Registers of British Shipping

RBS/De Deal: shipping registers (ships built 1801-1876) 1825-1878

RBS/Do Dover: shipping registers and transaction books (ships built or registered 1767-1910); registers of fishing vessels, 1891-1988 1824-1988

RBS/Fo Folkestone: shipping registers and transaction books (ships built or registered 1799-1903); registers of fishing vessels, 1904-1988 1855-1988

RBS/Ra Ramsgate: shipping registers and transaction books (ships built 1795-1903); registers of fishing vessels, 1869-1988 1854-1988

RBS/Sa Sandwich: shipping registers (ships built 1725-1842) 1786-1842

Explanatory Note

The Registrar of British Ships is part of the Customs & Excise Department (as distinct from the Registrar General of Shipping (RGS) who is part of the Board of Trade). The registers deposited are those maintained under Part 1 (General Shipping) and Part IV (Fishing Vessels) of the Merchant Shipping Act, 1894 and the Sea Fisheries Act, 1868. They have been arranged under three heads: Shipping Registers, Transaction Registers and Fishing Boats. The Transaction books are registers relating to shipping registered under 8 & 9 Victoria, cap 89.

Details Given

1. Shipping Registers: Those before 1855 include port and date of registration, name of ship and master, tonnage, when and where built or (if prize) made free (A decision as to prizes was made in the High Court of Admiralty.); name and employment of surveying officer, particulars of vessel, names of subscribing owners and other owners, with particulars of transfers of shares, and reason for cancellation of registration (e.g. transfer to another port, wreck, conversion into lighter, hulk or houseboat, sale to foreigners, breaking up of vessel). Those after 1855 include name of ship, port of registry, whether British or foreign built, tonnage, whether sailing or steam and if steam how propelled, particulars of engines, when and where built, measurements and details of construction, and name, residence and description of owners and number of shares held by each. Also share transactions: name of person from whom title is derived and numbers of shares affected, nature and date of transaction, name and residence and occupation of transferee, mortgagee or other person acquiring title, and names of owners.

2. Transaction Books: These registers do not record details of construction nor date and place built. They give information as to changes of ownership and particulars of cancellations of registration (wreck, transfer, e.t.c.).

3. Registers of Fishing Boats: The volumes have an index of boats at the front and include the following details: name of vessel, port and place to which belonging, name of owner, name of master, description of vessel (how rigged, what sails used e.t.c.), mode of fishing (net, lines, dredging, trawling, shrimping e.t.c.), registered number, size (tonnage and keel length), numbers of crew usually employed (men and boys), and particulars of cancellations (wreck, sale to another port e.t.c.).

• <corpname>Board of Customs, Register General of all Trading Ships in Britain, 1707-1872</corpname>
• <corpname>Registrar General of Shipping and Seamen, 1872-1992</corpname>

These were deposited under the terms of the Public Records Acts as follows:

October 1980 & : March 1981 Registers of British Shipping, including fishing vessels, 1786-1970

The records for the Ports of Deal and Dover were received from the Customs Office at Dover, those for the Port of Folkestone from the Customs Office at Folkestone, and those for the Ports of Ramsgate and Sandwich from the Customs Office at Ramsgate per the Registrar of British Ships, HM Customs & Excise

[NOTE: these records were transferred to the East Kent Archives Centre, Whitfield from the Centre for Kentish Studies, Maidstone in February 2000]

Catalogued by P. Bloomfield, February 1981

RBS/De1/1-2; RBS/Do1/1-3, 2/1; RBS/Fo1/1, 2/1; RBS/Ra1/1-5, 2/1-2, 3/1-4; RBS/Sa1/1-3

August 2002: Additional registers of British Shipping, including fishing vessels, 1886-1988

Deposited by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency, Registry of Shipping and Seamen per the Centre for Kentish Studies, Maidstone

Accession Number: EK2002/34

Catalogued by A. Cable, August 2002

RBS/Do3/1-2; RBS/Fo3/1-5, 4/1; RBS/Ra3/5-10