MAY 2025 MEETING

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Our May meeting is on Wednesday, 21 May 2025 in Holy Cross Church Hall, Butts Road, SN4 0NN at 7.30pm. The subject is 'The Life of a Galley Slave', presented by George North.

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A galley slave's life was characterized by brutal, back-breaking labour, with long hours of rowing, poor conditions, and the constant threat of violence and death. Rowing a galley required immense strength and stamina, often for many consecutive hours. The routine was described as 'one of the most brutal forms of slave labour ever devised'. Galley slaves were often kept bound to their stations, fed poorly, and mistreated by overseers. The practice grew in Europe in the late Middle Ages, with convicted criminals and prisoners of war pressed into service on the galleys. It continued across the globe into the 18th and 19th centuries, with slaves often used to row pirate galleys, both in North Africa and Asia, the slaves having been captured by the pirates on their raids. Note that the portrayals of Roman galley slaves in the film industry are largely inaccurate as Roman oarsmen were usually paid freemen, not slaves. George will take us through this history.