A Guide to the Naval Records in the National Archives of the UK
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A GUIDE TO THE NAVAL RECORDS IN THE NATIOnaL ARCHIVES OF THE UK A GUIDE TO THE NAVAL RECORDS IN THE NATIONAL ARCHIVES OF THE UK Edited by Randolph Cock and N A M Rodger LONDON INSTITUTE OF HISTORICAL RESEARCH THE NATIONAL ARCHIVES OF THE UK Published by UNIVERSITY OF LONDON SCHOOL OF ADVANCED STUDY INSTITUTE OF HISTORICAL ReSEARCH Senate House, London WC1E 7HU in conjunction with THE NATIONAL ARCHIVES OF THE UK London Second Edition © Crown copyright, 2006, 2008 ISBN 978 1 905165 39 1 First Edition 2006 Second Edition 2008 Cover illustrations: TNA, ADM 1/8331, Royal Navy recruitment poster, Stokers required (1913) Extracts from TNA, ADM 1/8331, Royal Navy recruitment poster, RVNVR Signal Branch (1917) Contents Introduction 13 1 Editorial Conventions 14 2 Layout 15 3 Abbreviations 16 4 Acknowledgements 19 5 Works Cited 19 6 Second Edition, 2008 21 Administrative History 23 1 Medieval Government 23 2 Tudor, Early Stuart and Interregnum Government 23 3 Naval Administration, 1660–1832 25 4 Naval Administration from 1832 29 5 Colonial and Commercial Departments from 1660 30 6 Home and Foreign Departments from 1660 31 7 Military and Air Departments from 1660 31 8 Financial Departments from 1660 33 9 Cabinet and Ministry of Defence 33 Document Lists 35 1 The Medieval Chancery 35 2 The Medieval Exchequer 37 3 The Wardrobe and Chamber 38 4 Parliament 39 5 Secretaries of State, 1509–1640 39 6 Exchequer Accounts, 1544–1642 40 7 Lord Admiral, Admiralty Board and Admiralty Commission, 1532–1660 42 8 High Court of Admiralty 43 9 Vice-Admiralty Courts 45 10 Prize Goods, Prize Office and Prize Commissioners 46 11 Parliamentary Naval Administration, 1642–60 47 12 Privy Council Minutes and Orders, 1540–1978 48 13 Privy Council Correspondence and Papers, 1481–1974 48 14 Prize Appeals Commissioners 52 15 Secretaries of State, 1660–1782 52 16 Home Secretary and Home Office, 1782–1979 54 5 A Guide to the Naval Records in The National Archives of the UK 17 Other Home Departments 55 18 General Register Office 57 19 Ministry of Home Security, 1939–46 58 20 Foreign Secretary and Foreign Office, 1782–1979,D epartmental Correspondence 59 21 Foreign Office, General Correspondence by Country, to 1906 60 22 Foreign Office, General Correspondence not Arranged by Country, to 1906 61 23 Foreign Office Confidential Print 62 24 Foreign Office Registered Files, 1906–66 63 25 Foreign Office Registered Files, 1966–75 65 26 Foreign Secretary, Private Office 68 27 Government Code and Cypher School 69 28 Allied Control Commission for Germany and Austria 70 29 Other Foreign Departments 71 30 British Ambassadors, Ministers and Consuls 72 31 Other Ministers and Representatives Abroad 78 32 Treaties 79 33 Secretary at War and War Office, 1661–1855 80 34 Secretary of State for War and the Colonies, 1794–1855 81 35 Secretary of State for War and War Office, 1855–1964 81 36 War Office Registered Files 82 37 War Office Reports and Memoranda 86 38 Chief of the Imperial General Staff 89 39 Directorate of Military Operations and Intelligence 89 40 Other General Staff Directorates 91 41 War Office, Medal Rolls 92 42 Military Headquarters 92 43 War Diaries 96 44 Ordnance Bodies, 1855–1950 96 45 Other War Office Establishments 97 46 Other Supply Departments 98 47 Colonial Departments etc. 99 48 Dominions Office, later Commonwealth Relations Office, 1925–68 100 49 Treasury, Correspondence 102 50 Treasury, Departmental Accounts 104 51 Treasury, Chancellor of the Exchequer’s Office 104 52 Treasury, Finance Department 105 53 Treasury, Supply Department 106 54 Treasury, Establishments Department 107 55 Treasury, Defence Personnel Division 108 56 Treasury, Defence Policy and Material Division 109 57 Treasury, other Divisions and Departments 109 58 Treasury, Committees 112 59 Treasury, Miscellaneous 112 6 Contents 60 Paymaster-General of the Forces 113 61 Paymaster of Marines and Marine Pay Office 114 62 Boards of Customs and Excise 115 63 Board of Stamps and Taxes, later Inland Revenue 116 64 Audit Office 117 65 Other Financial Departments 118 66 Civil Service Departments 119 67 Exchequer, 1660–1871 120 68 Surveyors-General, later Commissioners of Woods and Forests, later Crown Estates Commissioners 121 69 Board of Trade and Plantations, 1696–1782 123 70 Committee on Trade and Plantations, 1784–6; Board of Trade, 1786–1964 123 71 Board of Trade Marine Department 125 72 Admiralty Harbour and Railways Departments, 1848–62, later Board of Trade and Ministry of Transport Harbour and Railways Departments, 1862–1964 126 73 Registrar-General of Shipping and Seamen 127 74 Law Officers of the Crown (Attorney-General and Solicitor-General) 128 75 Treasury Solicitor 128 76 General Post Office 130 77 Court of Chancery 131 78 