THE NORTH RIDING PROJECT

The sea kings were a race of beings whom Europe beheld with horror. Without a yard of territorial property, without any towns or visible nations, with no wealth but their ships, no force but their crews, the sea kings swarmed upon the boisterous ocean and plundered in every district they could approach. Never to sleep under a smoky roof; nor to indulge in the cheerful cup over a hearth, were the boasts of these watery sovereigns; who not only flourished in the plunder of the sea and its shores; but who sometimes amassed so much booty, and enlisted so many followers, as to be able to assault provinces for permanent conquest. Piracy was reckoned so noble, that parents were even anxious to compel their children to the dangerous and malevolent occupation. From these adventurers the population of England received that spirit of maritime enterprise and daring, which makes them scorn the dangers of the deep, and spread their sails on every sea.

Grainge/Mowbray, 1859