Chart Branch records

CBR

Chart Branch records

c. 1930s-2010s

The activity undertaken by Chart Branch can be traced back to the establishment of the Department in 1795 when the first Hydrographer, Dalrymple, was given the budget to employ one permanent draughtsman. More draughtsmen were employed on both a permanent and temporary basis from 1808 to 1829 to deal with an increasing backlog of work. This number increased to four in 1831 and six by 1855. The title Chart Branch first appeared in the Navy Estimates for 1854-1855. It embraced naval assistants, draughtsmen, packers and porters. The first Superintendent of Charts was appointed in 1862. In 1879 that title became Officer in Charge, Chart Branch, but in 1908 the title of Superintendent of Charts was reassumed.

Chart Branch was responsible for the compilation of charts, i.e. the bringing together of sources and drawing up of a ‘compilation’ that was then sent to an engraver for engraving onto copper. Once it had been decided to produce a chart of a particular area, on a particular scale, all data held on that area in the archives would be gathered by the cartographer or draughtsman. These would be examined, differences reconciled, and from them a ‘compilation drawing’ would be made. The work would be checked before being approved for production. Initially the work of the Branch also involved the engraving and printing of charts, but from c. 1830 onwards this was done by external private firms. See PRR Production records for further information on the printing of charts.

In 1909 the Treasury approved an increase from 14 to 19 draughtsmen. At this time they also agreed to the new title of cartographer as more descriptive of the duties of the graduate chart compilers than simply draughtsmen. A further expansion in personnel occurred during the First World War when the Hydrographer, J.F. Parry, brought in a number of temporary draughtswomen. After the war, in 1924, Chart Branch moved out of the Admiralty building into Cornwall House, at the southern end of Waterloo Bridge.

In the 1930s Chart Branch was staffed by a Superintendent of Charts, with a Superintending Cartographer, 26 cartographers, 38 draughtsmen and three paperkeepers. They were organised into four geographical sections, dividing the world up between them. Each section compiled new charts and kept up to date the existing charts covering its own area. A fifth section compiled and kept up to date the Admiralty List of Wireless Signals and the Telegraph Charts. A sixth section was formed in 1937 to produce air charts. For details of the areas of responsibility around this time see p.79 of R.O. Morris, Charts and Surveys in Peace and War. The History of the Hydrographic Service 1919-1970 (London, 1995).

On the outbreak of World War II in 1939, Chart Branch moved to the Royal School in Bath. In 1941 The Royal School was becoming overcrowded and the Department moved again, to Ensleigh on Landsdown Hill. At the end of the war in 1945 Chart Branch staff were moved to Cricklewood. The number of staff increased during this period from 45 cartographers and 122 draughtsmen in 1944 to 54 cartographers and 127 draughtsmen in 1950.

In 1968, Chart Branch and staff from Cricklewood relocated to Creechbarrow House, Taunton. Before the move the number of sections in Chart Branch had grown to fourteen. In the new location it was organised into eight Nautical Chart Branches each responsible for a geographical area and seven Marine Science Branches with responsibilities ranging from Geodesy, the Archives and Photogrammetry to Geophysical and Submarine Charting and Professional Division training. During this time computers began to be introduced for chart compilation purposes.

A small office was established as a separate branch based in Whitehall that dealt with incoming printed information, as opposed to the assessment of charts or surveys. It remained in Whitehall during the Second World War. As well as the drawing for all Notices to Mariners work, the Branch produced special charts such as the top secret charts of minefields and a series of wreck charts (see OCB series). The Branch remained in Whitehall in the immediate post-war years. Cartographic staff supported the work in Whitehall until perhaps just before 1951.

The printed charts from work undertaken in Chart Branch are mainly held in the OCB collection, for which an incomplete spreadsheet of holdings is available (see OCB Record copies of Admiralty charts (‘old copy bundles’) for more information).

This is a high-level catalogue of the data types and collections held in the UKHO Archive. As well as providing a description of all the collections held in the Archive, it lists the series within each collection, together with covering dates. It predominantly covers analogue records, with a few exceptions for records held on CD. The UKHO?s practice for selecting born digital records will remain essentially the same as that for paper and steps are currently under way to plan for their availability. We plan to maintain the availability of our products for researchers across the transition from the paper chart to succeeding electronic forms.

