Category Archives: Royal Navy

Matthew Young RN

Posted on November 11, 2022 | Leave a comment

I was able to find some more records relating to Matthew Young from the British Royal Navy & Royal Marines Service And Pension Records, 1704-1919, currently free to access at Find My Past.

His name appears in the list of examinations on 26th March 1817

His name appears in the list of examinations on 18th December 1827

His name appears in the list of examinations on 24th November 1834

His name also appears in a list with the word ‘pensioned’ in November 1834 at the age of 42 after 20 years service (meaning he joined the Royal Navy around 1814.

These records don’t quite tie up with his career as published in the British Naval Biographical Dictionary, 1849, so I will need to do more research.

 

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Form of Certificate and Declaration for the Navy Pension List

Posted on September 19, 2022 | 1 comment

I recently discovered a collection of paperwork relating to an application for a Navy pension written by Captain Thomas Mansel RN to the Secretary of the Admiralty on the 20th March 1846. I can’t believe these survived, tucked away at The National Archives and were catalogued. I was able to pay for the records to be scanned.

There was a Form of Certificate and Declaration required for placing the widow of an Officer of the Royal Navy on the Pension List. This was completed for Elizabeth Leigh, wife of Benjamin Leigh who had been a Retired Commander in the Royal Navy. The certificate was signed by Captain Mansel RN, William Harrison Vicar of Fareham and James xxx, Church Warden.

Captain Mansel was related to Elizabeth Leigh by marriage, he married their daughter Selina Fleming Leigh in 1828.

As well as the certificate were two pages of hand-written letter. It is always exciting to discover a hand-written letter and this one contained something else, a new address! I wasn’t aware that Captain Mansel ever lived in Devonport but he wrote the letter from 19 Tamar Terrace, Stoke, Devonport. I think the address still exists although it has been re-named. The paperwork also refers to his address in Fareham so this must have been a temporary residence.

I am looking forward to transcribing the letter when I have a moment. The signature matches that on the signed photo I have of him.

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Posted in Leigh family, Mansel family, Royal Navy

Memorandum of the Services of Matthew Young

Posted on September 15, 2022 | Leave a comment

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.”

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Official warrant and commission documents from the Admiralty

Posted on August 7, 2022 | Leave a comment

A few weeks ago I mentioned that I have discovered some records relating to my ancestors held by the Caird Library at the National Maritime Museum. I was able to pay for these records to be scanned and they were sent to me last week.

Within ADL/2/19 there were four records – two relating to Henry Harper who I am related to by marriage, one for Thomas Mansel and one for Alfred Young. I have transcribed the ones relating to my ancestors and they are official warrant and commission documents from the Admiralty.

ADL/2/19 Thomas Mansel

By the Commissioners for executing the Office of Lord High Admiral of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland

To Thomas Mansel Esq. hereby appointed Captain of His Majesty’s Ship Royal William

By virtue of the power and authority to us given we do hereby constitute and appoint you Captain of His Majesty’s Ship the Royal William willing and requiring you forthwith to go on board and take upon you the charge and command of Captain in her accordingly, Strictly Charging and Commanding all the Officers and Company of the said ship to behave themselves jointly and severally in their respective Employments, with all due Respect and Obedience unto you their said Captain and you likewise to observe and execute the General Printed Instructions and such Orders and Directions as you shall from time to time receive from us or any other your Superior Officers for His Majesty’s Service.

Hereof nor you nor any of you may fail as you will answer the Contrary at your Peril. And for so doing this shall be your Warrant. Given under our hands and the Seal of the Office of Admiralty this twelfth day of February 1834. In the Fourth Year of His Majesty’s Reign.

By Command of their Lordships ….

ADL/2/19 Alfred Young

By the Commissioners for executing the Office of Lord High Admiral of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland

To Lieutenant Alfred Young hereby appointed Lieutenant of Her Majesty’s Ship the St Vincent

By virtue of the Power and Authority to us given We do hereby constitute and appoint you Lieutenant of Her Majesty’s Ship St Vincent Willing and requiring you forthwith to go on board and take upon you the Charge and Command of Lieutenant in her accordingly, Strictly Charging and Commanding all the Officers and Company belonging to the said ship subordinate to you to behave themselves jointly and severally in their respective Employments with all due Respect and Obedience unto you their said Lieutenant. And you likewise to observe and execute as well the General printed Instructions and such Orders and Directions you shall from time to time receive from your Captain or any other your superior Officers for Her Majesty’s service.

Hereof nor you nor any of you may fail as you will answer the contrary at your peril. And for so doing this shall be your Commission. Given under our hands and the Seal of the Office of Admiralty this First day of July 1858 in the Twenty Second Year of Her Majesty’s Reign.

By Command of their Lordships ….

Seniority 7 March 1842

For Service in Ordinary [illegible]

 

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British Royal Navy Allotment Declarations 1795-1852

Posted on February 17, 2017 | Leave a comment

New record sets have been announced from findmypast today. One of them was of interest to me as I have Royal Navy ancestors:

British Royal Navy Allotment Declarations 1795-1852 contains over 485,000 records held by The National Archives at Kew. Each record includes a transcripts that will reveal your ancestor’s rank, the year of their declaration, their pay book number, their relationship the recipient and any additional remarks. Images may reveal where and when they were married, the names, ages, and baptism dates of their children, the allotted individuals residence, the allotment date and where payable. Prior to 1853, men joined the navy on a short-term basis and service records were not created until after 1853. Allotment Declarations are an excellent way to trace the careers of your earlier naval ancestors.

You have to pay to access the records unfortunately but I have added this to my to-do-list.

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911,000 Royal Navy Pension records online

Posted on April 9, 2016 | Leave a comment

I hope the following information might be useful for someone. Today over 911,000 records of British Royal Navy pensions have been published online for the first time at Findmypast.

The publication, released in association with The National Archives, consists of an assortment of documents kept by the Greenwich Hospital and the Royal Hospital Chelsea to record the details of Greenwich Pensioners.

The British Royal Navy & Royal Marines service and pension records span over 230 years of British naval history from to 1704 to 1934 and contain over 270,000 scanned colour images. The collection will allow family historians to uncover fascinating details of their ancestor’s career with the Royal Navy, such as their period of service, where they served, when they joined and if they were wounded in the line of duty.

Since 1804, The Royal Greenwich Hospital has paid small out-pensions to large numbers of deserving applicants who had served in either the Navy or Marines, as well as admitting a fixed number to live as in-pensioners of the hospital. This is the first time that records relating to these payments have been made available online, allowing more people than ever before to learn about the lives of their naval ancestors.

The collection includes:

·       Registers of Greenwich Hospital out-pensioners and candidates
·       Service records of both officers’ & ratings’ between 1802 and 1919
·       Indexes of Greenwich Hospital pensioners and out-pensioners
·       Royal Hospital Chelsea payment returns for England, Scotland, Wales and Jersey
·       Royal Hospital Chelsea admission books, registers and papers

To coincide with the upcoming centenary of the Battle of Jutland, Findmypast has also released over 40,000 records of Royal Navy & Royal Marines personnel who served at Jutland. The Battle, which took place off the coast of Denmark between the 31st May and 1st June 1916, was the largest naval engagement of the First World War and cost the lives of nearly 7,000 British sailors.

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