals could steal cargo.
The Fourth Anglo-Dutch War (1780-84) ended with
a British victory as the companies and nations
squabbled over trade routes and land.
UNDERHAND DEALS
Some captains made secret trade negotiations, often
against the company’s – and London’s – wishes, to
boost their reputation and wealth. As a result, Pitt’s
India Act (named for UK’s Prime Minister William
Pitt the Younger) in 1784 gave control to both the
crown and the company in an attempt to make
the ailing firm work more efficiently. Indian ports
soon became corrupt as British rule was stretched
so thinly that effective policing of the situation was
almost impossible.
REPAIR SHIPS AND MONITOR
TRADE ZONE
The British ruled two-thirds of India by the end of
the 18th century, including many major cities such
as Bombay, Calcutta and Madras. To maintain the
Empire’s borders, the captains were equipped with
some of the largest ships ever constructed in the
era. These ships were built for cargo capacity and
not speed so could only reach seven to eight knots
before the age of steam arrived.
RAISING A FAMILY
For an East India Company captain, it was very
common to spend an extended time away from
the comforts of home. As a result, many began
relationships with Indian women and cross-cultural
marriages were common. Wills recovered from the
1780s show that a third of the company’s British
men left their possessions to their Indian family.
DOCKING INTO PORT
A company galleon was designed as much for
comfort as it was for carrying capacity. Known as
‘Lords of the Ocean’, a captain and his crew could
easily sleep in the grand ship rather than spending
the night in cities such as Bombay and Calcutta. © Look and Learn; Alamy; Cambridge University Press
Large ships such as the ‘Warley’ would be adorned
by the captain’s own choice of decoration.
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