The Historical Maritime Society

Nelson and His Navy - The Cat o'Nine Tails

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Martin Gershman writes this article on the Naval Cat O' Nine Tails which resides in the Anatomy Department of the Edinburgh University Medical School.

The Medical School's Department of Anatomy is the owner of a fascinating collection of military surgical exhibits from the early 19th century, including examples of grape shot &c. used in the Sikh Wars , and bits of people from the Carlist/ Peninsular Wars &c.

Among the items which have never been placed on public display, but which can be viewed by arrangement, is by far the oldest example of a naval cat o' nine tails. it was given to the then Professor of Military Surgery, Ballingall, by a naval surgeon by the name of Cowan around 1820, and is therefore the only surviving example from our period. The only other example the current Professor of Anatomy is aware of is at the National Maritime Museum, and is apparently very late (around 1870) when flogging had almost entirely ceased (it was suspended in peacetime in 1871, and in wartime 10 years later but like the press gang remains entirely legal). This early example would almost certainly have been used in anger.

It is a round wooden baton 18 inches long, 1½ inches wide, and clad in a light green baize/woollen cloth. Each end has ¼ inch strips of the green cloth stitched around as a sort of decoration. There are, of course, the nine tails of a stoutish cord (not leather) each 24 inches long. The tails are knotted 3 times each at approximately ½ to 2 inches intervals, and the tips are bound with thread to prevent fraying (the "thieves cat" apparently had more knots). The first knot is 2 inches from the end of each strand. A faintly discernible strand of red cotton runs through each tail, occasionally visible, an example of the Admiralty's marking of rope to prevent theft.

The instrument of punishment makes its army counterpart of the time, look comparatively lenient. This was a 12 inch drumstick with 12 inch long strings and this would be laid on by a drummer rather than a brawny bosun's mate.

A quasi-scientific test has been carried out with a replica cat made to exactly the same spec as its naval forebear; a 13 oz. cat with 2' long tails. The tests were carried out by a 5'10" man of average build on various pieces of knot-free pitch pine. A ¾" by ¾" piece broke into 3 bits on the first blow while a 1" by 1" piece broke on the second. The tails appeared to spread no more than 3". Pitch pine was chosen because of its elasticity.

It is little wonder therefore that a man had to be lashed to something solid like a grating otherwise he would have been knocked over by the first blow. Small wonder that men died from its effects.