UK, Registers and Indexes of Births, Marriages and Deaths of Passengers and Seamen at Sea, 1891-1922

Source Information

Ancestry.com. UK, Registers and Indexes of Births, Marriages and Deaths of Passengers and Seamen at Sea, 1891-1922 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc, 2023.
Original data: BT 334: Registry of Shipping and Seamen: Registers and Indexes of Births, Marriages and Deaths of Passengers and Seamen at Sea. Kew, Surrey, England: The National Archives.

About UK, Registers and Indexes of Births, Marriages and Deaths of Passengers and Seamen at Sea, 1891-1922

General collection information

This collection comprises records of births, marriages, and deaths of passengers and seamen while they were at sea. The records are dated between 1891 and 1972 and include information for British citizens and foreign-born passengers aboard British ships. Some records contain information about sailors who died while ashore. Entries in the registers are handwritten in English.

Using this collection

Records in this collection may include the following information:

  • Name
  • Birth date and place
  • Gender
  • Occupation
  • Marriage date, place, and age
  • Marital status
  • Death date, place, and age
  • Spouse's name and maiden name
  • Spouse's marriage age and occupation
  • Parents' names, nationalities, and birthplaces
  • Father's occupation
  • Mother's maiden name
  • Spouse's parents names
  • Spouse's father's occupation
  • Spouse's mother's maiden name
  • Registration month and year

    • The records in this collection may allow you to verify that your ancestor was born, married, or died while aboard a British ship. Similar to vital records produced by churches and local governments, these records contain many family names to help you expand your family research. You may discover what your ancestors did for a living and where their family roots lay.

    Collection in context

    The registers and indexes were created by officials working for the Registrar General of Shipping and Seamen. The records are primary historical documents, and they are housed at the National Archives in Kew.

    Shipmasters were required to report the births and deaths of British and foreign citizens beginning in 1874. At the beginning of the Second World War in 1939, the Registrar was transferred from the Board of Trade to the Ministry of Shipping. Two years later, the Registrar was moved from London to Cardiff and transferred to the Ministry of War Transport. The stability of the maritime labour force made comprehensive and effective registration possible. A new Central Register of Seamen was started in 1941 and maintained until 1972.

    During the era covered by these records, sailors were highly susceptible to infectious diseases, such as typhus, malaria, and yellow fever, due to travel to tropical ports. Poor food and unclean water led to outbreaks of cholera, typhoid, and dysentery.

    Bibliography

    Maritime and Coastguard Agency. "Important Leaflet/Historical Records." Accessed May 30, 2023. https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/593905/msf_5323_rev_10.16_information_leaflet_pdf_version.pdf.

    Roberts, Stephen E. and Tim Carter. "British merchant seafarers 1900-2010: A history of extreme risks of mortality from infectious disease." Travel Medicine and Infectious Disease. Volume 14, Issue 5, September-October 2016, pp. 499-504. Accessed May 30, 2023. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S147789391630076X.

    The National Archives. "Records of the Registrar General of Shipping and Seamen and successor." Accessed May 30, 2023. https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C478#.

    ---. "Registry of Shipping and Seamen: Registers and Indexes of Births, Marriages and Deaths of Passengers and Seamen at Sea." Accessed May 30, 2023. https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C3370.