Why was the Royal Navy not an easy posting for an unsuccessful well-connected son?
Short answerThe lieutenant's examination could expose failure publicly, so patronage did not remove every professional requirement.
NotesSocial connections are contrasted with the practical embarrassment of failing a lieutenant's examination. A family could send an unsuitable son to a militia, colonial garrison, or East India Company posting without exposing him to the same formal naval hurdle. Patronage therefore remained important, but it did not erase the service's technical and professional filter. The examination made the Royal Navy a less convenient refuge for an incapable well-connected son than institutions where family influence could conceal poor performance more easily.