Each British ship that went into battle had the potential to make each man in her crew a little richer. This is because the Royal Navy pursued a policy of paying the officers and crew 'prize money' for every ship captured and 'head money' for every enemy on board a ship at the start of battle.

When a British ship captured an enemy vessel, a survey team immediately took stock of her condition and contents and sent her to the nearest English port that possessed a 'Prize Court'. When the ship arrived, the dockyard surveyor would inspect the ship and cargo and recommend the price at which she should be bought into the service.

In effect, the officers and crew of a victorious British vessel would sell their prize to the Admiralty, and were considered its owners until the Royal Navy paid up.

The money that resulted from the sale of these prize ships would go into a fund for the crew that captured her, and be divided in the following manner:

Needless to point out, some Captains and Admirals did fairly well from their time in the service. In fact, the Admirals usually did very well as they received their eighth from every Captain under their command.

Head money was different in that the officers and crew divided five pounds per enemy on board the opposing ship, and the money was divided evenly among the officers and crew.

Besides prize money and a love for a good fight, the Royal Navy crews fought with the knowledge that a document called 'The Articles of War' loomed over their heads, ready to see them hanged if it appeared that they 'did not do their utmost' to fight the enemy. These articles (36 in number) governed the day-to-day life of the men on board ship and spelled out specific crimes and specific punishments (death was a common one).

Although not every article dealt with conduct in battle, enough of them did to make sure that every sailor had them in mind every time an enemy ship opened its gunports.