Young gentlemen

Young gentlemen is an archaic term that was used in the

Royal Navy to refer to boys aspiring to become a commissioned officer. Until promotion to lieutenant, these boys would serve in various ratings, and the term was used to group all these boys together. A similar term today would be officer candidates or cadets

.

History

In the 18th-century Royal Navy,

gentlemen and non-gentlemen.^[1] Boys aspiring to a commission were often called 'young gentlemen' instead of their substantive rating to distinguish their higher social standing from the ordinary sailors.^[2]^[3] Boys would join the navy around the age of 12 and they would serve as a servant for one of the officers, as a volunteer, or as a seaman. After about three years, they would be promoted to midshipman

.

'Young gentlemen' was also used as a synonym for midshipmen.

acting lieutenant.^[6]

Notes

^ Lewis 1939, p. 228
^ Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Midshipman". Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 18 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. pp. 423–424.
^ Blake & Lawrence 2005, p. 72
^ Hamersly 1881, p. 872
^ ^a ^b Lewis 1939, p. 267
^ "Pitcairn Crew". Pitcairn Island Study Center. 2008. Retrieved 28 April 2010.