Court of Exchequer 133 79 Prerogative Court of Canterbury 136 80 Other Courts 136 81 Admiralty: Warrants and Patents, 1660–1964 137 82 Lord High Admiral, 1660–73 and 1702–8 138 83 Admiralty Board 138 84 First Lord of the Admiralty and Private Office 140 85 Admiralty Secretariat: Reports from Flag Officers, 1693–1839 141 86 Admiralty Secretariat: Letters from Officers, 1698–1839 142 87 Admiralty Secretariat: Letters from other Naval Boards, 1673–1832 143 88 Admiralty Secretariat: Letters from Naval Yards, 1701–1839 144 89 Admiralty Secretariat: Letters from Marine Establishments 145 90 Admiralty Secretariat: Letters from other Naval Officials and Establishments 145 91 Admiralty Secretariat: Letters from other Officials and Departments 146 92 Admiralty Secretariat: other In-letters 147 93 Admiralty Secretariat: Out-letters 148 94 Admiralty Secretariat, General Correspondence 151 95 Admiralty Secretariat, Military Branch 151 96 Admiralty Secretariat, other Branches 152 97 Admiralty and Navy Board, Admirals’ Journals and Ships’ Logs 154 98 Admiralty Secretariat: Foreign Intelligence and Geographical Information 154 99 Admiralty Secretariat etc.: Captured Enemy Documents 155 100 Admiralty Office Papers 156 7 A Guide to the Naval Records in The National Archives of the UK 101 Admiralty Secretariat: Miscellanea 157 102 Admiralty Secretariat: Record Office 159 103 Admiralty Secretariat: ‘Cases’ and Particular Subjects 160 104 Admiralty, Surveyor, later Controller of the Navy 161 105 Admiralty, Director of Naval Construction 162 106 Controller of Steam Machinery, later Engineer-in-Chief of the Navy, 1837–1964 163 107 Naval Ordnance Department, later Naval Staff Gunnery Division 164 108 Admiralty, Dockyards and Works Departments 165 109 Admiralty Transport Department 165 110 Physician-General, later Medical Director-General of the Navy 166 111 Admiralty, Controller of Victualling 167 112 Accountant-General of the Navy 168 113 Solicitor of the Admiralty 169 114 Marine Office 169 115 Royal Marine Divisions 171 116 Naval Staff and Divisions 173 117 Naval Staff, Naval Intelligence Division 174 118 Royal Naval Scientific Service 175 119 Admiralty Research and Technical Establishments 176 120 Greenwich Hospital 178 121 Greenwich Hospital: Pensions Office 181 122 Greenwich Hospital Schools 182 123 Royal Observatory and Board of Longitude 183 124 Naval Funds and Charities 184 125 Naval Shore Organisations 185 126 Naval Colleges 186 127 Other Admiralty Officials and Departments 186 128 Admiralty Publications 188 129 Navy Board, 1546–1642, and Navy Commission, 1642–60 190 130 Navy Board, 1660–1832 191 131 Navy Board: Out-letters and Orders 193 132 Navy Board, In-letters 196 133 Navy Board, Particular Subjects 198 134 Controller of the Navy, 1660–1832 199 135 Surveyor of the Navy, 1660–1832 199 136 Navy Board Accounts Department 201 137 Controller of Storekeepers’ Accounts, 1671–1796; Navy Board Stores Department, 1796–1832 201 138 Navy Board Transport Service 202 139 Navy Office Papers 202 140 Bill Office 203 141 Ticket Office 203 142 Dockyards and other Naval Yards 204 8 Contents 143 Chatham Dockyard 205 144 Deptford Dockyard 206 145 Plymouth, later Devonport Dockyard 207 146 Portsmouth Dockyard 209 147 Sheerness Dockyard 210 148 Woolwich Dockyard 211 149 Other Home Yards 212 150 Mediterranean Yards 213 151 West Indies Yards 214 152 Atlantic Yards 215 153 Eastern Yards 218 154 Other Overseas Yards 219 155 Chatham Chest, later Greenwich Chest 219 156 Treasurer of the Navy 220 157 Navy Pay Office 221 158 Ships’ Muster and Pay Books 223 159 Sick and Hurt Board, 1653–1806 224 160 Transport Board Medical Department, 1806–16 225 161 Victualling Board Medical Department, 1817–32 225 162 Naval Hospitals and Hospital Ships 226 163 Royal Naval Hospital, Haslar 227 164 Other Royal Naval Hospitals at Home 228 165 Other Royal Naval Hospitals Overseas 229 166 Sick and Hurt Board Prisoner of War Department, 1653–1796 231 167 Transport Board Prisoner of War Department, 1796–1822 232 168 Victuallers of the Navy and Victualling Board, 1543–1832 233 169 Deptford, later Royal Victoria Victualling Yard 236 170 Portsmouth, later Royal Clarence Victualling Yard 236 171 Plymouth, later Royal William Victualling Yard 237 172 Other Home Victualling Yards and Depots 238 173 Other Overseas Victualling Yards and Depots 239 174 Transport Board, 1689–1717 241 175 Transport Board, 1796–1816 241 176 Victualling Board Transport Committee, 1816–32 242 177 Board of Revision 243 178 Royal Navy, Records of Home Stations 243 179 Royal Navy, Records of Foreign Stations 245 180 Royal Navy, other Squadrons, Ships and Units 249 181 Royal Naval Air Service and Fleet Air Arm 250 182 Ordnance Board, 1546–1660 251 183 Ordnance Board, 1660–1855 252 184 Ordnance Board Members and Officials 254 185 Ordnance Establishments 255 9 A Guide