Thanks for the explanation, David! -----Original Message----- From: cumberland-bounces@rootsweb.com [mailto:cumberland-bounces@rootsweb.com] On Behalf Of David Armstrong via Sent: 10 February 2016 14:05 To: Petra Mitchinson <petra.mitchinson@doctors.org.uk>; eng-westmorland@rootsweb.com; Cumberland Mailing List <CUMBERLAND@rootsweb.com> Subject: Re: [CUMB] [ENG-WESTMORLAND] Consuls - (was Carlisle Patriot, 26 Jun 1819 - BMD) Petra A consul isn’t a diplomat. Instead he’s a agent looking after the routine business affairs for a country. For this reason, they’re often local businessmen and would assist the skippers of ships in their dealings with the local authorities. When Britain introduced formal “crew agreements” for British ships, the skippers had to get them stamped by the harbour master in every British (Empire) port, and by the British Consul in foreign ports. The majority of British crew agreements are now held in the “Maritime History Archive, Memorial University, St John’s, Newfoundland. Using these, I was able to trace my German Great Grandfather as a seaman on British ships back, voyage by voyage, until he first signed as crew of a British ship in Hamburg. The harbourmaster and consular stamps on the crew agreements allowed me to see when and to where he sailed on these voyages. One voyage in the 1880s was from Cardiff to Pireaus, and onto Taganrog at the mouth of the River Don on the Sea of Azov and then back to Cardiff. Regards David From: Petra Mitchinson via Sent: Wednesday, February 10, 2016 8:29 PM To: eng-westmorland@rootsweb.com ; Cumberland Mailing List Subject: Re: [CUMB] [ENG-WESTMORLAND] Carlisle Patriot, 26 Jun 1819 - BMD How does an Englishman become Consul General for Guatemala???