Royal Museums Greenwich

Tracing people

The Caird Library holds many useful resources for those who are trying to trace people who were involved with either the Merchant Navy or the Royal Navy. If you are working on your family history, please see:

Research guide A3: Tracing family history from maritime records

Tracing merchant seamen 

The following guides offer help and information in tracing merchant seamen:

  • Research guide C1: The Merchant Navy: Tracing people: Crew lists, agreements and official logs
  • Research guide C2: The Merchant Navy: Tracing people: Master mariners, mates and engineers
  • Research guide C13: The Merchant Navy: Tracing merchant seamen: Sources of information in the National Maritime Museum

The Museum holds substantial records relating to the personnel of the merchant navy. More information can be found on the following pages.

Masters' certificates

What are Masters' Certificates?

From 1845, masters and mates of foreign-going vessels took voluntary examinations of competency. These exams became compulsory in 1850, and from 1854 masters and mates of home-trade vessels were also required to take these examinations. Anyone working as a master, mate, skipper, or engineer post-1845 should have held one. Certificates of competency were gained via examination, and certificates of service were issued via exemption due to long service.

The certificates give various details, such as home address, date, and year and place of birth. More detailed are the applications for the certificates, which usually give the ships served on, until the application was made; the exact date of birth and occasionally a brief description of the individual.

Where are the certificates held?

Certificates and any surviving applications for the period 1845–1927 are held at the National Maritime Museum. Please note that not all the certificates, and in particular the applications, have survived.

Certificates and applications for certificates issued in the colonies should be sought in the archives of the country of issue.

How do I find out if my ancestor held a certificate?

All certificates are filed in certificate order number. You will need to establish the certificate order number before you can proceed with your research.

The most comprehensive source of certificate numbers is the National Archive's Officers' Service Records.

The Guildhall Library’s Lloyd’s Captains Registers also gives details of master mariners. The link takes you to their online information leaflet.

We hold these registers on microfilm, but they can occasionally be difficult to read and so it is best to consult the originals. Please note that these registers do not include mates, engineers and skippers, and are not comprehensive.

How do I view the certificates?

Certificates can be viewed in the Caird Library. Please note that it is advisable to establish first whether we hold the certificate and application prior to your visit.

Please note that at least two weeks' notice must be given if you would like to view either engineers' certificates or skippers' certificates.

Crew lists and official logs

What are crew lists and official logs?

Crew agreements are detailed contracts between a seaman and employer, which were first introduced in 1835 by a Merchant Shipping Act. Agreements from vessels working in the home trade were submitted twice a year, whilst agreements from those in the foreign trade were submitted at the end of each voyage.

Agreements include basic voyage details and details of men joining and leaving the ship. Usually, age, home address and previous ship are stated for each seaman.

Official logs have some details of crew members, but are not a daily diary of a ship’s movements. Rather, logs give details of new arrivals on-board, deaths, departures, illness, disciplinary action, etc. Unfortunately, a large number of logs have not survived.

Where are crew lists and official logs held?

The National Maritime Museum holds crew agreements for the years 1861 and 1862, and years ending in 'five', 1875–1995, excluding 1939–1950. Official logs, when these have survived, are held with the appropriate crew agreement, with a few exceptions. Research guide C1 has more details.

How do I view crew agreements?

To order a crew agreement, you will need to obtain the ship's official number, and the order must be placed at least two weeks in advance of your visit. You can obtain this number form the Mercantile Navy List or Lloyd's Registers of Ships. We can also post you a copy.

If you would like to place an order, or ask for more information:
E-mail: manuscripts@rmg.co.uk, Tel: +44 (0)20 8312 6691/6516

Tracing members of the Royal Navy

The following guides provide information about how to trace those who served with the Royal Navy:

The personnel records of the Royal Navy are deposited with the National Archives (formerly the Public Record Office). However, the Caird Library can advise on the locations of records, and we offer many printed sources such as the Navy List and naval biographies that can help you in your research. In particular, we may be able to help you find out more about the vessels on which the person served.

Tracing a passenger

The museum does not hold passenger lists but the following guides provide further information on locating these:

Also of interest
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