Focus on
Smuggling gangs and coastal policing in 19th-century England
Following the Napoleonic Wars, smuggling became a major concern for the British government.
Series
Admiralty: Royal Marines: Description Books
Catalogue reference: ADM 158
What's it about?
ADM 158
These volumes summarise alphabetically in book form the information given in attestation forms. The dates noted in the list against each volume give an approximate indication of the enlistment years covered. ADM 158/10 contains a list of...
Full description and record details
-
Reference (The unique identifier to the record described, used to order and refer to it)
-
ADM 158
-
Title (The name of the record)
- Admiralty: Royal Marines: Description Books
-
Date (When the record was created)
-
c1750-1940
-
Description (What the record is about)
-
These volumes summarise alphabetically in book form the information given in attestation forms. The dates noted in the list against each volume give an approximate indication of the enlistment years covered. ADM 158/10 contains a list of deserters, 1842-1867.
These description books consist of several different though related types of register. They give age at the time of enlistment, parish of birth, and a simple description of height and complexion. Recruit books record similar information, and also give the signature of the medical officer passing a recruit as fit for service. Discharge books add particulars of discharge. None of the description books lists the ships or battalions in which a man served.
-
Arrangement (Information about the filing sequence or logical order of the record)
-
Arrangement
The information in the volumes is arranged by date of attestation (enlistment) and under the initial letter of the recruit's surname, but not in strict alphabetical order.
-
Separated material (A cross-reference between records that are related by provenance but now kept separately)
-
A number of volumes in the series are wanting (missing at transfer).
-
Held by (Who holds the record)
- The National Archives, Kew
-
Legal status (A note as to whether the record being described is a Public Record or not)
-
Public Record(s)
-
Language (The language of the record)
-
English
-
Creator(s) (The creator of the record)
-
- Board of Admiralty, Royal Marines, Chatham Division, 1755-1947
- Board of Admiralty, Royal Marines, Plymouth Division, 1755-1947
- Board of Admiralty, Royal Marines, Portsmouth Division, 1755-1947
- Board of Admiralty, Royal Marines, Woolwich Division, 1805-1869
-
Physical description (The amount and form of the record)
-
299 volume(s)
-
Access conditions (Information on conditions that restrict or affect access to the record)
-
Open unless otherwise stated
-
Subjects (Categories and themes found in our collection (our subject list is under development, and some records may have no subjects or fewer than expected))
-
Administrative / biographical background (Historical or biographical information about the creator of the record and the context of its creation)
-
In 1755 the Corps of Marines (later the Royal Marines, from 1802) were raised and were formed into three divisions based on Chatham, Plymouth and Portsmouth. A fourth division was established at Woolwich from 1805 to 1869.
Each division consisted of infantry companies, which were numbered in sequence. These numbers changed in 1763: In 1755 Company No 1 was based at Portsmouth, No 2 at Plymouth, No 3 at Chatham, No 4 at Portsmouth, No 5 at Plymouth, No 6 at Chatham and so on in the same sequence.In 1763, this changed and Company No 1 became Chatham, No 2 Portsmouth, No 3 Plymouth, No 4 Chatham, and so on sequentially.
The Divisions were responsible for keeping the records of their non-commissioned ranks. The earliest type of record of service appears in the Description Books in this record series, which were superceded by the Registers of Service in 1855 (see ADM 159).
In 1947 the Divisions were superseded by Groups.
-
Record URL
- https://beta.nationalarchives.gov.uk/catalogue/id/C1867/
Catalogue hierarchy
Over 27 million records
This record is held at The National Archives, Kew
2,470,001 records
Within the department: ADM
Records of the Admiralty, Naval Forces, Royal Marines, Coastguard, and related bodies
You are currently looking at the series: ADM 158
Admiralty: Royal Marines: Description Books
You may be interested in
-
-
Record revealed
Report on the British Indian Army, 1943
This Second World War War Office document assessed the British Indian Army's battle readiness and made recommendations for its development. -
Record revealed
List of HMS Victory's killed and wounded at the Battle of Trafalgar
We hold one of the lesser known records from the Battle of Trafalgar, the Surgeon’s journal for HMS Victory by William Beatty.
Related records
Records that share similar topics with this record.