Illustration showing a Press Gang at work circa

Illustration showing a Press Gang at work circa - 18th century. Impressment, colloquially the press or the press gang, is the taking of men into a military or naval force by compulsion, with or without notice. Navies of several nations used forced recruitment by various means. The large size of the British Royal Navy in the Age of Sail meant impressment was most commonly associated with Britain. It was used by the Royal Navy in wartime, beginning in 1664 and during the 18th and early 19th centuries

1664 Centuries Colloquially Commonly Compulsion Forced Means Meant Navies Notice

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