Rod Colyer
 

This was the usual description in the British Navy given to the rating of 'volunteer-per-order' or 'King's Letter boys' - a method of entry for young gentlemen destined to become officers, who were from that time forward regularly entered at an age not exceeding sixteen years.

King's Letter Boys were paid at the rate of £24 per annum. The rating was introduced by Samuel Pepys in regulations brought out in 1676 and the recipient received a letter from the Crown which virtually guaranteed him promotion to commissioned rank after the specified training and passing the examination for Lieutenant. But in the meantime, entry in the old less regular ways also continued. Among early King's Letter Boys were Byng, Earl of Torrington, and Sir John Norris. The last of the King's Letter Boys to enter the Navy was George Brydges Rodney in 1732, who as Lord Rodney was one of the great names in British Naval history.

The purpose of this particular rating, as expressed in the letter from the Crown, was " Whereas out of our Royal desire of giving encouragement to the families of better quality among our subjects to breed up their younger sons to the art and practice of navigation, in order to the fitting them for further employment in our service, we have for some time past been graciously pleased at our extraordinary charge to admit of the bearing of several young gentlemen to the end aforesaid on board our ships, in the quality of volunteers."

The regulations of 1676 were followed by additional ones of 1677 which provided, among other things, that candidates for a Lieutenant's commission must be not under twenty years of age, and must have served for three years at sea, one of the years being served as Midshipman. They also provided for the examination of the candidate. In 1703 the period of preliminary service was increased to six years: and in 1728 when the institution of the King's Letter was abolished and the Naval Academy was established, the candidates were ordered to be examined by the Navy Board instead of three Naval officers. Thenceforward no-one could lawfully become a Commander RN., unless he had first passed as a Lieutenant; and no one could lawfully become a Lieutenant without previous qualifications. Still, for many years afterwards, the legal provisions were often more or less openly evaded.

Until 1704 another method of entry into the Navy after the end of King's Letter Boys was as Captain's servant, a fiction under which Post-Captains were allowed so many 'servants', who were, in fact, young proteges to be trained for higher rank. A third method was to enter by being rated as A.B., O.S., or even Landsman.

This in its turn was followed by a system of nomination by Admirals and the First Lord of the Admiralty, which finally gave way to entry by competitive examination.

Rod Colyer
kiredor@btinternet.com

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Last updated 21.04.02ef