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Archiver > Mariners > 1999-07 > 0932861026


From: "Debbie Beavis" <>
Subject: [Mariners-L] 19C Merchant Seamen
Date: Sun, 25 Jul 1999 01:03:46 +0100


TRACING 19c MERCHANT SEAMEN IN BRITISH RECORDS

Debbie Beavis

Organised service records of a seaman's career do not commence
until1835.

The Merchant Shipping Act of 1835 required masters of all ships to file
Agreements and Crew Lists with the Registrar General of Shipping and
Seamen. The Government saw the need for registering all seamen who could
be called upon to man Naval ships in times of war - the RGSS extracted
names of all men from the Crew Lists and entered them into a series of
Registers.

These registers are filed at the Public Record Office as follows:

BT120 Register of Seamen series l, 1835-1836

This is a small series comprising 5 volumes, listing the men
alphabetically by surname.

BT112 Register of Seamen series ll 1835-1844

There are 83 volumes in the series, divided into two parts. Searches
must be made in both sections, which can be in two volumes or two
sections of the same volume. It should incorporate the names from BT120
but you must not rely on this being so. This register requires great
care as the layout of the two sections is not straightforward and it is
easy to overlook the section required.

Both sections are roughly alphabetical, the first indexed by separate
alphabetical indexes: BT119 Alphabetical Index to Seamen. This gives the
reference number which can be used to trace the correct entry in BT112.

The second section is internally indexed. It is NOT indexed from BT119.
This means that both sections must be searched for each seaman. It is
important not to rely on the accuracy of the indexes in BT119 nor the
internal indexes in the second section. If your seaman's name does not
appear in the indexes you must always be prepared to search the actual
registers. You may expect to find the seaman's name, number, age, place
of birth, and reference to the ship or voyage.

BT114 Alphabetical Register of Seamen's Tickets 1845-1854

>From 1844, any seaman leaving the UK was required to have a register
ticket, details being entered in this series of registers. This register
gives the name, place of birth and Register Ticket number.

BT113 Register of Seamen's Tickets

The key to this numerical register is the Ticket number obtained from
the alphabetical register in BT114. There may be a brief biographical
details of the seaman and a note of his voyages. It must be remembered
that many entries are blank, especially towards the end of the series.
The reported voyages are again in a simple code and provide a numerical
key to the crew lists and agreements.

BT116 Register of Seamen Series lll 1853-1857

The ticketing system was abolished in 1853 and a new series was begun,
much easier to search, listing seamen alphabetically with age, existing
ticket number, place of birth and voyage details.

The problems with recording seamen throughout the whole period of
1835-1857 were eventually viewed as insurmountable and the whole system
was discontinued. From that date up to 1913, the only way of tracing the
career of a merchant seamen is by reference to the Agreements and Crew
Lists.

These records have all been filmed and may be obtained through LDS
libraries or at the Public Record Office in Kew, England. This is a
brief overview of what you may do to research the career of a 19th
Century merchant seaman. You may wish to view the PRO's guide at their
website http://www.pro.gov.uk .

Note that these instructions DO NOT relate to records of Master Mariners
and Mates.

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