Who Do You Think You Are? Encyclopedia of Genealogy (37 page)

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Paperwork relating to a myriad of administrative topics relevant to the Coastguard service can be found in ADM 1, ADM 116, MT 9, BT 166 and ADM 120.

Lastly, as HM Coastguard had many stations throughout the country, local archives may also have records for the Coastguard service that operated in its locality. Most often these records are the local station records.

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There was a volunteer Coastguard service established in the 1860s, the volunteer Life Saving Apparatus Companies. In 1911 individuals working in the volunteer force became entitled to the Rocket Life Saving Apparatus Long Service Medal, whose registers are in BT 167/84 (for 1911 to 1935)
.

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BT 167/87–97 contains annual lists of enrolled volunteers from 1920 to 1932. These registers can provide useful genealogical data such as age, birth details and residence
.

HM Customs and Excise is one of the oldest government departments still in existence today. Historically, they were two separate departments (the Board of Customs and the Board of Excise) until their amalgamation in 1909. The difference in meaning between the two terms ‘customs' and ‘excise' lay in the type of good that is taxed. ‘Custom' was defined as the ‘ancient and rightful custom' of paying duty of any type, be it in kind, regal or ecclesiastical. It later became limited to the payment on certain commercial goods. Excise duties were those taxes placed on goods produced inland (and not imported), most commonly alcoholic beverages, but historically on other goods such as salt and pepper.

A nationwide custom-collecting body originated in the thirteenth century. The Winchester Assize of 1203/4 declared that the custom duties collected in various English ports should be given directly to the Exchequer of the King, and in 1298 government custom officials were appointed to collect duties on behalf of the crown. These individuals were known as ‘custodes custumae' and a more famous example of such an official would be Geoffrey Chaucer who was appointed as an official for the port of London in 1378.

In 1643 a Board of Customs was created, staffed by custom collectors. In 1671 a permanent Board of Customs was formally established by Letter Patent. By 1823 all the separate boards for England, Scotland and Ireland were merged to form one single Board of Customs for the whole of the United Kingdom.

‘The difference between ‘customs' and ‘excise' lies in the type of goods that are taxed.'

The Board of Excise was also formally established in 1643 and by 1660 excise duty on alcohol was confirmed by legislation, even though it was unpopular. Permanent Boards of Excise for the different home nations over the next fifty years were established: Ireland in 1682, England and Wales in 1683 and Scotland in 1707. During the course of time excise duties were placed on more goods other than alcohol, such as paper, salt and soap. During the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries increased taxes were placed on a number of goods. This in turn led to an increase of smuggling, which resulted in Customs and Excise departments becoming more efficient at policing this smuggling, and (like the
Customs boards) the Excise departments for the different countries of the United Kingdom were amalgamated into one unified Board of Excise for the entire United Kingdom. In 1849, it was further combined with the Board of Stamps and Taxes and became known as the Board of Inland Revenue.

There is a museum based in Liverpool dedicated to the history of HM Customs and Excise and the prevention of smuggling. Further information can be found at www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/customs

The two bodies encountered further changes during the twentieth century. The Finance Act of 1908 ordered that the Commissioners of Customs be responsible for the collection of excise duty. Henceforth a new body was created on 1 April 1909, Her Majesty's Customs and Excise, directly responsible to the Chancellor of the Exchequer.

The records and archives of HM Customs and Excise and its various predecessor bodies are held in different places depending on where your ancestor was employed. As there were separate institutions for Scotland and Ireland up until 1823, records prior to this date will be at the National Archives of Ireland, the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland and the National Archives of Scotland (discussed below). The records for officials for England and Wales can be found at The National Archives.

The very first Custom officials were appointed in 1294. If you believe your ancestor was a Custom official from the thirteenth century onwards there are two published sources that may be a useful starting point for your search. Both can be found in the library in The National Archives and at the British Library:

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The English Customs Service 1307–43, A Study of Medieval Administration
by Robert L. Baker (The American Philosophical Society, 1961)

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An Account of the Commissioners of Customs, Excise, Hearthmoney, and Inland Revenue, 1642–1913
(HMSO, 1913)

The main series of records begin from the late seventeenth century onwards and are to be found mainly in the CUST series in the National Archives, along with a small number in the T series (Treasury documents) and some in the C (Chancery) series.

Working for HM Customs

Customs pay lists were particularly useful when tracing the career of John Hurt's ancestor, William Richard Browne. William Richard Browne's son, Walter Lord Browne, had claimed that his father was ‘head of the bond office, H.M. Customs, London' on his marriage announcement in the local newspaper
, The Great Grimsby Gazette and Commercial Advertiser,
in 1857. However, by tracing his career through the original pay lists, it was discovered that this was an exaggeration and that William Richard Browne was only a cocket-writer for HM Customs at the port of London
.

The following is a list of the key documents worth viewing when tracing a Customs official:

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Bills and Warrants for the Appointment of Customs Officers:
These are found in C 208 from 1714 to 1797. Every officer employed during that time would have been by warrant. The series is indexed in C 202/267 to C 202/269.

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Custom Board Minute Books:
These books run from 1734 to 1885 and contain information about individual officials and are in series CUST 28. They should detail initial and subsequent postings of officers along with any promotions awarded to individuals. Each volume should contain an index.

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Pay and staff lists:
This is a large collection of documents spanning four centuries. They are organized by place and seldom give any personal or genealogical information about the individual but record the post held by each individual, usually on a quarterly basis, along with salary details. As they are organized by place it is important to know where your ancestor served to begin using these documents.

    
The main collections are:

    
  PRO 30/32/15–19: 1673 to 1689

    
  CUST 18: 1675 to 1813

    
  CUST 19: 1814 to 1829

    
  CUST 39: 1671 to 1970