complete roll call of everyone aboard a Royal Navy vessel was usually conducted weekly, and was recorded in a ship’s muster book. This kept track of everyone present, and provided evidence to pay the crew and to obtain sufficient food for them. All musters are kept at The National Archives (TNA) at Kew in series ADM 36, 37 and 38, indexed by ship’s name, and they date as far back as the 17th century. They comprise a fairly complete set of documents, although some musters were lost when ships sank and a few have been destroyed.
