I meant to respond earlier on the subject of Sea Fencibles (raised by Ray I think) but the mind slipped into neutral and so I settled down with a glass of warm milk and a rusk and have only just reactivated the remaining few grey cells. As this posting doesn't contain much of genealogical use (no ages, dates, relationships, etc.), I thought it more of 'Dorset Life' interest. There is an excellent and comprehensive explanation of Sea Fencibles at http://www.fishponds.freeuk.com/seafenc.htm entitled The Severn District Sea Fencibles 1803 to 1810 By John Penny of the Fishponds Local History Society, Bristol. The following extract from this site explains the not very subtle pressure applied to boatmen to volunteer! "All those who shall voluntarily enrol themselves as Sea Fencibles, for the defence of the coast, will not be required to leave their own coast; unless the enemy shall have made, or be expected to make, a landing on any other part, in which case they will be required to go to that part. They are to be mustered and exercised with the Pike or Great Gun one day in a week, whichever day will least interfere with their different occupations, when they will be allowed one shilling per man each day. Or, in places where their vessels or boats are lying idle during the neap tides, they will be attended to at such times. While they shall remain on the roll, and shall perform properly the services and exercise required of them they shall be PROTECTED FROM THE IMPRESS." "They will be allowed to leave the District for which they are enrolled, when employed in Fishing, or carrying their different commodities to market, and will have a certificate from their Captain at the time of enrollment, which will protect them at all times while following their usual occupation. And, if they should be called out on actual service, they will be allowed one shilling per day, and provisions: or another shilling in lieu of provision. A man chosen from among themselves, and recommend to their Captain as a proper person to command them as a Petty Officer, will be attended to, as one for every 25 men will be appointed. And as the situation of the country requires the services of every person on the sea coast, no seafaring man, fisherman, or other person, whose occupation or calling may be, or has been, to work in vessels or boats upon rivers, or otherwise, WILL BE EXEMPTED FROM THE IMPRESS, unless enrolled to serve as a Sea Fencible." At the PRO at Kew I had a look at ADM28/65 (Navy Board: Sea Fencibles Pay Lists) which contains the muster rolls for the Weymouth crew between 8 February 1800 and 7 March 1800. One suspects that this is a virtual census of Weymouth boatmen which unfortunately gives only the names and (where able) the signatures of the men attending each parade and their pay. There are records for fencible groups from North Shields right around our coast to Malin Head and those relating to Dorset are:- <A HREF="http://catalogue.pro.gov.uk/DisplayCatalogueSummary.asp?CATLN=6&CATID=493521">ADM 28/61</A> Calshot to St. Alban's Head. 1803-1805 <A HREF="http://catalogue.pro.gov.uk/DisplayCatalogueSummary.asp?CATLN=6&CATID=493522">ADM 28/62</A> Calshot to St. Alban's Head. 1805-1810 <A HREF="http://catalogue.pro.gov.uk/DisplayCatalogueSummary.asp?CATLN=6&CATID=493523">ADM 28/63</A> Dorset. 1798-1801 <A HREF="http://catalogue.pro.gov.uk/DisplayCatalogueSummary.asp?CATLN=6&CATID=493524">ADM 28/64</A> Dorset. 1798-1807 <A HREF="http://catalogue.pro.gov.uk/DisplayCatalogueSummary.asp?CATLN=6&CATID=493525">ADM 28/65</A> Dorset. 1798-1801 <A HREF="http://catalogue.pro.gov.uk/DisplayCatalogueSummary.asp?CATLN=6&CATID=493526">ADM 28/66</A> Dorset. 1803-1810 <A HREF="http://catalogue.pro.gov.uk/DisplayCatalogueSummary.asp?CATLN=6&CATID=493527">ADM 28/67</A> Bridport. 1798-1801 <A HREF="http://catalogue.pro.gov.uk/DisplayCatalogueSummary.asp?CATLN=6&CATID=493528">ADM 28/68</A> Puncknoll to Teignmouth. 1803-1805 There are some 20 men for example in the group at Swyre and about 22 at Abbotsbury. Weymouth mustered just under a hundred and the names I was able to read are Samuel Scriven, William Samways, Samuel Jerrard, William Dearling, Henry Buck, Peter Weston, John Jerrard, Robert White, John Tibbs, John Tizzard, Richard Tizzard, Richard Jerrard, Leonardn Carter ? (Cartless ?), Martin Loader, Henry Hard, Thomas Talbot, Stephen (Septimus) Nobbs, Samuel Talbot, William Samways, John Sims, Robert Mitchell, Jeremy Cromey, John Cromey, John Huggins, David Laurance, James Talbot, John Bartlett, Joseph Beale, James (Joseph) Cole, James (Joseph) Topham, William Loader, George Manning, William Phillips, George Clayton, Peter Bussel, William Court, Robert Bucks, Sam Marsh, George Beale, George Darby, Joseph Harris, John Vaux, Henry Weston, John Thompson, John Waters, John Carol ( Curroll), John Vile ? (Vice ?), Jonathan Bo;t, Robert Cooper, Nathaniel Gray, George Gray, Francis Green, Charles Buch, James Tizzard, Joseph Hunter, Thomas Hickman, John Hunter, William Buck, Frederick Oak, William Bolt, James Curtis, Peter Green, William Fuzzard, Benjamin Williams, Phillip Prout, Charles Turner, John Lovell, John Hare (Eyre), John Wood, Gray Ford, Jacob Fowler, Sam Summers, Joseph Decker, James Carter, John Gooden, Thomas Hitchcoke, William Bincen, Sam Beech, Thomas Morgan, Joseph Beasant, Frederick White, Henry Carter, John Hodge, William Harvey, Peter Kellaway, Richard Williams, Henry Notter, Charles Riddle, William Sims, John Meckelvey (McKelvey), Peter Pashen, and David Jones. The spelling in some signatures differed from the register entry e.g., Meckelvey (McKelvey). Sounds like a call of my school register in Weymouth in the 1940s! John Rogan in Wiltshire, England.