Just a bit of fine tuning on this interesting topic.
As Mark says, the names used to describe new entrants to the naval profession(s) were bizarre and misleading. Thus, those destined to become officers were originally described in the ships’ books (before they had the experience to become midshipmen) by terms which bore no resemblance to what they actually did - ie as ‘servants’ (generally ‘captain’s servants’- though there were ‘lieutenants servants’ as well). Sometimes they were entered, after a bit of experience, as ‘able seamen’ – but this was just a name: they were not seamen in any real sense but were actually ‘young gentlemen’ and walked the quarter deck, indeed some were the sons of peers and admirals. One cynical First Lieutenant of more humble origins in a ship with a high percentage of such young men is famous for amusing himself by yelling orders like ‘My Lords and Gentlemen – shiver the mizzen topsail!!’
Training was done on the job using something like an apprenticeship system. We all know of ‘captain’s servants’ as officer entrants. In fact all commissioned and warrant officers were entitled to one of more servants (according to rank) in order to train up boys (often relations or the sons of friends) in their specialities. As Mark says, this system (or lack of it) of describing new entrants was replaced by a new one in the 1790s in which they became described as First, Second, and Third Class’ boys (though the first group – destined to become officers - received the more prestigious title of ‘Volunteers of the First Class’). Second Class boys were warrant officer material; and the Third Class Boys were destined to become seamen. 'Powder monkeys’ were clearly drawn from the Third Class of boy. The quarter bills which survive show that the crews of the heavy main and lower deck guns all included one powder monkey (the situation regarding the lighter carronades is not so clear), and since each guns crew served two guns (they are allocated in the quarter bills in terms such as ‘number four gun and opposite’) a frigate would have needed 16 boys for this purpose and a 74 gun ship 30 odd. The number needed exceeded the number of Third Class boys in the muster roll (the ones I have seen anyway) which suggests that some Second Class Boys might have been so employed as well. Likewise some captains’ orders use the term ‘powder man’ which makes one wonder whether all ‘powder monkeys’ were in fact boys. The situation is not entirely clear however, as the initial ‘P’ which was used in the quarter bill to designate the powder monkey/man (just as ST meant sail trimmer and B boarder) could also be used to indicate the man who could be called on to man the Pumps!
Brian
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