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Archiver > ANGUS > 2002-07 > 1026230967


From: Gavin Bell <>
Subject: Re:[ANGUS] Royal navy
Date: Tue, 09 Jul 2002 17:09:27 +0100


Dorothy wrote:

> As a follow-up to Gordon Troup's message, I, too, would like to know how
> I can access information regarding the Royal Navy - specifically
> concerning a Capt. Wm. Mather who is buried in Montrose Parish Church
> Cemetery - date, 4 April 1841. His age at time of
> death was 66 yrs. in which case he would have been born abt. 1775.
> Presumably, he was born somewhere in Angus, more than likely in the
> Montrose area.

One place where you will find information on his career in the navy
(although not necessarily anything about his family) is in the back
numbers of the Navy List. This is a publication which appeared
regularly (in the 19th century it was 4 times a year) detailing the full
list of Commissioned Officers (but not Midshipmen, ordinary sailors or
Warrant Officers) of every ship in the navy, giving some indication of
where in the world it was serving, and a separate list of all
Commissioned Officers, whether or not they were current serving aboard
any ship. In 1841, the Navy had still not fully addressed the problem
of retirement, so people remained on the List long after they had ceased
to be considered for employment, right up until the date of their death.

The only problem is where you might get access to the old Navy Lists.
Major libraries and museums in the UK will have a set, but I don't know
where else they might be held. So far as I know, these records have
never been indexed or digitised.


Gavin Bell


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