Collections have been arranged by creator if possible. In some cases, due to the seemingly ever changing office structure, it has not proved possible to identify the creator?s role, or office and therefore the material has been arranged by record type. It is hoped that when the individual series within each of these collections is catalogued in greater detail, a creator can be identified and the records transferred to sit within the appropriate collection. As cataloguing progresses the following collections? descriptions, listings and covering dates will be refined and updated. The terminology used in this document has been simplified wherever possible. The term ?Hydrographic Office?, or ?H.O.?, refers to the office established in 1795 that is today?s UK Hydrographic Office. This has been used instead of the term ?Department? as there were many departments within the Hydrographic Office during the period when the vast majority of classes of records were created.

Due to the large amount of transformation work and retrospective cataloguing work required within the archive, some of the records in this guide may require appraisal and selection before being formally accessioned and recognised as the part of the UKHO?s place of deposit. This is a work in progress.

Until such time as all the 19th century records have been catalogued in full, this catalogue of corrections should be used in conjunction with ACF David?s A Provisional Catalogue of Logs, Journals, Documents, Letters, Record Copies of Books and Pamphlets Published by The Hydrographic Department, 1974.

The UK Hydrographic Office is working on cataloguing uncatalogued material and making it available. Please contact us for more information.

The Archive comprises the following collections:
AAC Additional Admiralty charts (not OCB ‘old copy bundles’)
ACB Air Chart Branch records
ACO Artificial collection
ACS Accessions (2016 onwards)
ADM 344 Views
APR Admiralty Raster Chart Service (ARCS) production records
ART Artifacts
BDR Bathymetric data records
CAB Cables records
CBR Chart Branch records
CCP Catalogues of printed charts and publications
CIB Chart Issues Branch records
CMU Chart Maintenance Unit records
COD Catalogues of original documents
CON Conservation records
CPY Copies of records
CRB Composite Remark Books
CTR Contracts Branch records
DIS Displays created by the Archive and other departments
DVY Discovery Committee records
EPR Electronic Navigational Charts production records
FNR Finance records
GDY Geodesy records
GEB GEBCO (General Bathymetric Chart of the Oceans) records
HD Registered Files HD Papers
HIG Hydrographic instruction graphics
HOL Hydrographic Office library
HOO Hydrographic Office orders
HOP Hydrographic Office pictures
HOR Hydrographic Office reports
HRR Human Resources records
HTP Hydrographic Office technical papers
IHO International Hydrographic Organization records
ILB Indexes to Letter Books
IMB Indexes to Minute Books
IPR Intellectual Property records
ISLB Indexes to Surveyors' Letter Books (out letters)
LB Letter Books
LLR Lights Lists records
LOD Lists of oceanic depths
LOS Law of the sea records (and maritime limits)
LP 1857 Incoming Letters prior to 1857
LR Long rolls
MAM Marketing advertising material
MAP Maps
MB Minute Books
MBE Enclosures to Minute Books
MEL Meteorological data
MLP Miscellaneous Letters and Papers
MP Miscellaneous Papers (Remark Books)
MR Miscellaneous rolls
NAO Her Majesty’s Nautical Almanac Office records
NEM NEMEDRI
NMR Notices to mariners records
NPR Nautical publications records
OAW Original artwork
OCB Record copies of Admiralty charts (‘old copy bundles’)
OCC Other printed chart catalogues (non UKHO)
OCG Official corporate gifts
OCS Cancelled Foreign Government Symbols, Abbreviations and Terms on charts
OCY Oceanography records
OD Original Documents
ONM Other notices to mariners records (non-UKHO)
OPC Other printed charts and maps (non-Admiralty)
OPT Offprints
PGY Photogrammetry records
PMC Polar Medal Committee records
PRR Production records
REG Registry records, see also:
Bath Bath series files
CIB CIB series files
H H series files
HA HA series files
HC HC series files
HH HH series files
HMO HMO series files
HP HP series files
HP HP (Nottingham) series files
(Nottingham)
HS HS series files
HW HW series files
RSR Radio Signals records
S Papers S Papers
SAR Sailing Directions records
SCR Ships’ commissioning records
SCT Secretariat records
SFD Survey field data
SL Incoming Surveyors’ Letters
SLB Surveyors' Letter Books (out letters)
SLG Ships’ logs
SMB Special Minute Books
SPD Ships’ plans and diagrams
SPR Survey planning records
TBR Tidal Branch records
UHR Unofficial Hydrographic records
UNR Unidentified records which require further investigation
USR Unofficial staff records (including clubs, societies, publications etc)
WKO Wrecks Office records

PRR Production records

OCB Record copies of Admiralty charts (‘old copy bundles’)

Access is by appointment only. Please see our contact details for more information.