Who Do You Think You Are? Encyclopedia of Genealogy (29 page)

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Full pay registers can be found in ADM 24 (1795–1872) and ADM 22 (1847–74)

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Half-pay registers are in ADM 18 (1668–89), ADM 25 (1693–1836), ADM 23 (1867–1900) and PMG 15 (1836–1920, containing a name index for each volume)

Succession Books

It is also possible to trace an officer's career using succession books. These books detail which individual held a particular position on each individual ship during the years each volume covered. The books would also state the previous ships each officer served on for both warrant and commissioned officers. The books are indexed by ship and by name. They cover the years 1673 to 1849 and can be found in ADM 6, ADM 7, ADM 11 and ADM 106.

Passing Certificates

Another useful source for researching naval officers is the surviving passing certificates. As the Navy required a skilled workforce to function properly, officers would have to sit a number of examinations in the initial stages of their careers to demonstrate competence. The certificates are held in a number of series depending on the rank of the officer. The certificates start from 1660 and go up to the early twentieth century.

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The largest collection of certificates is that of lieutenants' passing certificates, which cover the years 1691 to 1902. As the rank of lieutenant was the most junior of the officer ranks, most officers ascending through the Navy would have started as this rank. The certificates contain details of service to the date of examination and may also include copies of baptismal records. They can be found in The National Archives series ADM 107 (1691–1832), ADM 6 (1744–1819) and ADM 13 (1854–1902). There is an index to the
majority of these certificates compiled by Bruno Pappalardo, called
Royal Naval Lieutenants: Passing Certificates 1691–1902
.

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Masters were personnel who had specialized knowledge on the ship they were stationed on and usually spent lengthy periods on one ship only. Their passing certificates can be found in ADM 106 (1660–1830) and ADM 13 (for the second half of the nineteenth century).

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Gunners were responsible for the artillery or guns on a ship. Their passing certificates can be found in ADM 6 (1731–1812, not complete) and ADM 13 (1856–67).

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Pursers (later named paymasters) were involved with the financial aspects of the ship, paying seamen and also ensuring supplies were adequate in the ship stores. Their certificates can be found in ADM 6 (1813–20) and ADM 13 (1851–89).

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Boatswains' responsibility was for the sails of the ship and also for summoning other seamen to their duties. Their certificates are held in ADM 6 (1810–13) and ADM 13 (1851–87).

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Surgeons' passing certificates are held in ADM 106 for the eighteenth century.

‘Succession books and passing certificates can be used to trace an officer's career.'

Confidential Reports

These reports were compiled from commanding officers' comments on the suitability of officers seeking promotion. They can be very enlightening as comments made by the commanding officers were often very frank and honest. They were kept from 1884 to 1943 and can be found in ADM 196. They are arranged by rank and by date of promotion, although some volumes also contain name indexes.

The ‘other ranks' personnel of the Royal Navy were known as ratings: the non-officer seamen on the ship. There were numerous different ratings within the Royal Navy through its long history and the line between ratings and warrant officers would not always be clearly drawn. Until 1853 ratings were not recruited by the Royal Navy on a permanent basis. Instead, individuals would sign up for one single commission on a particular ship. Nor was the system of recruitment on a strictly voluntary basis, with the system of impressments (commonly known as ‘press-ganging') not uncommon, especially in times of war. Men were often conscripted or impressed without consent or prior knowledge; the system started in 1664 but was particularly popular in
the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. It was usually sailors of the merchant navy who were sought by recruiters as they had experience of sailing. Impressments were not used after 1814 as the ending of the Napoleonic Wars meant the Navy no longer required so many men.

In 1853 the system of continuous service was introduced and ratings signed up to serve a fixed period within the Royal Navy. After 1853 it is relatively straightforward to trace the career of a rating, as the Navy kept an individual service record for each man. However, prior to 1853 finding records can be more complicated and a variety of sources may be needed.

Searching for a rating in this period involves turning to muster books and pay books, as no service records for ratings were kept. However, this is only feasible if you know which ship your ancestor served on and the approximate date. Muster books were kept for each ship listing each person aboard. Alongside the name of each rating are birth details and when he joined the ship. Sometimes the muster will also note the previous ship the sailor joined from and which ship he was discharged to. If all this information is given it is possible to trace an individual's career from first ship to final discharge. Muster books would be kept on an eight-week basis and a separate general muster would be kept annually. Muster books can be found in The National Archives, in series ADM 36–40, ADM 41, ADM 115 and ADM 117, covering the years 1667 to 1878. The ratings are not listed in alphabetical order, and unless there is an index, searching for a particular name can be a somewhat lengthy process.

Pay books can also be used to trace individual ratings. They were kept from 1691 to 1856 and are found in ADM 31 to ADM 35. The information is very similar to that found in muster books. However, these books usually have more indexes then those found in muster books, as the pay lists included ‘alphabets' (whereby names would be indexed by first initial of surname only) from 1765 onwards, far earlier than musters did.

‘
Muster books were kept for each ship, listing every
'

There are other options that can also be used when tracing ratings. The series ADM 29 has been discussed above relating to warrant officer records. It also contains service history information for ratings as certificates of service were compiled for both groups in ADM 29/1–96. As mentioned, the records in this series were created for seamen seeking pensions, medals or gratuities to detail their service within the Royal Navy. For ratings they were compiled from the pay books
mentioned above. The series begins in 1802 although an individual's service may predate that year as the date relates to when the certificate of service was issued. Some of the series has been fully transcribed and can be searched online by name on The National Archives catalogue.

In 1853 a system of ‘continuous service' was introduced and ratings were now guaranteed work for a number of years, rather than signing up on a ship-by-ship basis. These service records are held at The National Archives, until 1923. Each rating has an individual service record stating which ships he served on along with personal details (such as birth details and residence).

