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Wills of Royal Naval Seamen (1786 - 1882)

You can now search and download the wills of around 35,000 men who joined the Royal Navy between 1786 and 1882.

Below are some points to help you understand more about the Royal Naval Seamen's wills. Use the links below to jump to the topics you are interested in.

Introduction

Admiral Howe's Fleet, 1794 (Cat ref: MPI 1/536)

Accident, disease and war were risks for seamen and many of them made wills to provide for their families in the event of death. As far back as 1698 the Admiralty had to deal with individuals impersonating deceased seamen or their executors, creditors or next of kin. They were trying to claim unpaid wages by forging wills and letters of attorney .

Various Acts of Parliament were passed to try to stop these criminal practices and in 1716 and 1720 there were proposals to set up an office for registering seamen's wills. However these proposals were turned down by the Admiralty and it was not until 1786 that the office of Inspector of Wills was established.

The records in this online collection are original wills of Warrant officers and seamen. Most of them are written on printed forms. These forms were accepted as valid by the Admiralty and they were deposited in the Navy Office, with orders to issue cheques to the executors.

How do I search?

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The records in this online collection were originally grouped in the series ADM 48. Now you can search on details from the records by entering any or all of the following:

The date of the will is shown in the search results. Where no date was recorded in the original document, a date range appears instead.

The wills are usually a printed form with details filled in by hand, although some have been written out in full. There might also be correspondence, such as the "Application of the Executor/Executrix" and notes. These wills hold details such as the name, address and occupation of the executor and the names of beneficiaries.

How to interpret a record

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The documents themselves are straightforward, usually a printed will. As a rule each man's will begins with the printed words "In the Name of God, Amen". The wills usually give the testator's name, rank and ship, together with details of his effects and the name (and sometimes the address) of the person who was to receive them in the event of his death (in most cases, his next of kin). As well as being signed and dated by the testator, wills were usually signed by the master and captain of the ship that the seaman or warrant officer was serving on when the will was made .

Click on the images below to see typical examples.

The first image is an early example and it shows the will of William Abrams, dated 1796 (the year he made his will). The will reveals that he had served in the Portsmouth Division of the Marines before joining HMS Pallas. He left everything to his mother, Mary Abrams. The will also reveals details about his mother; she was from the Wiltshire parish of Milksham (Melksham) but subsequently she was living with Thomas Stansell, a saddler, in Truebridge (Trowbridge), also in Wiltshire. William Abrams signed his will but there was widespread illiteracy in England and Wales at this time so it's not unusual to find "the mark of..._X" or "his ^X mark" instead of a signature.

The second image is typical of later wills in this collection, the will of Henry Walker Thorp, chief engine room artificer on HMS Invincible. He made his will in 1880 leaving everything to his wife, Emily Thorp who was living in Portsmouth, Hampshire. He appointed his brother-in-law, Richard Green, as Executor. Richard Green was living in Fratton, Hampshire at that time. This will also has a signature.

Why can't I find an entry?

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There might not be a record in this collection but it's also possible that the information is recorded elsewhere:

Sometimes names might not be spelt as expected. For help in looking for possible spelling variants see the search tips.

Continuing your research

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You can see other documents in the Reading Room at The National Archives. Officers' effects papers can be found in the series ADM 45 and Seamen's effects papers in ADM 44. There is a register of probates affecting the payment of pensions in PMG 50 (1836-1915).

If you are researching the Battle of Trafalgar you might be interested in The National Archives Trafalgar online exhibition, the Trafalgar ancestors database.

These books are available from The National Archives bookshop:

If you are researching naval records you might find these other websites useful:

Research guides and further information

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Although the wills are written in English, you might be unused to some older forms of handwriting. If so, you might find our free online palaeography tutorial helpful.

You can search and download Royal Navy service records (1853 - 1923).

For more information on other Royal Navy, Royal Marines, Coastguard and Merchant Navy records, click on the links to see the relevant research guides. However please note that these records are not available from DocumentsOnline.

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