Merchant Seamen
of Britain
and its former colonies
 

My Ancestor was a Merchant Seamen

by Christopher T. and Michael J. Watts

published by the Society of Genealogists
Cover of book
Document shown on the cover is Crown copyright - full reference is given inside.		 The first edition (now out of print) is an 84 page book which has become, over the 10 years that it has been in print, the definitive work for those who require further guidance and details to assist in tracing their merchant seafaring ancestors. A completely revised, and greatly expanded, second edition should be available by the end of this year.

The first edition is subdivided into 8 major sections, covering records held both by the PRO and by other archives and libraries, namely:

-   Trade & Taxation -   Military Connections -   Legal Disputes
-   Registration of Merchant Seamen -   Civil Registration -   Lloyd's Marine Records
-   Registers of Shipping -   Miscellaneous
This book does not limit itself to the records held by a single archive, but rather looks at the vast range of available material and demonstrates how it might be used to solve your particular research problem. It tells you what you might hope to find in each type of document; it contains many transcripts to demonstrate the points that it makes.
Contents

Trade & Taxation:

This section covers early material, some going back as early as the 13th century, related to taxation on trade. Included are Port Books, Shipping Returns and Customs records; these contain information mostly about the masters and owners of ships.   Up

Military Connections:

This section covers records arising from the interaction between the Royal Navy and the Merchant Navy. Included are Letters of Marque (particularly useful for the American and French Wars), Receiver of Sixpence's Accounts (a tax on merchant seamen's wages to support Greenwich Hospital) and Registers of Protection from being Pressed.   Up

Legal Disputes:

This section touches on the vast amount of material arising from disputes over matters related to the high seas - namely the records of the High Court of Admiralty. This material is not easy to use, but can yield fascinating information.   Up

Registration of Merchant Seamen:

This section, which is the largest in the book, examines the vast range of material produced by the Registrar General of Shipping and Seamen. This includes Apprenticeship Indenture (1824-1950), Registers of Seamen's Service (1835-1857), Agreements and Crew Lists (1747-1976) and Certificates for Masters, Mates and Engineers (1845-1921).   Up

Civil Registration:

This section covers the records of birth and death of British citizens/residents (both seamen and passengers) that took place at sea.   Up

Lloyd's Marine Records:

This section gives an overview of the records of Lloyds, the shipping insurers, and some associated material. It includes Lloyd's Captains Register, Lloyd's Register, Lloyd's List and Lloyd's Ships Surveys.   Up

Registers of Shipping:

This section examines the records related to the registration of ships. This may not seem directly applicable to tracing individual seamen - but this book will teach you otherwise.   Up

Miscellaneous:

This section covers, in outline, a wide range of other sources. Included, amongst others are Trinity House Petitions, Newspapers and Shipping Company Records.   Up

The Public Record Office publishes several useful leaflets for those interested in tracing an ancestor who served in the merchant navy of Britain or its former colonies. Copies of these leaflets may be found on their website. Useful though the PRO leaflets may be, their limited size means that they can only give the reader an initial introduction to the topic.A Public Record Office Readers' Guide, written by these authors in conjunction with Kelvin Smith, entitled Records of Merchant Shipping and Seamen looks at the records held at the PRO from a different perspective. It addresses not just the need of the family historian but also those interested in the history of ships and the naval historian.

These books are/will be available from good genealogical booksellers such as those run by
the Society of Genealogists, the Public Record Office and Family Tree Magazine.

If you find that you do need further assistance with your research problem this is available from the authors, who offer a professional research service at modest rates.

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