This is a brief summary of the types of records relating to individuals serving in the (British) Merchant Navy. Records for officers are generally kept separately to those for seamen.
Merchant Officers
Before 1845 there was no systematic recording of officers (Masters and Mates). There may be references to them but the route with the greatest chance of success is via records relating to the vessels in which they served. Between 1845 and 1854 an Alphabetical Register of Masters was compiled and this was akin to the Seamen’s Register and was based on Crew Lists.
After 1845 a system of voluntary examination was introduced for Masters and Mates who were serving on vessels going overseas. Lloyds (in London) started listing the names of those who passed the examinations. Later the system of examination became compulsory for foreign going vessels and there is various genealogical information on those who had passed the exams. This information includes their name, date of certification, and their voyages. These Certificates of Competency and Service cover the period 1845-1921 but the post-1888 volumes do not have voyage data. Records for Fishing Officers are under the Certification of Fishing Skippers and their Mates (second in charge) which commenced in 1884 whilst the Certification of Engineer Officers started in 1862. Cooks also had to qualify under the Merchant Shipping Act of 1906 and they could qualify by either examination or via their length of service.
In 1910 a combined index to Masters, Mates, Engineers and Skippers and Mates of Fishing vessels was started with the intension of replacing the multiple separate Registers held until that date. Lloyds (of London) also compiled Certificate Records for Masters of foreign going vessels under the title of Captains’ Registers. These records covered Masters of such vessels.
Merchant Seamen
Until 1835 the British Government took little interest in Merchant Seamen. For Seamen between 1747 and 1857 the main sources are fragmented Musters Rolls (of merchant vessels), apprenticeship papers, private papers and newspapers. However, in 1835 the Government was keen to have a potential reserve of sailors that could supplement the Royal Navy and for this purpose records on ordinary seamen were compiled. The main series of these documents comes under “Ships’ Agreements and Crew Lists” and they were used to generate Registers of Service.
There were 4 series of Registers of Service and they cover the periods:
- 1835-1836 Register of Seamen Series I
- 1835-1844 Register of Seamen Series II
- 1845-1854 Register of Seamen’s Tickets
- 1853-1857 Register of Seamen Series III
In 1857 the Government (Board of Trade) abandoned the Seamen’s Registers and from 1857 to 1913 no register for ordinary seamen was kept. For the period 1857 to 1913 the main routes for researching such personnel are either through Certificates of Competency of Service and / or via Crew Lists. The latter being time consuming.
By 1910 the Government was changing its position and a new centralised Register was opened in 1913. This is called the Fourth Register and it was started in October 1913. It ran until 1941 but the entries for 1913-1918 were destroyed so the Register really runs for 1918-1941. The details of seamen born less than 100 years ago tend to be restricted.
A Fifth Register was started in 1941 and it records details of men who were paid by the Government to remain in the Merchant Navy Reserve Pool. This was run so that there would be sufficient trained men to man merchant vessels in time of crises. This Register ran until 1972 when it was phased out.
Records for seamen serving after 1972 are held by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency.