THE VICTORIAN MERCHANT NAVY

Researching a Merchant Navy ancestor in the Victorian era can be rewarding, because there is a wealth of records available. Yet it’s important to realise that the crew of a ship consisted of more than seamen and officers. For example, if your forebear was a cook, engineer, carpenter, nurse or waiter then you might find them in Merchant Navy records. Similarly, if your ancestor was a strong man such as a railway navvy, miner or labourer then he might have joined the Merchant Navy as a stoker (‘fireman’). Some footmen or maids became ships’ stewards or stewardesses.

However, for all members of the crew there is a complication when it comes to research: the vast majority were only employed for one voyage at a time. Once their ship returned to its home port the crew