Julian Stockwin - Tyger

fathom (German)

landwehr

locally raised army, militia (German)

larb’d

larboard, left side of ship looking forward

liberty-ticket

issued to seamen going ashore as protection against press-gangs

liebfahne

banner of highest expression of love of country

lighters

open craft with flat bottom for carrying goods to or from ships at anchor

middling repair

requires docking

mort

a significantly large amount; from mortal

naught

nothing

Navy Board warrant

writ of authority from commissioners of the Admiralty necessary to officers under the rank of lieutenant; boatswain, carpenter, etc.

nosel

quart of liquid (German)

pettifogging

quibbler; from petty and voger (German “arranger”)

pfund

pound (German)

points (of sailing)

all the angles the ship can take with respect to the wind

popinjay

person of vain and pretentious character; like a green woodpecker

private signal

ship’s identifying code known only to members of a given squadron or fleet, requiring secret reply

prize

vessel captured from an enemy state either by a man-o’-war or licensed privateer

puncheon

cask of 72-gallon capacity; can be filled with liquid or bulk

quarters

after a warship has cleared for action it closes up at quarters: men go to the guns

quoin

inclined wedge placed under breech of a gun to effect elevation

ran-tan

all out joyous run ashore; French ran-tan, knocking, banging

reefer

midshipman

row-guard

manning a boat and circling a ship slowly to discourage deserting

royster

general merriment at a tavern

rum do

strange happening

running rigging

the operating ropes of a ship as compared to standing rigging, which supports masts

rutter

old term for written sailing directions

sabretache

flat bag or pouch suspended below the sabre of mounted horseman

Sami

peoples indigenous to Lapland, Finland, the Kola peninsula

sennit

woven yarn or straw worked by sailors

ship-rigged

fully rigged; three masts with square sail on all

skiddy cock

smaller friend

strut-noddy

swaggering promenader who doesn’t know he looks foolish

tertian

type of barrel traditionally used in the southwest of England

the ton

those adhering to high fashion, stylish; Latin tonus, tone

trots, the

piles sunk out in a river or waterway to allow a vessel to moor alongside without taking the ground at low water

yeoman of the powder room

an experienced hand in charge of powder stowage; keeps accounts on behalf of the gunner

1773

Thomas Paine Kydd is born 20 June, in Guildford, Surrey, son of Walter and Fanny Kydd

1789

The Storming of the Bastille, 14 July

1793

Louis XVI executed, 21 January

France declares war on England; Kydd, a wig-maker by trade, is press-ganged into the 98-gun ship of the line Duke William

Kydd

The Reign of Terror begins, 5 September

Artemis

1794

Transferred aboard the crack frigate Artemis, Kydd is now a true Jack Tar who comes to love the sea-going life

1795

The Netherlands is invaded by France,19 January, and becomes the Batavian Republic

Seaflower

In the Caribbean, Kydd continues to grow as a prime seaman

1797

Battle of Cape St Vincent, 14 February

Mutiny at the Nore, 17 April

Kydd is promoted to acting lieutenant at Battle of Camperdown, 11 October

Mutiny

1798

Kydd passes exam for lieutenancy; now he must become a gentleman

Quarterdeck

From the Halifax station, Kydd and his ship are summoned to join Nelson on an urgent mission

The Battle of the Nile, 1 August

Tenacious

Britain takes Minorca as a naval base from Spain, 16 November

1799

Siege of Acre, March-May

1801

Prime Minister Pitt resigns, 16 February

Battle of Copenhagen, 2 April

Kydd is made commander of brig-sloop Teazer but his jubilation is cut short when peace is declared and he finds himself unemployed

1802

Temporary peace at Treaty of Amiens, 25 March

Command

1803

War resumes 18 May, with Britain declaring war on the French

Unexpectedly, Kydd finds himself back in command of his beloved Teazer

The Admiral’s Daughter

Kydd is dismissed his ship in the Channel Islands station

1804

Napoleon’s invasion plans are to the fore

May, Pitt becomes Prime Minister again

1804

Napoleon is crowned Emperor, 2 December

Invasion

1805

Kydd is made post-captain of L’Aurore

The Battle of Trafalgar, 21 October

Victory

1806

The race to empire begins in South Africa. British forces take Cape Town, 12 January

A bold attack on Buenos Aires is successful, 2 July

Conquest

Effective end of The Fourth Coalition, 14 October

Betrayal

In the Caribbean, the French threat takes a new and menacing form

Caribbee

1807

Napoleon tightens his Continental Blockade and moves on the Levant to break out of Europe

Pasha

Balked of empire by Trafalgar, Bonaparte strikes east and crushes proud Prussia

Tyger