Linda Collison

Women were aboard ship in greater numbers than is indicated by most historical naval fiction accounts -- a popular genre that has greatly affected our cultural memory. While some historians acknowledge women's presence and their role in the Georgian-era British Navy (including Roy and Lesley Adkins, Dudley Pope, N.A.M. Rodger), females aboard ship and in port towns during this time period are generally ignored, or given a nod and a "yes, but" write off. They remain largely invisible and without voice. Marilyn Clay joins the growing ranks of writers and historians recognizing women who were there, as observers and participants. Writers including Margarette Lincoln (Naval Wives & Mistresses), Jo Stanley (Women at Sea,1750-today: From "Cabin Boys" to Captains) Suzanne Stark (Female Tars: Women Aboard Ship in the Age of Sail), Joan Druett (She Captains: Heroines and Hellions of the Sea, Hen Frigates) and others. Clay's survey provides a good summary of the topic for a popular audience.