An innovative study of naval women who stayed at home while their men went to sea, this book focuses on the second half of the 18th century--a period when Britain was almost continuously at war--and looks at different social groups, from the aristocratic elite to the laboring and criminal poor, from prostitutes to petty thieves. Drawing on a range of material that includes personal letters, trial reports, popular prints, and love tokens, it exposes the personal cost of warfare and imperial ambition. It also reveals the opportunities for greater self-determination that some women were able to grasp, as the responsibility for maintaining the home and bringing up children fell squarely on them in their husbands' absence. The text includes many voices from the past and throws fresh light on an under-researched aspect of women's history.