Apprentices at sea

[david54]

Question for all,

Can someone please tell me who would have had to sign, if anyone, for a boy to go to sea as an apprentice in about 1840 ish.

My search is becoming more confusing and if someone was in a Bluecoat school, could or would it have been possible for him to leave and go to sea??

Looking at the information I have he would have had to put his age up a little but to have two boys, on the same ship, about the same age is more than a coincidence, and I do not believe in co-incidences.

Thanks, maybe this is the piece I am looking for.

David

[Suekilp]

Industrial schools and workhouses quite often apprenticed boys to the Navy. If you look at www.childrenshomes.org there are details of some of the training ships and the regimes inflicted on the trainees. Presumably the workhouse master and Poor Law Guardians would give permission. The boys were often as young as 11 or so. I believe that some of the bluecoat schools were for orphans, which often meant only that they were fatherless and their mother was unable to support them, often because of widowhood.

Sue

[Suekilp]

Oh dear, don't think that link is helpful, but if you do a google search for navy industrial schools it should take you to useful information.

Sue