Merchant Seamen: Interpreting Voyage Details in the Registers of Officer's Services

Domestic Records Information 111

1. Introduction

The issuing of certificates to merchant navy officers, for the period 1845 to 1921, is recorded in a range of registers - see Domestic Records Information D93. The applicable classes are:

Masters and Mates: BT 122 to BT 126 and BT 128

Engineers: BT 139 , BT 140 and BT 142

Skippers and Mates of Fishing Boats: BT 129 and BT 130

Up to 1888 details of the voyages undertaken by each officer are recorded in an abbreviated form. This research guide gives details of how this information may be decoded.

It should be remembered that over the 40 year period the way in which the various clerks recorded details in the registers did vary somewhat and it is not possible to give a definitive explanation that covers all circumstances. When trying to interpret a given entry, the reader should try to understand just what the clerk was trying to record.

In general two types of entry will be found, under the heading "Repeated Voyages" (i.e. Reported Voyages) namely those recording a Home Trade voyage and those recording a Foreign Trade voyage. Examples of both are given below. Dates that are given are normally the date of filing of documentation, at the beginning and end of the voyage or period, and not the actual departure and arrival dates. The documents had to be filed shortly before departure and after return (typically 24 to 48 hours) - exact dates of departure and arrival should be given on the crew lists or can often be found, especially for foreign trade voyages, by consulting Lloyds List (copies at Guildhall Library or National Maritime Museum).

2. Home Trade Voyages

These entries do not simply record a single voyage, but rather a period of time during which the officer was engaged on a particular ship in the home trade. The example below is taken from BT 126 .

3. Foreign Trade Voyages

These entries record a single voyage, from the UK back to the UK, during which the officer was engaged on a particular ship. The example below is taken from BT 124 .

(ri2280) Last updated: 7 Febraury 2005 | © Crown Copyright 2002