Chaplains in the Royal Navy
By REV. M. R. W. BROWN, M.A.
We are indebted to Archdeacon J. K. Wilson, The Chaplain of the Fleet, Admiralty, London, under whose direction the following article of great historical interest was prepared. Here is the story of the origins of many
of the customs and traditions of the United States Navy.
"J spect I grow'd. Don't think nobody never made me." life and pay were not such as to attract good parsons in
I Like Topsy and like so many other English institutions anything like sufficient numbers. These factors were conthe Naval Chaplain grew haphazard to meet the needs of stant from the seventeenth century up to 1812. From time the moment. His story has never been fully written. Here to time reforms were attempted, which gradually and haponly the main facts can be given. Further information can hazardly "shaped" the Naval Chaplain. be found in Professor M. A. Lewis's excellent book Eng- In order to remedy the shortage of chaplains Charles land's Sea Officers (Allen & Unwin. 1939-10/6d.-re- 1st gave "orders for preachers to goe in every of his ships printing soon). to sea," and tried to implement this by improving their
When Englishmen first went to sea in any numbers and status and pay. Previously the chaplain had received 14/for any length of time they took with them "shore-parsons" a month. Now in addition every seaman was ordered to to enable them to continue at sea the religious practices pay 4d. (a groat) a month for the Chaplain, in addition customary ashore. Perhaps these early seafarers were the to the 2d. a month he already paid for the surgeon. more particular about this, because in the small ships of In 1662 "Forms of prayer to be used at sea" were added those days at the mercy of wind and wave they were more to the Book of Common Prayer. They order the continued ready to "cry unto the Lord in their trouble" than when daily use of Morning and Evening Prayer, which we have safely on land! already seen in Frobisher's order, but they also make genAmong the foremost sailing orders of a great expedition erous provision for the special needs of those at sea. Most which sailed from Portsmouth for Lisbon in 1147 we read important in their influence have been the two prayers "to that "on board each ship there shall be a priest, and the be used in His Majesty's Fleet every day." They read: same observances as in parishes on shore, whilst everyone "O Eternal Lord God, who alone spreadest out the shall confess (join in a short form of prayer?) daily heavens and rulest the raging of the seas; who has comthroughout the week, and shall communicate on Sundays." passed the waters with bounds until day and night come
From this date onward such chaplains are sometimes to an end; be pleased to receive into Thy Almighty and found on shipboard, but in no sense were they "regulars." most gracious protection the persons of us Thy servants When an expedition was over the ships returned to their and the Fleet in which we serve. Preserve us from the own privateering or trading, and the parsons returned to dangers of the sea, and from the violence of the enemy;. their parishes ashore. Long after there came to be a regu- that we may be a safeguard unto our most gracious Sovlar professional fleet-indeed down to the end of the eight- ereign Lord, King GEORGE, and his Dominions, and a se eenth century-the naval chaplain remained almost a ci- curity for such as pass on the seas upon their lawful occa vilian. sions; that the inhabitants of our Island may in peace and
The great Elizabethan captains laid great stress on wor- quietness serve Thee our God; and that we may return in ship and on the need for chaplains. Hawkins ordered his
ships to "serve God daily (have a daily service), love one another, preserve your victuals, beware of fire and keep
good companie." God "was daily served" with the Elizabethan Book of Common Prayer, because that was used
ashore. Thus Frobisher ordered "Matins and Evensong
according to the use of the Church of England."
Francis Fletcher served as Drake's chaplain during his
three-year voyage round the world. Drake's relations with
him were far from peaceful. He was forced to excommunicate him for mutiny, and caused a "posy," which said,
"Francis Fletcher, the falsest knave that liveth," to be
bound round the culprit's arm. Drake threatened that he
would hang him if he took it off, or ever appeared before
the mast!
SFor such reasons some captains were not prepared to
take chaplains with them. Furthermore the conditions of Chapel-H.M.S. Formidable April -May, 1946 3