Men (over 18 years old) would sign up initially for a period of ten years. Boys younger than 18 could also join with parental consent, and so could those already in the Royal Navy in 1853 (signing up for a period of seven years). Ratings were also entitled to sign up again after their initial term for a further ten years, thereby entitling them to naval pensions. Each recruit to the new system would be given a ‘continuous service' number and their service history would be entered into a register on an ongoing basis. The registers were organized by the given service number. These registers can now be found in The National Archives series ADM 139 from 1853 to 1872. Indexes to retrieve the continuous service number and find the appropriate record are also contained amongst series ADM 139. ADM 139 is currently available to view only on microfilm but there are plans to digitize the series and
make it available online as is the case with the later series, ADM 188 (see below).

If your ancestor was in the Navy around the beginning of the nineteenth century a quick way to begin searching for his record would be to consult the Trafalgar Ancestors database. It is available online on The National Archives website at www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/trafalgarancestors and is free to search. It contains the names of all those who fought under Nelson at the Battle of Trafalgar in October 1805 and has been extracted from various Admiralty sources. As such it contains the names of approximately 18,000 men. A successful search result (by name) will point you to the original sources used to compile the database, which may lead you to other sources
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The ratings' registration system was subject to certain alterations as a new numbering system was introduced from 1 January 1873, and thereafter the service records are held in another series, ADM 188. ADM 188 begins in 1873 and ends in 1923. These dates relate to when a rating was enlisted into the Royal Navy and, therefore, service records may contain information for those still active in the Royal Navy after 1923, up to 1928.

The numbering system was subject to further alteration in 1894. Previously, each rating was given a number on a sequential basis, regardless of what job he held. From 1 January 1894, specific number sequences were assigned for different types of ratings. For example, stokers would have any service number from 276001 to 313000. The numbering system was further modified in 1 January 1908 to avoid any overlap in service numbers. Henceforth service numbers were also prefixed with a letter. The nature of the information in the earlier service records is similar to that found in ADM 139, containing birth details and also physical attributes. The later records after 1892 will provide additional details such as remarks on the individual's character and more details as to their physical appearance.

Service records for all ratings that enlisted after 1923 are still held by the Ministry of Defence. Depending upon whether the rating is alive or dead, next of kin can access the information from either the Directorate of Personnel Support (Navy) or the Data Protection Cell (Navy) (addresses as above, page 187)
.

As mentioned, the series ADM 188 is now available online on The National Archives website at www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/documentsonline. It is possible to search the entire series by name, birth details and also service number. However, due to the changes in the numbering system it is perhaps easier not to search by service number only. As always, the index can be searched online free of charge, with a cost being incurred to view the actual document.

There was no centralized pension system for either officers or ratings until the nineteenth century. Prior to that a variety of different systems were in place, depending on whether your ancestor was an officer or a rating. Four main institutes were responsible for administering pensions: the Navy Pay Office, the Chatham Chest, Greenwich Hospital and the Charity for the Payment of Pensions to the Widows of Sea Officers.

As there was no official retirement or pension system in the Royal Navy between the seventeenth century and the mid-nineteenth century,
officers were either placed on half pay or continued to work regardless of their ability to carry out their roles effectively any more.

The Admiralty made certain provisions at certain points, awarding pensions to specific officers. For example, thirty of the most senior lieutenants were awarded pensions in 1737. By and large, however, many officers were promoted and then retired on a better rate of half pay on the understanding they would no longer be required for service. This system continued until a more effective method of retiring officers was introduced from 1836 onwards. Prior to that, specific pensions were only awarded on an individual basis for deserving cases.

The Admiralty also awarded pensions to officer's widows. Wives of officers who died on active service were entitled to a pension awarded from the Compassionate Fund from 1673 onwards (extended to next of kin in 1809). This was further extended to warrant officers' widows in 1830.

The Chatham Chest, founded in 1581, was used to award pensions to warrant officers. In 1814 the Chatham Chest was merged with the management of the Greenwich Hospital and pensions were now awarded by Greenwich Hospital only. Another independent body (responsible for paying pensions to officers' widows) was established in 1732, known as the Charity for the Payment of Pensions to the Widows of Sea Officers. The funds were raised from public funds and through a salary contribution from officers. Surviving records are now found in ADM 6.

After 1836 Greenwich Hospital became the only institute involved with pension payments, when the Admiralty took over the running of the service (see below for further details). Henceforth records can be found in either the Admiralty series or in the Paymaster General records (PMG). For further details please refer to
Tracing Your Naval Ancestors
by Bruno Pappalardo.

Ratings' Pension Records

It was only after 1859 that pensions were awarded to ratings as a matter of right. Prior to that there was no guarantee that a rating would be entitled to one.

The Chatham Chest, mentioned above, awarded pensions to ratings as well as to warrant officers. The records are held at The National Archives, in series ADM 82, covering the years 1653 to 1799.

The Royal Hospital in Greenwich was the main institute responsible for administering pensions. It was established in 1694 by a royal statute of William and Mary for the relief and support of seamen and to
support their wives and children. Similar to the Chelsea Hospital for army pensioners, Greenwich Hospital had both in-pensioners living on the premises and out-pensioners. Both ratings and officers were looked after by the Hospital. There is a series of records for the admission of in-pensioners between 1790 and 1865 in ADM 73. These registers provide detailed information on the individuals who stayed at the hospital. The majority of ratings awarded pensions by the Royal Hospital did not live in the Hospital but in their own accommodation as out-pensioners. Records for out-pensions from 1781 to 1859 can be found in ADM 6, ADM 73 and ADM 22.