British Merchant Seamen

Online Resources

 * 1747-1860 Muster rolls from Agreement & Crew Lists of seamen, 1747 to 1860.
 * 1824-1910 Apprentices Indentured in Merchant Navy, 1824-1910 - provides name of apprentice, age, date of indenture, term, to whom bound, vessel and remarks.
 * 1835-1857 Merchant Seamen 1835-1857
 * 1861 1861 Census Ships at Sea Index
 * 1861-1913 Index to Merchant Navy Crew Lists 1861-1913 - 570,000 records with over 157,000 images
 * 1881 1881 Crew Lists Database at Maritime History Archive
 * 1918-1941 Merchant Seamen 1918-1941 - registers; 2.6 million entries
 * Seamen's Wills at TNA
 * Welsh Mariner's Index

Helpful Websites

 * Merchant Navy Association - provides a research service in some more modern records ($)
 * The British Mercantile Marine and Fishing Fleets: c.1835 - c.1972 with reference to the Seagoing Naval Reserves by Len Barnett.
 * Fishing Boat Heritage We have a rich heritage in our communities, families and boats which have committed to the UK fishing industry over the past 150 years. Significant records and recollections of the people and their boats exist today. Fishing Boat Heritage has been created to provide a single easily accessed archive before much of this is lost forever.
 * Commonwealth War Graves Commission
 * The National Archives:
 * National Archives Factsheet
 * Mariners
 * Guildhall Library Manuscripts Section
 * Finding seafarers from Indexes

History
A merchant mariner worked aboard commercial or merchant vessels. You may want to search merchant shipping records if you find one of the following terms in records about your ancestor: captain, mariner, seaman, mate, boatswain (bosun), or super cargo.

London-Based Mariners

Many mariners while serving in the merchant navy or, who lived in or near Greater London, attended one of the following greater London churches:


 * St Dunstan, Stepney
 * All Hallows, by the Tower (Barking) - a.k.a. Mariner's Chapel
 * St Dunstan in the East
 * St Anne, Limehouse
 * Poplar, All Saints
 * Greenwich St Alfege, Kent
 * Deptford St Paul, Kent
 * Deptford St Nicholas, Kent

Articles about Finding Merchant Marine Records

 * How to look for records of Merchant seamen serving since 1918 at the National Archives
 * How to look for records of Merchant seamen serving up to 1913 at the National Archives

Family History Library
The Family History Library has copies of the captains’ registers, Trinity House petitions, and all Board of Trade records discussed here except the Certificates of Competency and Service. The Board of Trade records are now housed in the The National Archives. Lloyd’s Marine Collection is in the Guildhall Library.
 * England Merchant Marine Resources: List of The merchant marine records in the FamilySearch Catalog
 * Great Britain Merchant Marine Resources: List of The merchant marine records in the FamilySearch Catalog

Shipwrecks
Articles about Shipwrecks:


 * [[Media:The Newcastle Weekly Courant-shipwrecd.pdf|Ulysse]] - 1887, transcript of article in The Newcastle Weekly Courant (Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England); Friday, February 4, 1887: Issue 11064
 * Empress of Ireland - May 29, 1914, A list of the persons involved in the shipwreck.