I recently received a couple of documents I paid to be scanned at the National Archives. I had actually completely forgotten I had ordered them so was pleasantly surprised to find the scans in my TNA account.

Memorandum of the Services of Matthew Young

The first document was a Memorandum of the Services of Matthew Young. This is a really interesting document detailing the career of Matthew Young, from June 1798. The cursive writing is beautiful but a little hard to decipher – it may have been submitted by him.

I think he started as a supernumerary, before becoming midshipman and lieutenant. “Captured in 1807 when in charge of a Danish East India ship and detained as a prisoner of war until 1814. From the severe treatment I received when captured, the loss of every thing I possessed, my journals, certificates and has rendered me incapable of giving a proper correct statement of my services.”