Tree search All record sets

Britain, Merchant Seamen, 1835-1857 Browse

Year
Event to year
Series
Browse Series
Piece number
Series title
Browse Series title
Clear search
Hit a brickwall? Search for someone in our newspaper archives
Search newspapers  Browse newspapers 

Learn more about these records

What can these records tell me?

The details you can find in the images vary for each series. We have listed the additional items you can find in each series.

  • BT112 – Registry of Shipping and Seamen: Register of Seamen

  • Dates of voyages and vessels

  • BT113 – Registry of Shipping and Seamen: Register of Seamen’s Tickets

  • Physical descriptions such as height, hair and eye colour, complexion and distinguishable marks

  • Occupation upon embarking and when the seaman first went to sea

  • Whether he served in Royal Navy

  • Residence

  • BT114 – Registry of Shipping and Seamen: Alphabetical Index of Registers of Seamen’s Tickets

  • Register ticket number

  • BT115 – Registry of Shipping and Seamen: Alphabetical Register of Masters

  • Voyage dates

  • BT116 – Registry of Shipping and Seamen: Register of Seamen, Series III

  • Voyage dates, destinations and vessels

  • BT120 - Registry of Shipping and Seamen: Register of Seamen, Series I

  • Vessel name

  • Voyage dates

Discover more about these records

The Merchant navy seamen 1835-1857 records represent individual seamen that the central government created to monitor a potential reserve of sailors for the Royal Navy. Over 1.9 million records are available to view between these dates.

Merchant navy seamen records are split into two very distinct sections / timeframes because in 1857 the Board of Trade abandoned the seamen's register, deeming the agreements and crew lists enough to meet the department's needs. This means that no register of ordinary seamen's service was kept between 1858-1913.

From 1835, central government began to monitor a potential reserve of sailors for the Royal Navy, which resulted in the creation of thousands of records that identify individual seamen. The main series of records feature the ships' agreements and crew lists, from which registers of service were created.

These are volumes from The National Archives' record series BT112, BT113, BT114, BT115, BT116 and BT120.

Copyright statement

© Crown Copyright Images reproduced by courtesy of The National Archives, London, England.

www.nationalarchives.gov.uk

The National Archives give no warranty as to the accuracy, completeness or fitness for the purpose of the information provided.

Images may be used only for purposes of research, private study or education.

Applications for any other use should be made to:

The National Archives Image Library

Kew

Richmond

Surrey

TW9 4DU

Tel: 020 8392 5225

Fax: 020 8392 5266