Hull's Press Gang Riot

Press gangs were a dreaded sight up and down coast of Britain. They would scour the towns and villages at night taking almost every man or boy they met, regardless of age or occupation. In Hull, they took a medical doctor named Hayes and George Speck, who at the time was a shipwright aged 60. It wasn't just those found wandering the street that they took. Another Hull shipwright was taken by force one night from his lodgings. Those taken were impressed to a life at sea. It was reputed that George Speck never returned. Apprentice lads tended to be spared, but only if their master claimed them.

It is not surprising therefore, the press gangs were feared and hated up and down the country. In Robin Hoods Bay, the women would warn the men by beating on pans or anything else they could get their hands on to warn the men of the village, who would often retreat to the moors above the village. Sailors that came to Hull would stay at lodgings at Paull or further upstream, out of the way of the press gangs until their ships were ready to leave.

Impressment wasn't new. It existed for centuries. Sanctioned by Parliament, it was a way of recruiting men into the navy. It was vigorously enforced during the naval wars of the 18th and early 19th centuries. The draw to Hull, like most ports, and communities along the coast, was the abundance of skilled sailors. Those employed among Hull’s whaling fleet were exempt from impressment but were highly sought after for their seamanship and arguably toughness, and therefore press gangs often overlooked their exemption.

In Hull, those who were impressed, ended up at a house at the South End of the town. From here they were inspected before being forwarded to the supply brig, which lay in the Humber. Once aboard, the men were conveyed to the warships. The supply brig would return to Hull, and its crew would scour the streets once again. This method of impressment was common around the coasts of Britain at the time. However, on one summer’s evening in May 1815, the people of Hull turned on the press gang, so much so that it became known locally as the Press Gang Riot.

It all began around 6pm on an early summer’s evening, when a young sailor was ashore in Hull. This sailor had the misfortune of running in to the press gang which was out doing the rounds. The quick-thinking young sailor managed to evade the gang, running off into the direction of the New Dock. However, he didn’t go unnoticed by the press gang who quickly followed in pursuit.

Around the same time, finishing up for the day was a gang of workman who had been repairing the New Dock’s lock gates. Pursued by the press gang, the young sailor slipped passed the workmen, before taking flight through the town.

The workmen, probably looking forward to a well-earned drink after a long day, took exception to the press gang and a fight quickly ensued. One of the workmen struck a member of the press gang across the head with a spade, splitting his head wide open. We don’t know for certain whether the press gang captured the sailor they had initially being chasing, but it appears at some point the press gang had captured an individual, and this together with their confrontation with the workmen, signalled a general riot aimed straight at the press gang.

Soon the streets were filled with people. Attention quickly turned to the house at the South End of the town, used by the press gang to hold those they had taken. The rioter’s descended upon the property with the intention to free those that had been impressed.

The South End of Hull c.1850

The house in question belonged to Matthew Smith. Smith later recalled the house was used as a rendezvous by the press gang, prior to sending those captured to the waiting supply brig Tender in the Humber. Outside among the riotous crowd was John Dunhill and William Bewell. By the time the riotous crowd has assembled the press gang had taken cover and retreated inside the property.

Outside the crowd swelled. Many were armed with makeshift weapons. Cheered on by the crowd, Dunhill along with the mob threw lime, bricks, and bats at the property, before proceeding to batter down the walls. A Lieutenant with the press gang recalled how he escaped via the back of the property. Soon the house was all but destroyed, its furniture taken or destroyed by the rioters.

John Dunhill and William Bewell appear to have been singled out as two of the instigators. Dunhill was reported to have been seen to be quarrelling with Matthew Smith before the property was attacked. Dunhill, it was said, was intoxicated and abused Smith because he refused to provide him with ale. Bewell was seen to be shouting and making great noise in the frenzy. He was identified at the centre of the house, shouting, and cheering as he and the rioters destroyed the property.

By 11pm the rioters had dispersed. Singled out, Dunhill and Bewell were brought before the magistrates on 17th July 1815. They were charged with 'riotously assembling together and a great number of other persons and demolishing a certain house'. The jury in the case deliberated for around a quarter of an hour before returning the verdict 'Not guilty'.

Entry from the Calendar of Prisoners showing probably the same John Dunhill, this time accused of assaulting his wife

Although laws were passed in 1835 to uphold the power to impress, the practice had largely fallen into disuse after 1815 with the end of the Napoleonic Wars. No longer did the press gangs scour the streets of Hull looking to impress those they came across. All but forgotten today, the press gangs are a reminder of Hull's once darker, and sinister past.

Neil Chadwick
Librarian/Archivist