Merchant Seamen records hit the web

A major archive collection detailing the lives of thousands of Merchant Seamen can now be explored online. 

The set of 359,000 records, available at www.findmypast.co.uk and digitised in assocation with The National Archives, spans two decades from 1835 to 1857. The entries feature a wide range of personal information including the men's names, ages, places of birth, physical description and the dates that they were at sea.

The documents were created by the British government to help regulate the shipping industry and include registers of Seamen and Masters. More information about what is included in the six series is available at  The National Archives' website.

These records are as significant to the social historian as they are to the family historian: no other group of working class men and women had the freedom of movement and ability to see the world as these 19th century mariners," says maritime records specialist Janet Dempsey. "Although more of a challenge to work with than other family history sources, it can be very satisfying to decipher the codes and have your investigative efforts rewarded with sometimes surprisingly rich detail."