History and development of the Mercantile Navy List
Predecessor of the Mercantile Navy List
Lists of British registered steam vessels were published in
Parliamentary papers in most years from 1829 until 1870. The
earliest list gives details of steamships back to 1814. Vessels are listed in order of port of registry, beginning with
London and then alphabetically by English and Welsh ports, then
finally by Scottish ports. Later returns have an index of vessels`
names. Each list gives: - name
- port and date of registry
- date of build
- owners
- dimensions
- tonnage [definition]
- horsepower [definition]
- material and whether the ship is powered by paddles [definition] or screws [definition]
- earlier lists note the armaments the vessel is capable of
carrying
- official number (lists from the 1850s)
For the years 1857 to 1870, these lists give more detail of
individual steam vessels than contemporary Mercantile Navy
Lists. These lists, given the title `A RETURN, in a Tabular Form with
Consecutive Numbers, of the whole of the STEAM VESSELS Registered
in the United Kingdom on or before [date]`, will often be bound in
with other Parliamentary papers. Larger public and university
libraries will have copies of Parliamentary papers and they are
also kept by the House of Lords Record Office [address]
and the Institute of Historical Research [address].
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