Kings Shilling Shanty

Unusually, no information was found to be available on this group at time of writing, (October 2025), which was seen to have performed at Gloucester Shanty Festival in 2022 and 2024. They certainly want to keep a low profile!

A note on the name: The King’s shilling, sometimes called the Queen’s shilling when the Sovereign is female, is a historical slang term referring to the earnest payment of one shilling given to recruits to the armed forces of the United Kingdom in the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries, although the practice dates back to the end of the English Civil War. To “take the King’s shilling” was to agree to serve as a sailor or soldier in the Royal Navy or the British Army.