Merchant Seamen: Registers of Service, 1835-1857

Domestic Records Information 89

1. Introduction

Until the introduction of the registration of merchant seamen in 1835 central government took little interest in the activities of individual seafarers, whether masters, mates or ordinary seamen.

For information on the fragmented series Muster Rolls, BT 98 , covering the period 1747 to 1857, held at The National Archives see the introduction in research guide Merchant Shipping: Agreements and Crew Lists, 1747-1860.

Those searching for further details of seamen, before 1835, must look elsewhere either in private collections, newspapers or wherever the path of a seaman crossed with officialdom. There are also records of apprenticeship, see Apprenticeship Records as Sources for Genealogy.

From 1835 onwards central government's interest was raised as a means of monitoring a potential reserve of sailors for the Royal Navy. As a consequence, many records were created that identify individual seamen. The main series are the ships' agreements and crew lists from which were generated the registers of service.

Four registers of seamen's service were created during the years before 1858, these are:

In 1857 the Board of Trade abandoned the Seamen's register reasoning that the agreements and crew lists were sufficient to meet the needs of the department. So, from 1858 - 1913 no register of ordinary seamen's service was kept.

For the period 1858-1913 researchers interested in ordinary seamen, that is those not in possession of a certificate of competency or service, will need to use the Agreements and Crew Lists - see Merchant Shipping: Agreements and Crew Lists after 1861. For details of registration after 1913 see Merchant Seamen: Registers of Service, 1913-1972

Those interested in Merchant Marine Officers' records and other seamen who were awarded competency or service certificates for their role on board ship, should look in research guide Merchant Shipping: Officers' Service Records.

All the early registers (1835-1857) can only be seen at the Kew offices of The National Archives, on microfilm. Please see below for fuller details of each series.

2. Register of Seamen Series I, 1835-1836 (BT 120)

The first register, Register of Seamen Series I (BT 120 ), consists of five volumes, in which the entries for seamen are arranged alphabetically. A typical entry looks like this:

The first column contains the number of the seaman's entry, which corresponds to that found from the index BT 119 and subsequently used in the Register of Seamen Series II, Part 1. The second column gives the surname then their forename, the third to the seaman's age (not always accurate), the fourth his/her place of birth, the fifth their role on the vessel, the sixth the ship's name and port of registry with date of registration, and the seventh How disposed of, sometimes shows a note of why the seamen left the vessel or where he/she went.

3. Register of Seamen, Series II, 1835-1844 (BT 112)

The Register of Seamen, Series II (BT 112 ) comprised 78 volumes covering the period 1835 to 1844. The 78 volumes were divided into two parts, part 1. covering 1835-1840 and and part 2 for 1842-1844. At some point, in an attempt to create a single alphabetical register, these were combined. Unfortunately this has meant finding the entries for individuals can be difficult. To help an additional Finding Aid held at Kew is available which cuts through these problems.

Part 1, 1835-1840

Part 1 is indexed in BT 119 . A typical index entry looks like this:

Using the reference number given, (in this case Thomas Corrigale, registered number 10656), details may be followed up in the appropriate register in BT 112 to discover:

Note: The registration numbers found in BT 120 can also be used here, and vice versa.

Part 2, 1842-1844

The second part, which may be in the same volume as part 1, or be found in another volume, is arranged largely alphabetically although there is an index to surnames in BT 119/28 . A typical entry, which may be located in the appropriate register in BT 112 , looks like:

4. Register of Seamen's Tickets, 1845-1854

In 1844 new regulations were introduced in order to establish a Register Ticket system. The Second Register was closed and in its place all British seaman leaving the United Kingdom had to have a Ticket. Each Ticket was entered into ledgers (BT 113 ) which in turn are indexed in the Alphabetical Register of Seamen's Tickets BT 114 , which gives the surname and forenames, place of birth, and register ticket number .

Using the ticket number, further details may be found out about the individual from the registers themselves (Register of Seamen's Tickets BT 113 ), for example:

You need to be aware of several points about the index and the entries in the registers:

5. Register of Seamen, Series III, 1853-1857

The ticket system was unpopular with seamen and difficult to enforce and was therefore abolished in October 1853. A new register was started, listing seamen alphabetically - Register of Seamen, Series III (BT 116 ) - giving their ages, places of birth and details of voyages (ship's name, date and port of departure), together with any existing ticket numbers, e.g.

6. Further Reading

Christopher T and Michael J Watts, My Ancestor Was a Merchant Seaman (Society of Genealogists, 2nd edition with addendum, 2004)

Kelvin Smith, Christopher T Watts & Michael J Watts, Records of Merchant Shipping and Seamen (PRO Readers' Guide No 20)

(ri2196) Last updated: 22 January 2005 | © Crown Copyright 2002