A new
source, 1840s Admiralty seamen’s tickets, is used to explore three anthropometric
issues. First, did being born in a city, with its associated disamenities, stunt? Second, did being born near a city,
whose markets sucked foodstuffs away, stunt? Third, did child labour stunt?
Being born in a city stunted although the effect was limited except in the
largest cities. In contrast, opportunities to trade did not stunt. Finally
although adults who went to sea young were shorter than those who did not
enlist until fully grown, going to sea did not stunt. Rather the prospect of
plentiful food at sea attracted stunted adolescents, who reversed most of their
stunting as a result. But child labour at sea was unique: wages were largely
hypothecated to the child as food and shelter, rather than paid in cash that
might be spent on other family members.