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Home  Research Services List of the principal records of British shipping and seamen, showing their present locations
List of the principal records of British shipping and seamen, showing their present locations
The British mercantile marine has been regulated by the state from an
early date. Since 1873, the General Register and Record Office of Shipping
and Seamen has maintained the registration of seafarers and of vessels.
The majority of the records of the Registrar General of Shipping and Seamen,
which are selected for permanent retention, are transferred to the British
National Archives, but some of the record series are in other repositories.
The list below provides a brief description of the major record series.
The list is organized in series. Each series lists the year covered by
the records; a brief description of the holdings; the record series number;
the location of the documents. Abbreviations are given at
the end of this page.
Crew Agreements and Official Logs, Merchant Ships:
1747-1860 All surviving papers
1861-1938 10% sample of each year
1861-1862 90%
1863-1913 Small selection at County Record Offices
1863-1938 Remaining (70%) Crew
lists
1865-1935 90% of the years ending in '5'
1902-1919 Official Logs
1939-1950 All papers
1951-1994 10% sample each year
1951-1976 Remaining (80%) Crew
lists
1955-1985 90% of the years ending in '5'
1861-1938 Records pertaining to Celebrated Ships
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TNA
TNA
NMM
MHA
NMM
TNA
TNA
TNA
MHA
NMM
TNA | BT 98
BT 99
BT 99
BT 99
BT 99
BT 99
BT 165
BT 99,
380, 381
BT 99
BT 99
BT 99
BT 100
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In order to do research on an individual, the researcher must provide the name of the vessel that he/she sailed on and the approximate year of the voyage.
For information on ordering copies of crew agreements from the Maritime History Archive please go to the Ordering Crew Agreements page.
Registers of Seamen:
1835-1836 *Registers of Seamen, Series 1
1835-1844 Alphabetical index to the Register of
Seamen's Tickets in
BT 112
1835-1844 *Register of Seamen: Series II
1845-1854 Alphabetical Index to the Register of
Seamen's Tickets in
BT 113
1845-1854 Register of Seamen's Tickets
1845-1854 Alphabetical Register of Mates
1854-1857 *Register of Seamen: Series III
1918-1940 *Fourth Register of Seamen (The Central Indexed Register) (Originals held at the Southampton Archives)
1941-1972 Fifth Register of Seamen
1913-2002 Seamen's Pouches
1851-1948 **Lloyd's Captains Registers
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TNA
TNA
TNA
TNA
TNA
TNA
TNA
TNA
TNA
TNA
MHA |
BT 120
BT 119
BT 112
BT 114
BT 113
BT 115
BT 116
BT 348, 349,
350, 364
BT 382
BT 372 |
*Also available online at www.findmypast.co.uk/search/merchant-navy-seamen.
**Originals available at London Metropolitan Archives.
Registers of Apprentices:
1824-1953 Index of Apprentices
1845-1962 Apprentices' Indentures
1895-1935 Apprentices' Indentures for Fishing |
TNA
TNA
TNA |
BT 150
BT 151
BT 152
|
Registers of Certificates of Competency and Service Issued to
Merchant Seamen:
1845-1849 Registers of Certificates of Competency and Service: miscellaneous
1845-1894 Indexes to the Registers of BT 122, BT 126, BT 128
1845-1906 Registers of Certificates of Competency: Masters and Mates -
Foreign Trade
1881-1890 Registers of Certificates of Competency: Masters and Mates
of Steamships, Foreign Trade
1845-1921 Registers of Certificates of Competency: Masters and Mates -
Home Trade
1850-1888 Registers of Certificates of Service: Masters and Mates -
Foreign Trade
1854-1888 Registers of Certificates of Service: Masters and Mates -
Home Trade
1861-1921 Indexes to BT 139, BT 140 and BT 142
1861-1921 Registers of Certificates of Competency: Engineers
1861-1921 Registers of Certificates of Service: Engineers
1870-1921 Registers of Certificates of Service: Engineers - Colonial
1870-1921 Registers of Certificates of Competency: Masters and Mates -
Colonial
