North Shields Harbour 1827

Read about the press gangs in Cullercoats.

The background image shows the boats in the Tyne during the 1800's.

A verse of the time proclaims liberty for the Shields sailors.

"Dressed in his jacket of matchless blue,
With silver buckles and trousers new,
With a heart that beats to a country true,
Liberty for the sailors!
Up to the Wooden Bridge and back,
To the Low Light shore down in the crack,
Rambling, swaggering away goes Jack,
When there's liberty for the sailors."

North Shields was an important naval rendezvous, during the Napoleonic Wars, with ships of war guarding the port. The press gangs were out in force, ensuring a regular supply of men for the navy, taken from the local population. Many women and children were left to starve when the men were taken; not to be back in Shields for six or seven years. On more than one ocassion, the men of the town rioted against the press gangs.

During the 1800s, North Shields was sending a whaling fleet of five ships to Greenland and the Davis Straits. Each vessel was equipped and provisioned for a three-year voyage. When the whalers were going to sea the whole town would turn out to cheer the sailors and listen to the shanty-man singing to the crew.