Crime and Punishment in the Royal Navy of the Seven Years' War, 1755-1763

The detailed records of naval courts-martial, together with the wealth of day-to-day incidents listed in log books, mean that many of these questions can be addressed and often surprising conclusions reached. In this study we see disgruntled mariners including their brutish superiors in assize courts (and often wining substantial damages), whilst learning that naval courts were statistically less likely to hand down capital sentences than their civilian equivalents. Interesting regional variations are also highlighted, showing how courts martial dealing with crimes such as homosexuality, desertion and murder could often be much more prevalent in one station than another.