1880-1917 Indexes to the Registers of BT 129 and BT 130
1880-1921 Registers of Certificates of Competency: Skippers and Mates
of Fishing Boats
1883-1922 Registers of Certificates of Service: Skippers and Mates
of Fishing Boats
1889- Masters and Mates Home Trade
1896- Masters and Mates Foreign Going
-------------- Surviving Certificates from the 19th Century
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TNA
TNA
TNA
TNA
TNA
TNA
TNA
TNA
TNA
TNA
TNA/
MHA
TNA
TNA
TNA
TNA
RSS
RSS
NMM |
BT 143
BT 127
BT 122
BT 123
BT 125
BT 124
BT 126
BT 141
BT 139
BT 142
BT 140
BT 128
BT 138
BT 129
BT 130
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References to Births, Marriages and Deaths:
1837-1930 Marine Register Book - Births
1837-1965 Marine Register Book - Deaths
1852-1889 *Registers of Wages and Effects of Deceased Seamen
1853-1889 Indexes to Seamen's Names
1854-1890 **Registers of Births, Deaths and Marriages
of Passengers at
Sea
1855-1889 Indexes to Ships' Names
1857-1972F Records of Marriages at Sea
1875-1888 **Registers of Deaths of British Nationals at Sea
1875-1891 **Registers of Births of British Nationals at Sea
1882-1888 *Registers of Seamen's Deaths classified by cause
1886-1890 *Monthly Lists of Deaths of Seamen
1891-1964 Registers and Indexes of Births, Marriages and Deaths of
Passengers and Seamen at Sea
1914-1919, Deaths at Sea - Returns of Deaths
1939-1964
1920-1938 Casualties and Deaths Lists (C&D)
1939-1945 Daily Casualty Registers
1939-1946, Inquiries into causes of Deaths at Sea
1964
1939-1950 Casualties and Deaths Lists (C&D)
1965-to date Deaths at Sea - Returns of Deaths
1965-to date Registers of Births and Deaths at Sea
1973-to date Records of Deaths on Oil Installations
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GRO
GRO
TNA
TNA
TNA
TNA
RSS
TNA
TNA
TNA
TNA
TNA
NMM
NMM
TNA
TNA
RSS
RSS
RSS
RSS |
BT 153
BT 154
BT 158
BT 155
BT 159
BT 160
BT 157
BT 156
BT 334
BT 347
BT 341 |
*Also available online at Ancestry.
**Also available online at www.bmdregisters.co.uk/index.php and Ancestry.
Transcripts of Registers and Transactions Thereon:
1786-1800 Certificates of vessel registry
1786-1907F Index to ships registries
1812-1889 Certificates of vessel registry, Colonial Ports
1814-1889F Certificates of vessel registry
1890-1920 In respect of closed registries only, Colonial Ports
1890-1955 In respect of closed registries only
1890-1978 In respect to open registries
1956-1978 In respect of closed registries only |
NMM
TNA
MHA
TNA
MHA
TNA
RSS
RSS |
BT 111
BT 107, 108
BT 107-109
BT 110
BT 110 |
Registration of Fishing Boats:
1893-1938 Statistical register
1939-1978 Statistical register
1938-1978 Transactions on the register |
TNA
RSS
RSS
|
BT 145
|
Annual & Quinquennial List of Ships Registered:
1786-1955 Annual lists of ships registered
1786-1955 Colonial ports only Registers
1956-1978 Annual list of additions and deletions only |
NA
MHA
RSS |
BT 162, 163
BT 162
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Abbreviations
- TNA The National Archives
- NMM National Maritime Museum
- RSS Registry of Shipping and Seamen
- MHA Maritime History Archive
- GRO General Register Office
- F Indicates the record terminated in the given year
Addresses:
National Archives
Kew,
Richmond,
Surrey, TW9 4DU
ENGLAND
E-mail: enquiry@nationalarchives.gov.uk
Web: http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk
National Maritime Museum,
Park Row,
Greenwich,
London, SE10 9NF
ENGLAND
E-mail: nmmweb@nmm.ac.uk
Web: http://www.nmm.ac.uk
Registry of Shipping and Seamen
Anchor Court/Keen Rd
Llanishen,
Cardiff, CF24 5JW
WALES
Guildhall Library,
Aldermanbury,
London, EC2P 2EJ
ENGLAND
The General Register Office
ENGLAND
E-mail: overseas.gro@ons.gsi.gov.uk
Web: https://www.gov.uk/general-register-office
For further information on genealogical research, we recommend My
Ancestor Was a Merchant Seaman by Christopher T. and Michael J. Watts
and Tracing Your Ancestors in the
Public Record Office by A. Bevan & A. Duncan.
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