A RARE case case exercised Southampton Magistrates when seven firemen, who had been sailing on a West Indies mail steamer, applied to the court for help in claiming wages.

They had been part of the crew of the Forth who had been involved in an acrimonious dispute with the ship's commander after it had docked at Granada.

The group had fallen out with Captain Chapman over the freshness of meat a butcher had brought on board, though it was acceptable to the remainder of the crew, and refused to carry out their duties until fresh supplies were provided.

To maintain discipline, Captain Chapman refued to buckle and ordered his officers to detain the firemen in two days confinement until they relented.

However, the men still would not and the captain increased their confinement for a further six days.

The dispute worsened after the Forth tied up by the Royal Pier with the captain adamant he would not pay them for the time they had been on strike.

That particularly hit home on one, John Ritchie, who under an order from the Sheriff of Dunbartonshire had to give much of his wages for the upkeep of his estranged wife and daughter.

In a conciliatory gesture, Chapman said he would contact the ship's owner for guidance in the hope of resolving the matter but they were adamant they would pay the men unless the magistrates determined otherwise.

So on August 1, 1844, the parties gathered at the town's court.

However, following advice from the clerk, the Bench ruled they had no jurisdiction in the matter and they had no information about the Sheriff's missive.

However, the two sides became increasingly eager to settle the matter amicably and the magistrates recommended the men should be paid.

"We cannot make such an order," the chairman explained.

That satisfied both parties and on the instructions of the ship's owner, the men won the day and went to their office to be paid in full.